81 



Hab. Mediterranean. English Channel. North Afri- 

 can coast. Indian Ocean (Bloch). Australian seas. 



Mdk^na nubila. Richardson. 

 Plate XLVI., fig. 6—1 0. 



Teeth uniserial, compressed-subulate, tapering and very 

 acute, (or stiletto-shaped). Nasal teeth twelve, widely set 

 and moderately tall, with a minute subulate one between 

 each pair. Two teeth placed well forward on the mesial 

 line of the disk, the second one being the tallest in the 

 mouth. Twelve conico-subulate, sharjj-pointed, very short 

 vomerine teeth, the anterior one standing a little out of 

 line. Palatine teeth twelve, slightly reflex, the two ante- 

 rior ones smaller than the rest, which diminish slightly in 

 size from the third to the corner of the mouth. Mandible 

 armed by fifteen or sixteen teeth on each limb, the ante- 

 rior ones taller, more remote, and having one or two mi- 

 nute, subulate ones in their intervals. 



The head of this species is considerably compressed, 

 the jaws equal, and the snout obtuse, with a sloping profile, 

 concave at the eye. The fold of skin which envelopes the 

 dorsal is less thick than in man}- species, and rises sud- 

 denly, with little slope, about half-way between the eye 

 and gill-o])ening. The fin continues high and very con- 

 spicuous throughout the back to near the end of the tail, 

 where it narrows a little. The posterior nostrils are not 

 tubular, the eye is rather large, the gape also large, and 

 the distance from the tip of the snout to the gill-opening 

 is about one-eighth of the whole length of the fish, while 

 the anus is a fourteenth of that length before the middle of 

 the fish. The usual pores exist on the snout and upper 

 and lower lips, and the lateral line consisting of a series 

 of small pores is sufficiently evident. Three black tapering 

 streaks are conspicuous on the throat, the uppermost run- 

 ning back from the corner of the mouth. The body is 

 marked by cloud-like spots, forming a series of irregular, 

 and iu some places, confluent bars. The spots commence 

 on the lower part of the dorsal, and descend over two- 

 thirds of the height. The ground colour is brownish on 

 the back and pale or whitish on the belly. The dorsal 

 and anal are bordered by a well-defined, deep black stripe, 

 which is very narrowly edged exteriorly with white. 



Caecal stomach not reaching down to the anus. Pylo- 

 ric orifice neai-er to the gullet than to the point of the sac. 

 Liver placed beneath and rather to the right of the sto- 

 mach. An oblong oval air-bladder lies behind the (Eso- 

 phagus. The spiral valve of the lower intestine was not 

 made out, owing to the state of the parts. 



Length of the specimen 2r5 inches. Distance between 

 tip of the snout and the anus 10 inches. Distance from 

 ditto to the gill-opening -2 6. 



This fish was obtained at Norfolk Island, by Dr. M' 

 William, of the Royal Navy, Surgeon to the Board of 

 Customs. A dried skin of a murrey, belonging to the Bri- 

 tish Museum, which was procured by ISIr. Gilbert at 

 Houtman's Abrolhos is probably the same species, which 

 in that case inhabits both coasts of Australia. The small 

 intermediate teeth among the intermaxillaries do not exist 



in this latter example, and the larger ones have rounded, 

 compressed, posterior basal lobes not observable in the 

 Norfolk Island specimen, being, perhaps, concealed by the 

 soft ])arts, but there is no other remarkable difference in 

 dentition. The anal has a whitish edge surmounting a 

 black stripe, and there are spots on the sides, but much 

 defaced by the drying of the specimen. It measures 

 twenty-two inches in length. 



A third specimen, like the last, a dried one, and also ex- 

 isting in the British Museum, was prepared by Dr. Janvier 

 at the Mauritius. It has the same dentition with the Nor- 

 folk Island fish, except that a third tall tooth is present 

 on the mesial line of the nasal disk, and from the speci- 

 men being dried the alternate arrangement of the vomerine 

 teeth is perceptible, though they appear on a cursory 

 examination to be in one series. Some of the spots or 

 bars descend over the belly, and there are traces of six or 

 seven black streaks on each side of the throat. Length 

 44'3 inches. To anus 2.3. To gill-opening 6'4. 



Hab. Seas of Australia and of the Mauritius. 



MuR.'ENA SAGENOUETA. Richardsou. 



The only example of this species which we have seen is 

 a dried one in the British Museum, which was prepared 

 by Dr. Janvier at the Mauritius. 



' There is considerable resemblance between it and M. 

 nubila, but it appears to have a thicker body, particulariy 

 about the throat, while the vent is a little farther forward. 

 The uniserial teeth are comparatively stouter, with less 

 acute edges, and stand in a closer series both anteriorly 

 and posteriorly. The highest on the edge of the upper 

 jaw are the posterior nasal ones and adjoining palatines, 

 whence they decrease gradually in both directions. Many 

 of them have a minute notch near the middle of the ante- 

 rior edge, and most have a conspicuous posterior basal 

 lobe. There are about nineteen between the symphysis 

 and corner of the mouth on the ujiper jaw and a corre- 

 sponding number below, there being no small intermedi- 

 ate ones on the fore part of either jaw. The mesial teeth 

 on the nasal disk are entirely absent in the specimen, and 

 the disk itself is rather long and concave, without any pits. 

 The vomerine teeth are minute, and do not exceed three 

 iu number. 



Posterior nostrils not tubular. Eye moderate-sized, 

 and rather before the middle of the gape of the mouth. 

 Dorsal commencing about half-way between the corner of 

 the mouth and the gill-opening. Anus as neariy as pos- 

 sible in the middle of the fish. Distance between the tip 

 of the snout and the gill-opening neariy one-seventh of 

 the total length. 



Ground colour of the dried skin brownish, varied by thirty- 

 two or thirty-four irregular, blackish vertical bars, which 

 descend from the dorsal fin and branch and anastomose 

 about the gill-opening, so as to produce five or six meshes 

 in the height, the bar-like arrangement not being percep- 

 tible there ; more posteriorly the meshes are larger, and 

 not above three or four in the height ; at the anus they 

 increase in size and diminish to two in the height, while to- 

 wards the end of the tail the meshes are wholly superseded 



P 



