MUIUiNA. 127 



431. Muraena nubila. [107, 461, 403, 535.] 



Muraena nubila, Richards. Zool. Ereb. §■ Terr. Fish. p. 81, pi. 46. f. 6-10 ; Kauji, Cat. Ap. Fish. p. 57, 

 fig. 48. 



Aden. Zanzibar. Mauritius. Norfolk Island. 



432. Muraena flavomarginata. [7 is. I 



? Murenophis grise, var. Lacep. v. 641, pi. 19. f. 3. 



Murrena flavimarginata, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 119, t. 30. f. 3. 



Zanzibar. Mozambique. Red Sea. 



433. Muraena nudivomer, sp. n. Plate xvin. [460, 551.] 



Vomerine teeth none ; upper jaw with a cluster of five or six slightly curved teetli 

 in front (the hindermost being the longest), and with from sixteen to eighteen rather 

 strong teeth in the lateral series. These numbers, however, are not constant, as teeth 

 are constantly being shed. The distance of the gill-opening from the extremity of the 

 snout is one-eighth or one-ninth of the total length, and twice the length of the man- 

 dible. Origin of dorsal fin opposite the middle of the distance between gill-opening 

 and mandibulary joint. Dorsal and anal fins very distinct and of moderate height. 

 General habit of body rather slender. 



Colour in a dried state. — Ground-colour pale reddish yellow; head and anterior 

 parts of trunk densely covered with small irregular brown specks, which, towards the 

 hind part of the trunk, become confluent into vermiculated lines. On the tail the lines 

 form a regular network enclosing oval spots, each about twice the size of the eye. The 

 fins participate in the coloration of the corresponding parts of the body. Length of 

 typical specimen 2 feet 10 inches. 



In another specimen, hardly shorter than the other, the vermiculated lines com- 

 mence before the middle of the trunk, forming a network on the hind portion ; on the 

 tail the brown becomes the ground-colour; this part is beautifully ornamented with 

 ovate, yellow, black-edged ocelli, each the size of the eye. 



Zanzibar. 



This species resembles Muraena ocellata, Agassiz (Pise. Bras. p. 91, t. L. b. figs. G-9, 

 and Richards. Voy. Ereb. & Terr. Zool. Fish. p. 82, pi. 47. figs. 6-10), but is distin- 

 guished from it by the absence of vomerine teeth, and by a marked difference in the 

 coloration ; the Mexican species has light markings on a dark ground, on the fore part 

 of the fish, while that from Zanzibar has dark markings on a light ground. 



