FISHES OF THE PHOENIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS 



39 



of and above gill opening; others varying in intensity 

 gradually blending with brown blotches with very 

 fine white dividing lines; under side of head and 

 trunk plain pale; dorsal fin white anteriorly; under 

 first brown oblong blotch behind eye occur two or 

 three brown spots below level of eye; corner of 

 mouth brown; anterior nostrils brown; about two 

 to four teeth in inner row on maxillary; vomerine 

 teeth biserial anteriorly; middle teeth of intermaxil- 

 lary plate fanglike. 



Gymnothorax margaritophorus Bleeker 



Uh. Body crossed with dendritic spots forming narrow bars, 

 numbering about 45 to 50 on a pale background of 

 light brown color ; no series of brown blotches behind 

 eye; lower jaw white; margin of dorsal fin pale. 

 Color note made when this eel was alive: "Light 

 yellowish -white background with black dendritic spots 

 and blotches.".— Gymnothorax gracilicauda Jenkins 

 136. No white middorsal line or streak on head and no narrow 

 dendritic dark cross bars on body; if blackish spots 

 more or less arranged in bars occur these are not 

 dendritic, but spots are compact with almost clean-cut 

 edges. 

 15«. Color pattern composed of large brown blotches ar- 

 ranged more or less regularly and separated by narrow 

 pale lines that occur more or less as irregular vertical 

 streaks posteriorly, and in large specimens the pale 

 streaks may have small dark specks; under side of 

 head and trunk plain pale; margin of median fins 

 white posteriorly ; middle teeth of intermaxillary plate 

 fanglike; teeth on vomer uniserial; vertebrae in one 

 specimen totaled 126, with 49 vertebrae to anus ; rim 

 of posterior nostril not raised; lower jaw not white, 

 but about same color as rest of head. 



Gymnothorax undulata (Lacepede) 

 15&. Color pattern of narrow black blotches on a pale back- 

 ground; some of black spots are somewhat joined, but 

 narrower than the pale light-brownish interspaces; 

 from behind eye to over corner of mouth occur about 

 six small black spots ; spots on body may be roundish 

 and arranged in two or three irregular rows, the one 

 along midaxis the most regular; vomerine teeth 

 probably uniserial ; vertebrae totaled 128 in one speci- 

 men, with 47 to anus. 



Gymnothorax fimbriata (Bennett) 



3& Inside marginal series of teeth on maxillary occurs a long series of teeth 

 numbering 5 to 14, usually 10 to 14 in young, and in adults as few as five 

 teeth are present; median teeth of intermaxillary plate little enlarged, 

 about same size as marginal series, never fanglike; snout to anus 2% 

 in total length and 1% in tail; vomerine teeth biserial; color brownish, 

 mottled with lighter ; margin of median fins pale posteriorly, also ante- 

 riorly in young; snout and front of lower jaw white in young, pale m 

 adults : rim of posterior nostril slightly raised ; mouth closes. (Fig. 4, i.) 



Gymnothorax thyrsoidsa (Richardson) 



424599—42 4 



