36 MtriUENID^. 



a. Thirteen inches long. Zanzibar. From Lieut.-Col. Playfair's 



Collection. 

 h. c. Adult (31 inches long). Seychelles. Presented by Professor 



E. P. Wright. 



How uncertain are the characters considered to be specific in this 

 genus is evident from an examination of specimens h and c. There 

 cannot be the least doubt that they belong to the same species ; yet 

 in one of the examples (which is somewhat smaller than the other), 

 the origin of the dorsal is only slightly in advance of the vent, as 

 is stated to be characteristic of yl. virescens, and is also the case 

 in specimen a. But in specimen c (31 inches long) the distance 

 between the origin of the dorsal and the vent is not less than 2\ 

 inches , in fact it agrees so perfectly with Anguilla latirostris that, 

 if similar examples should be found to be of common occurrence, and 

 not exceptional only, one could not hesitate to refer virescens as a 

 synonym to latirostris. 



20. Anguilla sidat. 



Anguilla sidat, lilcek. Verh. Bat. Gen. xxv. Murccn. p. 17 ; Kaup, 

 Apod. p. 53 ; Kner, Novara, Fischc, p. 308. 



bleekeri, Kaup, Apod. p. 52, fig. 45. 



celebesensis, Kauj), Apod. p. 42, fig. 31. 



Mursena sidat. Sleek. Atl. Ichthyol. Muvfen. p. 10, tab. 3. fig. 3. 



Scarcely distinct from A. virescens. 



The dorsal fin commences above or immediately in front of the 

 vent. The length of the head is contained twice in the distance of 

 the gill-opening from the vent. Snout rather short, depressed, 

 slightly pointed. Angle of the mouth extending to behind the small 

 eye. Lips thin. Teeth equally small, forming broadish flat bands 

 of nearly equal width. The vomerine band extends nearly as far 

 backwards as the maxiUary bands. Tail longer than the body. 



East-Indian archipelago. 



a. One of the typical specimens. From Dr. Bleeker's Collection. 



Anguilla malaharica, Kaup, Apod. p. 52, fig. 47, from Malabar, 

 would appear to be very closely allied to this species ; but the dorsal 

 fin is said to commence half an inch before the vent in an example 

 17^ inches long. 



21. Anguilla aastralis. 



Anguilla australis, Richards. Trans. Zool. Sac. iii. p. 157 ; and Voy. 

 Ereb. Sf Ter. Fish. p. 112, pi. 45. figs. 1-5; Jenyns, Voy. Beagle, 

 Fishes, p. 142 ; Bleek. Nat. Tydschr. Nederl. Ind. xiii. p. 389, and 

 AH. Ichth. Murem. p. 12, tab. 7. fig. 1. 



The dorsal fin commences at a very short distance in advance of 

 the anal fin. Thegth len of the head is contained twice and a third 

 or twice and two-thirds in the distance of the gill-opening from the 

 vent. Angle of the mouth below the posterior part of the eye. Lips 

 fleshy. Teeth equally small, forming broadish flat bands, the man- 



