24. .MiiiJiXA. 105 



e. Hiilf-grown. Presented by the lloyal College of Surgeous. 



This species has been confounded by Lacepedc with the Murcena 

 coluhrina of previous authors, which is an Ophiuroid Eel, and by 

 Blceker with Gjmnothorax reticulata of Bloch. 



1 7. Muraena petelli. 



Murasna inibila, Richards. Voy. Ereb. i^ Terr. Fish. p. 81 (spec, fi'om 



Mauritius). 

 petoUi, Bleek. Nat. Tyds. Ned. Itid. xi. p. 84 ; or Act. Soc. Sc. 



Ind.-Ni'derl. ii. Amhoyna, viii. p. 92. 

 ? Muneua interrupta, ICaiip, Ajwd, p. 07, tig. 51. 

 Gymuothorax petelli, Bleek. Atl. Icldh. Murain. p. 99, pi. 32. fig. 1. 



Teeth uniserial, young examples with some additional teeth form- 

 ing an inner maxillary scries ; maudibulary teeth about 23 on each 

 side. Canines moderately developed, the mouth cannot be shut 

 completely. Gill-opening not wider than the eye, which is of 

 moderate size, situated somewhat nearer to the end of the snout 

 than to the angle of the mouth. Snout rather produced, not twice 

 as long as the eye. Cleft of the mouth wide, its length being con- 

 tained twice and one-fourth in that of the head. Tail longer than 

 the body ; the length of the head is one-third of that of the trunk. 

 Brown, ivith from 17 to 18 dark cros.'s bands, broader than the inter- 

 spacesi ; the first, indistinct, on the end of the snout ; the third, very 

 distinct, at the commencement of the dorsal fin. In old examples 

 most of tlie bands are broken up into spots, but the anterior dorsal 

 bands remain distinct. 



Indian Ocean and archipelago. Red Sea ? 



a. Ty]ie of the species, 19 inches long. Java. From Dr. Bleeker's 



Collection. 



b. Stuffed, 44 inches long. Mauritius. From Dr. Janvier's Col- 



lection. 



18. Mursena reticularis. 



Gymnothorax reticulaiis, BL Ausl. Fisch. ix. p. 85, pi. 41G ; Bl. 8chn. 



p. 528. 



reticiilatus, Bl Sclin. p. 528. 



Murffiuophis reticularis, Lacep. v. pp. 028, 042, 043. 



MuriBua reticulata, Richards. Voy. Ereb. 6f Terr. Fish. p. 82 (cop. by 



Kaup, Apod. p. 00, Hg. 49). 



minor, Schley. Faun. Japon. Poiss. p. 209, pi. 115. fig. 2. 



rriodonopliis minor, Bleek. Verh. Bat. Gen. xxvi. p. 123; Kner, No- 



vara, Fi.'<ch. p. 382. 



Teeth uniserial (some of them slightly serrated) ; mandibulary 

 teeth thirteen ; canines very small ; the mouth can be shut com- 

 ])letely. Anterior nasal tubes very short. "Width of the eye and 

 gill-opening nearly equal. Snout scarcely compressed, rather short ; 

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

 somewhat nearer to the angle of the mouth than to the end of the 

 snout. Cleft of the mouth of moderate width, one-third of the 

 length of the head. Tail longer than the body : the length of the 



