/4 MUHJiMDJ:. 



each with a whitish centre ; margin of the fin black ; a series of 

 elongate blackish spots along its middle ; anal fin nearly immaculate. 

 The length of the head is two-ninths of the distance of the gill- 

 opening from the vent. Snout tetraliedi-al, moderately pointed, 

 with tlie upper jaw slightly projecting beyond the lower. Cleft of 

 the mouth of moderate rndth, onc-tliird of the length of the head ; 

 eye of moderate size, two-thirds of the length of the snout, situated 

 in the anterior third of the length of the head. Posterior nostril 

 in advance of the eye ; anterior with a rather long truncated tube. 

 Teeth of moderate size, pointed, fixed, uniserial in aU the bones ; some 

 of the front teeth rather larger than the otliers. Pectoral fin small, 

 as long as the snout ; dorsal commencing opposite to the base of the 

 pectoral. Tail as long as tlie trunk without head. 

 Amboj-na. 



a. Type of the species, 15 inches long. From Dr. Bleeker's Col- 

 lection. 



41. OpMchthys altipinnis. 



Microdonophis altipinnis, Kaiip, Apod. p. G, fig. 3 (not 4). 

 Murseuopsis altipinnis, lilcek. Ned. Ti/dschr. Dierk. i. p. 180. 

 Ophichtbys altipinnis, lilcck. Atl. Ichthyol. diurcen. p. 50, tab. 13. 



fig. 2. 

 melanocliir, Bleek. Ned. Tydschr. Dierk. i. p. 44 ; and Atl. Ichth. 



Mtu-an. p. 51, tab. 48. fig. 3. 



Coloration uniform ; anterior part of the dorsal blackish ; pectoral 

 and margins of the dorsal and anal blackish. Dorsal fin elevated, 

 its anterior portion being nearly as high as the body underneath. 

 The length of the head is one-third or two-sevenths of the distance 

 of the gUl-opening from the vent. Cleft of the mouth of moderate 

 width, about one-third of the length of the head ; snout pointed, 

 with the upper jaw much projecting beyond the lower. Eye of 

 moderate size, rather less than one-half of the length of the snout, 

 situated on the anterior third of the length of the head. Posterior 

 nostril in advance of the eye. Teeth pointed, fixed ; the intermax- 

 illary teeth form a double longitudinal series, and are opposed to the 

 front teeth of the mandible, which are stronger than the others. 

 Maxillary, vomerine, and lateral mandibulary teeth uniserial. Pec- 

 toral two-fifths of the length of the head ; dorsal fin commencing 

 above the giU-opcning. Body about three-fourths as long as the 

 tail. 



Celebes and Amboyna. 



a. Type of 0. melanocliir, 27 inches long. Amboyna. From Dr. 

 Bleeker's Collection. 



3. Dorsal Jin commcnchH/ in advance of tlie fjill-opening. 



42. OpMchthys calamus. 



The length of the head is one-fifth of the distance of the gill- 

 opening from the vent. Snout convex, obtusely conical ; cleft of 

 the mouth of moderate width, one-fourth of the length of the head ; 



