106 



the snout. Pectorals large : the dorsal commences be- 

 tween their tips, and terminates with the anal close to the 

 extreme tip of the tail. Both fins are very low posteriorly, 

 but expand gradually and .slightly before they slope away 

 to the point of the tail. Colour of the fish, in spirits, an 

 uniform brown. 



Length lOS inches. To anus 7-5 inches. To gill- 

 opening 2 inches. 



Hab. Sumatra. A si:)ecimen in British Museum. 



Length 35 inches. To anus 18'5 inches. To gill-open- 

 ing 4 inches. Length of gape 17 inch. 



1 think it probable that this may be the O. ophis of 

 authors, but in that case Bloch's figure differs in the rela- 

 tive position of the anus and the greater length of naked 

 tail, and fails in giving the characters of the dejnessed 

 conical head and jaws. 



Ophisokus serpens. Linn. (Muraiia). 



Ophisurus REGIUS. Shaw. 

 " An. Ophisurus ophis ? Auctorum." 



An Ophisurus in the British Museum, labelled as above, 

 has the following characters. 



Seven nasal teeth, ranged round the terminal border of 

 the acute snout, and on the mesial line ; more ])0£teriorly 

 there is a double row of six, set alternately tliree in each 

 row, as in some Mnrtente. These are succeeded by a sin- 

 gle row of thirteen on the vomer, both nasal and vomerine 

 teeth being subulate, acute and recurved. The palatine 

 teeth ai-e biserial, and are all pretty long, subulate, more 

 slender and very acute ; the outer row is inclined back- 

 wards towards the corner of the mouth ; and the inner one, 

 which are rather taller, is inclined to the mesial line, and 

 is preceded by a single row of four teeth, by which they 

 are connected with the mesial nasal row. Mandibular 

 teeth iniiscrial, curved backwards and inwards. 



Head greatly de])ressed, so that the very small eye is 

 on the U])per surface. The breadth is great at the angles 

 of the mouth, and diminishes evenly to the acute end of 

 the jaws, which are of equal length, and are laterally very 

 extensible. Anterior nostrils tubular, as usual, and jdaced 

 on the side of the snout. Posterior nostril j)laced before 

 the eye, preceded by a conical papilla on the edge of the 

 lip, and covered by a membranous lid. 



Body thickish for an Ophisurus, round throughout, and 

 tapering towards the end of the tail. The lateral Hne, 

 formed by an elevated tube with pores beneath at intervals, 

 is conspicuous. The pectoral, supported by fifteen rays, 

 is of moderate size, measuring six lines in length ; and the 

 dorsal, beginning half an inch behind its tip, ends a 

 quarter of an inch from the end of the tail, while the anal 

 ends a quarter of an inch farther forwards, or half an inch 

 from the tip of the tail. The fins are tolerably high ante- 

 riorly, with conspicuous rays, and lower gradually towards 

 their termination. 



The specimen has been immersed in spirits many years, 

 and many of its markings have doubtless disappeared. 

 The tint of the upper parts appears to have been reddish 

 or brownish. Twenty-three large pale brown spots or 

 bars still exist on the lateral line ; dots and lines of the 

 ground colour traverse the spots; and the whole space, 

 from the summit of the back to some way below the lateral 

 line, is marbled by small round pale brown spots, which 

 occupy as much space as the ground colour. 



Five marginal teeth at the extremity of the nasal bone, 

 and nine longer, acute, subulate mesial ones, all posterior 

 to the marginal ones. Thirteen short, acute, reflex, uni- 

 serial vomerine teeth. Palatine bone armed by an outer 

 row of sixty short, compressed, acute, inclined teeth, which 

 commence at the sixth mesial nasal tooth ; and by an in- 

 terior row of about twelve short, conical, acute teeth, just 

 showing through the soft i)arts, set widely apart and not 

 in a straight line. Under jaw armed laterally by a single 

 even row of close-set, reflex, subulate teeth, like the ex- 

 terior palatine ones. 



Snout slender and pointed. Gill-rays, according to Cu- 

 vier, only twenty. Pectoral tolerably large. Body having 

 a silvery or nacry aspect, like many of the Scoiiibrisidee. 



Two specimens exist in the British Museum ; one of 

 them taken in the Bay of Naples, and the other in the At- 

 lantic. In the Leyden Museum there is an Ophisurus 

 from Ja])an, labelled serpens, but I had no means of insti- 

 tuting a comparison between it and the Mediterranean 

 fish. Another similarly named, in the same Museum, is 

 noted as having been captured at tlie Cape of Good Hope. 



Hab. Mediterranean. Atlantic Ocean. 



The Ophisurus roslratiis, or Ophisure long museau of 

 Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. du Freycenet, PI. 51, f. 1, seems 

 to be allied to serpens, but I have seen no example of it, 

 and can therefore add nothing to the description to be 

 found in the work above quoted. There is a considerable 

 length of naked tail, the dorsal ending before the anal : the 

 ])ectoral is pretty long, and the gape large, with the eye 

 placed nearer to the angle of the mouth than to the end of 

 the snout. 



Ophisurus vimineus. Richardson. 



Op/iisuruK vimineus, RieliavrlsdU, Iclitli. of Suliiluir, p. 107, PI. ivi. 

 f. 16—20. Repurl ou Fish of China, p. 311. 



This Ophisurus stands by itself in the genus, in having 

 an elongated acute snout, minute pectorals, and no visible 

 vertical fins. The teeth are short, subulate and very acute. 

 Four are placed alternately in two rows on the narrow 

 nasal disk. The palatine teeth are uniserial, recurved, and 

 meet in front behind the nasal disk. Mandibular teeth 

 also uniserial. No vomerine teeth could be perceived, but 

 this was probably owing to their minuteness, and the roof 

 of the mouth having been injured. 



