88 



fine folds. Pyloric orifice lateral, near the oesophagus, 

 opening directly into a much more slender intestine, 

 which lies parallel to the stomach. The intestine is reti- 

 culated interiorly, the wrinkles becoming gradually more 

 delicate, and disappearing in the lower part of the ca- 

 nal. At the junction of the small intestine with the wider 

 rectum its inner coat projects so as to form a circular 

 valve, but the gut was not in a condition to enable me to 

 ascertain whether a complete spiral valve existed or not. 

 Air-bladder of a long-oval form, an inch in length. 



Length 1 7'5 inches. To anus 8 inches. To gill-opening 

 •2'45 inches. 



Obs. — McClelland characterises his Tlimrodontis reticu- 

 lata (which we have supposed may prove to be identical 

 with the Gymiwthorax furagiiieus of Bloch), as follows : 

 " Teeth sharp and hooked, consisting of a single row on 

 the edges of both jaws, and a double row on the centre 

 of the back part of the palate, with three moveable fangs 

 near the apex of the upper jaw. Crown high and rounded, 

 every part of the body marked with black, pentangular 

 spots, separated by narrow white lines." (Calcutta Journ. 

 of Nat. Hist. July, 1844). 



MuR^NA TESSELLATA. Richardson. 



Murtsna tessellata, Richardson, Icbth. of Vov. of .Sulpliuv, p. 109. 

 Plate Iv. fig. 5—8. 



Nasal teeth twelve, uniserial, subulate, very acute, not 

 tall. Three teeth on the mesial line of the disk, the pos- 

 terior one being the tallest in the mouth, stoutish at the 

 base and very acute. Vomerine teeth uniserial, short, 

 acute. Palatine teeth ten in the outer series, more com- 

 pressed than the nasal ones, very acute and reflex, form- 

 ing a slightly arched row ; inner row of two taller ones at 

 the fore end of the bone. Each limb of the mandible is 

 armed anteriorly by three tall teeth, like the nasal ones, 

 the second being the stoutest and tallest, and in the same 

 line, by fourteen lateral teeth, which are subulate and re- 

 flex, the foremost being smaller than the rest. The man- 

 dible is slightly concave or recurved. 



This Murcena has a different form from canceUata, a more 

 obtuse snout, a full and not concave profile, a shorter 

 gape, smaller eye, lower dorsal fin, and different colour, 

 with fewer and larger meshes formed by the white lines. 

 The me-shes are much less numerous than those of y^jw/^r/- 

 nea. The dorsal commences before the gill-opening, and 

 the vent is about one-fiftieth of the whole length before the 

 middle of the fish. The posterior openings are not tubular. 



One specimen exists in the Museum of Haslar Hospital 

 and another was presented to the British Museum by the 

 College of Surgeons. They are supposed to have come 

 from the southern seas, but the place of capture of either 

 is unknown. 



Length, total 

 „ to anus 

 „ to gill-opening 



904 

 4-20 

 1-00 



l;3-5 

 6-5 



0-82 



MuR^NA COLUBRINA. Commerson apud Lacep. 



Murana fasciata, Backs et Solander, MSS. p. 68 ? 

 La Murenopliis colubrine, Lacep. v. p. 641. 642. 



Plate XIX., fig. I. 



A Murxna taken among the Society Islands on Cook's 

 first voyage is briefly noticed in Solander's notes, as fol- 

 lows : MuR/ENA FASCiATA, lota fasciata, fasciis latis ex 

 albido cinerascentihtts,fascite dum in capile lute^centibus. 

 Iris argenteo-fuscescens. Pupilla nigra. Fascics per 

 pinnas extend untiir.'" Native names " Epui-earhu." Ex- 

 cept in the existence of the bands there is little in this no- 

 tice to identify it with a banded Mnrtena which the Bri- 

 tish Museum received from the College of Surgeons. 

 The origin of the specimen is not recorded, but it was as- 

 sociated in the collection with some fish collected on 

 Cook's voyage. Lacepede's figure of M. colubriiia repre- 

 sents our fish pretty well, and shows the fins fringing the 

 point of the tail, yet in the ' Regne Animal ' it is quoted 

 as specifically the same with the Murwna annnlata of 

 Thunberg, which is an Ophisurus with double the number 

 of black rings on the body. 



Nasal teeth twelve, slenderly subulate and very acute, 

 in one series. Three taller ones on the mesial line of the 

 disk, and nine very low, small, bluntish teeth in a single 

 row on the vomer. Palatine teeth biserial, outer row of 

 twelve or thirteen teeth, which are narrowly lanceolate, 

 very acute, low, and much reflexed : the inner row con- 

 sists of four tall, slender teeth, standing opposite to the com- 

 mencement of the outer row. Each limb of the mandible 

 is armed by twenty-four acute, compressed teeth ; three of 

 which near the symphysis are set alternately with two mi- 

 nute ones : the following teeth are similar in height, regu- 

 larity and inclination to the outer palatine ones. 



Jaws equal. Posterior nasal opening with tumid lips, 

 placed very near the superior anterior margin of the orbit. 

 The anterior ones end in rather long tubes. Body consi- 

 derably compressed, particularly posteriorly, the tail taper- 

 ing, and ending very acutely. Anus about one-fourteenth 

 of the whole length before the middle of the fish. The 

 dorsal fin is very conspicuous, and the fold of skin in 

 which it lies is thinner than usual in the Murance, so that 

 the rays can be readily seen when it is held up to the 

 light. They are not, however, easily reckoned, owing to 

 their tenuity, and they are shorter at the tip of the tail 

 than on the back. The reticulations of the skin produced 

 by the muscular fasciculi ai-e very fine, and the lateral line 

 is imperceptible, though there is a furrow where the 

 muscles of the side meet. 



The ground colour of the specimen, which has been 

 long macerated in spirits, is brownish, that of the fins 

 being pale yellow or soiled white : both are crossed by 

 fifteen very regular and neatly-defined black bars, not so 

 wide as the interspaces. The first bar includes the eye, 

 the second is immediately behind the mouth, the third 

 passes over the gill-opening, the seventh is just before the 

 anus, and the last is on the end of the tail, leaving only 

 the white tip of the fin beyond. 



