52. MUR^XID^ MUE^NA. 
355 
Family LII.— ^rUR.^NID^. 
{The Murccnas.) 
Body elongate, eel-shaped, naked. Head suhconical, elevated at the 
occiput, the snout rather slender; skidl less developed than in fishes 
generally, the oiiercular bones rudimentary, the preoperculum generally 
wanting. Premaxillary rudimentary or wanting. Ethmoid very wide. 
Maxillary, sj^mplectic, pterygoid, basal-branchihyal, superior and in- 
ferior pharyngeal bones all wanting, except the fourth superior pharyn- 
geal, which is jaw-like, and supported by a strong superior branchihyal. 
Teeth various. Gill-opening reduced to a small slit or foramen. Ven- 
tral fins none. Pectorals usually wanting ; dorsal and anal low, conflu- 
ent around the tail, sometimes wanting. Skeleton well ossified. Mus- 
cular system well developed. Genera 5 or 6 ; species about 110. Abun- 
dant in warm seas, often reaching a large size. 
{MurccnidcB cnfiyscliistw Gunther, viii, 93-136: order ColoeepJiaVi Cope, Trans. Amer. 
Phil. Soc. 1870, 456.) 
a. Pectorals none ; vertical fins well develoi^ed; nostrils ronnd ; teeth all acute. 
Mur^xa, 168. 
16§. — Linnaeus. 
(Artedi ; Linn. Syst. Nat. : type Murccna helenoe L.) 
Pectoral fins none; dorsal and anal fins well developed. Posterior 
nostril round, with or without tube; anterior nostril with a tube. 
Teeth well developed, acute. Tongue not free. No lateral line. Body 
usually moderately elongate. Species very numerous in warm seas. 
[iwpaiva^ the ancient name of Murwna helcncc; from iivpov^ a sweet oil.) 
a. Posterior as well as anterior nostrils tubular. (Murcena.) 
57§. melasiotis (Kaup) Gthr. — Moray. 
Brownish black, everywhere with numerous round yellowish spots, 
most of which are smaller than the eye, these sometimes confined to 
the head and trunk; a large round black spot around the gill-opening; 
angle of mouth black. Nasal tubes subequal in length, shorter than 
the eye. Dlaxillary teeth biserial, and in young examples mandibulary 
teeth also. Canine teeth somewhat knife-shaped, of moderate length. 
Mouth capable of being completely shut. Gill-opening narrow, not 
wider than the small eye. Snout of moderate length. Cleft of mouth 
of moderate length, about in length of head. Tail longer than body. 
Head in length of trunk. West Indies, &c. {Gilnthcr.) Specimens 
