BY CHARLES W. DE VIS, M.A. 455 



Ophichtuys COBRA. 



Head / of trunk; snout J of head; pectoral 6 \ in head. 

 Habit round, firm. A line of pores from interorbit to snout on 

 each side. Head depressed, attenuated. Gape reaching beyond 

 level of orbit. Dorsal and anal very low, membranous, immersed 

 each in a groove. Dorsal rising a little behind the gill orifice? 

 which is short and immediately in front of the pectoral. 



Brown with about 27 black half -bands across the back. 



Loc. South Seas. Collected by Captain Browne. 



Ophicthys naja. 



Head one-eleventh nearly of the trunk ; tail one-fourth longer 

 than the head and trunk together. No pectorals. Teeth molar, 

 uniserial on jaws and vomer. Dorsal and anal higher than the 

 grooves in which they are seated, with distinct rays. 



Yellow, with twenty-seven complete brown rings which are 

 narrower than the interspaces : some of the interspaces with a 

 large oval spot. 



Loc. South Sea Islands. Collector, Mr. C. F. Browne. 



The teeth are neither pointed, granular, nor conical, but flat 

 tubercular molars : the fish therefore does not fairly enter either 

 of Dr. Gunther's subdivisions of the genus ; yet it has nothing 

 fui'ther to justify its separation under another generic term. 



It reproduces closely the style of colouring and general facies of 

 the fish described as Herpetichthys cobra (Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. 

 Wales, 1883, p. ) and finding that the statement that maxillary 

 teeth are wanting in that species was too hasty, I am now of 

 opinion that Herpetichthys should sink into a synonym. 



Trachycephalus n.g. Fam. sclerodermi. 



Body, more or less, naked. Teeth villiform, on jaws only. 

 Mouth oblique, gape very wide. Pre-operculum armed. Bran- 

 chiostegals 4. Gills 4, no slit behind the fourth. Nopseudobranchise. 

 Pectorals broad, fleshy, on a strong carpal. Lateral line con- 

 tinuous. Dorsal and anal rays few. Ventrals abdominal, 

 rudimentary. 



