62 MUR^NID^. 



the head; snout pointed. Eye of moderate size, two -thirds of the 

 length of the snout, situated in the anterior fourth of the length of 

 the head. Teeth pointed, fixed ; intermaxillary teeth stoutest, 

 forming a group ; anterior maxillary teeth uui-, posterior biserial, 

 whilst in the lower jaw the anterior are bi-, and the postorior uni- 

 Berial. Vomerine teeth bi- or triserial. Length of the pectoral fin 

 one-third of that of the head ; dorsal commencing above the pos- 

 terior third of the pectoral. Body about three-fourths as long as 

 the tail. 



Amboyna, Celebes. 



a. Type of 0. hroelcmeyeri, 12^ inches long. Makassar. From Dr. 



Eleeker's Collection. 

 h. Type of 0. amhoinensis, 19 inches long. Amboyna. From Dr. 



Bleeker's Collection. 

 c. Type of 0. cehbicus, 7^ inches long. Manado. From Dr. 



Bleeker's Collection. 



OpMchthys celebicus was founded on two very young examples, 

 said to have the maxillary and vomerine teeth in three series. One 

 of these t}^pical examples, which I have examined, has the max- 

 illary teeth distinctly enough in two series on one side, whilst on 

 the other the two series are a little more irregidar. The vomerine 

 teeth ai'e biserial. The representation of the dentition in Bleeker's 

 atlas is a schematic figure, like many others in the plates contain- 

 ing the Muraenida3, and very diff"erent from the real arrangement of 

 the teeth. 



16. Ophichthys rhytidodermatoides. 



Ophiurus breviceps, Cant. Mai. Fish. p. '326, pi. 5. fig. 4 (teeth) 



(not Hiefiarch.). 



rutidodermatoides, Bleek. VerJt. Bat. Gen. xxv. Murcen. p. 31. 



lumbricoides, Bleek. I. c. p. .32. 



Pisoodonopliis rutidodermatoides, Kaup, Ajwd. p. 18. 



lumbricoides, Kaup, I. c. p. 21. 



Ophichthys rutidodermatoides, Bleek. All. Ichthyol. Mitrtpn. p. 55, 



tab. 16. fig. 1. 



lumbricoides, Bleek. I. c. p. 56, tab. 14. fig. 3. 



breviceps, Bleek. I. c. p. 57. 



Coloration uniform. The length of the head is one-fourth of the 

 distance of the gill-opening from the vent. Snout pointed ; cleft of 

 the mouth of moderate width, extending behind the eye, about two- 

 sevenths of the length of the head. Eye small, two-fifths of the 

 length of the snout, situated in the anterior third of the length of 

 the head. Teeth pointed, fixed ; all biserial except the foremost of 

 the maxillaries. Gill-openings rather close together. The length 

 of the pectoral fin is one-third or two-sevenths of that of the head. 

 Dorsal fin low, commencing nearly opposite to the extremity of the 

 pectoral. Tail twice as long as the body. 



Pinang, Java. 



a-h. Tj^es of 0. brevicej^s (Cant.), skins. Pinang. From Dr. Cantor's 

 Collection. 



