96 mur;enid.e. 



Skeleton.— Orhit generally a complete osseous ring. Suture be- 

 tween maxillary and intermaxillary very distinct. Anterior verte- 

 brcc with a broad inferior sjnnous process ; transverse process of the 

 abdominal vertebra) deeply concave, sometimes cup-shaped ; caudal 

 vertebric with short transverse upper and lower spinous processes. 



Vertebi'ir. 

 Abdominal. Caudal. 



3fura;na Menu 69-71 + 72-70 = 141 



meleco/tis 60 + 6() = 120 



umlidata 64 + 68 =132 



moringa 65 + 79 = 144 



unicolor 65 + 71 = 136 



zchm 97 + 38 = 135 



nehidosa 65 + 57 = 122 



catenata 65 + 51 =116 



I. Teetli acute. 

 A. Posterior nostrils tubular : Murrena. 



1. Mursena helena. 



Mvpawa, Aristot. i. e. 5, ii. c. 1-3 & ll, iii. c. 10, v. c. 10, viii. c. 2, LI 



& 15, ix. c. 2 ; ^lian, i. c. 82 & 50, ix. c. 40 & GO; Athen. lib. vii. 



Mim-ena, Plin. ix. c. 16,19, 20, 23, 54,55 ; xxxii. c. 2, 5, 7 & 8 ; Bellon. 



Do Aqiint. p. 158; Rondel, xiv. e. 5, p. 402; Salvian, pp. 59, GO; 



Will ughhj, Hist. Pise. p. 103, tab. G 1 ; AldroiK iii. c. 27,pp. 356, o57. 



Mura'iia, sp. no. 6, Artedi, Si/non. p. 41 ; Genera, p. 2o ; Gronov. 



Zoaphyl. no. 164. 

 Murfena helena, L. Si/st. Xat. i. p. 425 ; Brlinn. Pise. 3Iass. p. 11 ; 

 Block, Ausland. Fis'ch. ii. p. 31, taf. 153 ; Iiisso,IchtJi. Nice, p. 366, 

 and Hur. Merid. iii. p. 189 ; Costn, Faun. Nap. Pesc, with figure of 

 skull ; Jem/ns, Man. p. 479 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. 2nd edit. ii. p. 40(), 

 and 3rd edit. i. p. 73 ; Couch, Fish. Brit. Isl. iv. p. 3-35, pi. 237 (not 

 good); Guichen. F.vplor. Ah/er. Poi'<s. p. 114; Gronov. Si/st. ed. 

 Grai/, p. 18 ; Richards. Voy'. Ereh. S,- Terr. Ichthyol. p. 80^ pi. 4!». 

 figs." 1-6; Kaup, Apod. pp. 55 (synonymy erroneous). 

 Muraniophis helena, Lacep. v. p. 631. 

 GjTunothorax murrena, Bl. Schn. p. 525. 

 Murajna romana, Shaw, Gen. Zool. iv. 1, p. 26. 

 Murfena guttata, Risso, Eur. 31&id. iii. 1^26, p. 191. 

 Skeleton : Rosenthal, Ichtht/otom. Taf. tab. 23 ; Owen, Osteol. C'atal. 

 i. p. 14. 

 Posterior nostrils tubular; anterior nasal tubes of moderate length, 

 their length being about equal to the vertical diameter of the eye. 

 Teeth uniserial. Intermaxillary and mandibular canine teeth but little 

 larger than the lateral teeth ; anteriorvomerine teeth much the largest, 

 17-18 teeth on each side of the lower jaw. Gill-opening a small 

 horizontal slit. Snout rather pointed ; eye small, two-fifths of the 

 length of the snout, situated above the middle of the length of the 

 cleft of the mouth. Cleft of the mouth wide, its length being about 

 two-thirds of the di.stance between the angle of the mouth and the 

 gill-opening. Tail a little longer than the body. The length of the 

 head is two-fifths or one-third of that of the trunk. Brown, with 



