880 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxih.' 



nostrils onh^ tubular, and the dorsal tin ])eginnlno- on the head. The 

 large canines, varying- much in number, are usually depressiblo. The 

 Morays of this genus are ever^^where abundant in the tropical seas, 

 where some of them reach a great size. They are the most active and 

 voracious of the eels, often showing much pugnacit\ Most of them 

 live in shallow water about rocks or reefs, (yv^vog^ naked; Bojpa^^ 

 chest, from the absence of pectoral fins. The name Gyhtnothorax^ based 

 on a Japanese Moray of this genus, must take the place of Lycoflout!.^.) 



a. (iy)nnothoraa:: Teeth of jaws uniserial; mouth closing completely. 



h. General color uniform purplish; dorsal and anal each with a broad white mar- 

 gin; dorsal fin high; jaws with large pores aU)Oinargh}iil(i. 42. 



hh. General color not uniform, the body nmch spotted or banded, 

 r. Body mottled or spotted, without distinct dark cross bands. 

 d. Body with spots or blotches, of varying forms, some or all of tliem paler 

 than the ground color. 

 e. Anal fin with a distinct white margin; light and dark markings arranged 

 to form irregular diffuse cross ])ands; head 2 to 2^ in trunk .. /;/cZoAo. 43. 

 ee. Anal fin without distinct white margin; head 2* in trunk; body with 

 (lark lines and many whitish spots, some of them ring like. 



mit'roszewskii. 44. 

 dd. Body with roundish black spots darker than the ground color, the spots 

 on head similar; head 2^ in trunk; tail longer than rest of body. 



reevem. 45. 



cc. Body pale brown with about 20 broad dark bands, most distinct on belly; 



head and back finely spotted; mouth small retiruhn-is. 46. 



42. GYMNOTHORAX ALBIMARGINATUS (Schlegel). 



11 Mtirxna hepatica RIippell, Atlas Fische, p. 120, Red Sea. — Guxthek, Cat. 



Fish., 1870, p. 122, Amboyna. 

 Mursena (ilbintarginata Schle'gel, Fauna Japonica, 1847, ]). 267, i>\. cxviii, 



Nagasaki. 

 C-h/mnothorax alh'nimrghiaiui^ Bleekek, Atlas Ichth. ]\Iur;en., p. 107, i)l. xxxvii, 



fig. 2; pi. XL, fig. 3, Amboyna. 



Head 3f in trunk; tail nearly or quite as long as rest of ))ody ; teeth 

 uniserial, the canines scarcely enlarged; mouth closing completely; 

 snout thick, of moderate length; eye small, 2^ in snout, nearer to 

 angle of mouth than tip of snout; cleft of mouth about 2f in head; 

 gill opening scarcely wider than eye; length of anterior nasal tubes 

 less than vertical diameter of eye. Dorsal tin ver}' high, beginning 

 in advance of gill opening, the posterior ravs higher than body below; 

 jaws with large whitish pores, about 3 above and 5 below on each 

 side. 



Color uniform purplish brown, paler l)elow; dorsal and anal each 

 with a broad whitish margin. (Schlegel; Giinther.) 



East Indies, north to Kiusiu, not seen bj^ us. Dr Giinther identifies 

 the species with (ryiiinothonix hepaticuH (Riippell), an earlier named 

 speciey from the lied Sea. But as Bleeker observes, this identity is 

 not yet proved, and Dr. Day records neither of them from India, 

 {Al/jus, white; /nan/lnatm, edged.) 



