52. MUR^EXIDiE MUEJiiXA. 355 



Family LII.— MUR.ENID^. 



(The Murcenas.) 



Body elongate, eel-shaped, naked. Head siibconical, elevated at the 

 occiput, the snout rather slender; skull less developed than in fishes 

 ijenerally, the opercular bones rudimentary, the preoperculura generally 

 wanting. Premaxillary rudimentary or wanting. Ethmoid very wide. 

 Maxillary, symplectic, pterygoid, basal-branchihyal, superior and in- 

 ferior pharyngeal bones all wanting, except the fourth superior pharyn- 

 geal, which is jaw-like, and supported by a strong superior branchihyal. 

 Teeth various. Gill-opening reduced to a small slit or foramen. Ven- 

 tral fins none. Pectorals usually wanting ; dorsal and anal low, conflu- 

 ent around the tail, sometimes wanting. Skeleton well ossified. Mus- 

 cular system well developed. Genera 5 or C; species about 110. Abun- 

 dant in warm seas, often reaching 51 large size. 



(MurccnUlai enfiyscliistw Giiutlier, viii, 93-136: order Colocepliali Cope, Trans. Amer. 

 Phil. Soc. 1670, 456.) 



a. Pectorals uone ; vertical fins well tleveloped; nostrils round; teetli all acnte. 



MuR^XA, 168. 



16§.— MUR^I^A Liuuaius. 



(Artedi ; Linn. Syst. Nat. : tjT)e Murccna helenas L.) 



Pectoral fins none; dorsal and anal fins well developed. Posterior 

 nostril round, with or without tube; anterior nostril with a tube. 

 Teeth well developed, acute. Tongue not free, '^o lateral line. Body 

 usually moderately elongate. Sj)ecies very numerous in warm seas. 

 {[Mpai-m^ the ancient name of Ilurccna Jielcnce; from /xupov^ a sweet oil.) 



fl. Posterior as well as anterior nostrils tubular. (Afui'wna.) 



STS. ^I. melanotis (Kaup) Gthr. — Moray. 



Brownish black, everywhere with numerous round yellowish spots, 

 most of which are smaller than the eye, these sometimes confined to 

 the head and trunk; a large rouifd black spot around the gill-opening; 

 angle of mouth black. Nasal tubes subequal in length, shorter than 

 the eye. IMaxillary teeth biserial, and in young examples mandibulary 

 teeth also. Canine teeth somewhat knife-shaped, of moderate length. 

 Mouth capable of being completely shut. Gill-opening narrow, not 

 wider than the small eye. Snout of moderate length. Cleft of mouth 

 of moderate length, about 2} in length of head. Tail longer than body. 

 Head 2i in length of trunk. West Indies, &c. {Gibithcr.) Specimens 



