MT7R,ENID.C. 63 



Dr. Bleeker describes the colour as follows : Body, brownish- 

 black, thickly crossed by obscure streaks or bands ; fins, brownish- 

 yellow, spotted witli brown ; the spots of the dorsal fin represent- 

 ing numerous bauds, or short fillets. 



Wahai, Ceram, and Padang, in the sea [Bleeker). 



Boi-neo (British Museum. Leyden Museum one example). 



117. ]\ruR.ENA SIMILIS. 



Murtena siniilis. Rich., Ereh. S Terr. p. 83. 



Species altera, kc. J. B. Forster, Descr. An. p. 183. 



? Murcena Kidako, Temm. d Schl. Fauna Jap. 2C6, t. 117. 



Colour, pale wood-brown, finely mottled with irregular star-like 

 specks of dark hair-brown. The specks are scattered generally 

 over the gi'ound tint, and are also densely aggregated in patches, 

 producing about 20 or more large spots, which run along the sides, 

 and e.xtend to the dorsal fin. A narrow line along the middle of 

 the throat connects a series of the small specks, and the folds of 

 the gill-membrane are traced on each side by similar lines. The 

 anal fin is maiked out by a black line, surmounted with a white 

 edging. The dorsal is not so edged. Lining of the mouth, black, 

 with yellowish bands, and mottled. 



Nasal teeth, 10, moderately tall and very acute, with 3 taller and 

 more slender teeth on the mesial line of the disk ; succeeded by 

 8 or 9 short, acute vomerine teeth, standing in a single series. 

 The palatine teeth, numbering 10-11, are also uniserial, and are 

 reflex, and more closely set than the nasal ones ; but not broad 

 enough to be termed lanceolate : all are acutely two-edged towards 

 the tips. The mandible is armed by 13 lateral teeth, similar to 

 the nasal ones, but taller, also by 2 stoutly-subulate ones on each 

 side near the symphysis, standing in the same row. A very small 

 tooth precedes the first of these tall ones, and another intervenes 

 between it and the following one. 



The gape of the mouth is rather large, the eye moderately so, 

 and the dorsal commences before the gill-opening (about half an 

 inch in the specimen described). The anus is situated about one- 

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



Length, 24 in. To anus, 10"5 in. To gill-opening, 27 in. 



Polynesia. Pied Sea. Sea of Japan. 



This Miirccna has a pretty close resemblance to M. varierfafa ; 

 but the spots do not branch off in a radiated way, and the dentition 

 is widely dissimilar. It agrees, in its large gape, sharp teeth, five 

 parallel dark lines on the gill-membranes, and in colours, with the 

 specimen obtained at Otahcite by Forster, and noticed after his 

 account of Echidna varic/ata. It is probable that the native name 

 of "Boohee" is restricted to this species, as the name of "Pipiro" 

 only is written on George Forster's drawing of M. variegata. Riip- 



