OG 



MUR^NID.E. 



pi. 115. fig. 1 ; Costa, Faun. Nap. Peso. tav. 28 bis. figs. 1 & 2 (skull) ; 



Richards. Ichthyol. Ereb. Sf Terr. p. lUG; Jump, Apod. p. 7. 

 Leptorhyncliiis capensis, Smith, III. Zoal. S. Afr. Pise. pi. 0. 

 Ophisurus inacrorbjnchus, L'leek. Verh. Bat. Gen., xxv. Mitrcrn. 



\x 28. 

 IMiiroena acutirostris, Grvnuv. Syst. ed. Gray, p. 19. 



The length of the head is contained thrice and two-thirds or four 

 times in the distance between the gill-opening and the vent. Snout 

 slender, produced into a joint ; cleft of the mouth very wide, half as 

 long as the head. Eye of moderate size, two-sevenths of the length 

 of the snout, situated in the anterior third of the length of the head. 

 Teeth jiointed, fixed, unequal in size, those of the intermaxillary 

 and maxillary biserial, the others uniscrial. The intermaxillarj 

 teeth and anterior of the mandible and those of the vomer are 

 canine teeth. GiU-openings rather wide. Vertical fins moderately 

 developed; the distance between the base of the pectoral and origin 

 of the dorsal is twice or rather more than twice the length of the 

 pectoral, the length of which is about one-sixth of that of the head. 



The length of the body is somewhat moi.- than one-half of that of 

 the tail*. Uniformly coloured above, silvery below. 



Mediterranean ; Eastern Atlantic ; Japan ; Australia. 



a. Half-grown. Bay of Naples. Presented by S. P. Pratt, Esq. 



h, c. Half-grown. Mediterranean. 



d. Adult. Atlantic. 



e-f. Adult and young. Damara Land. 



g. Adult, Japan. From Dr. Blocker's Collection. Type of 6 



'macrorliijnclius. 

 h. Adult. Australia. Purchased of Mr. Bowerbank. 



/3. Snoid 7noderately in-odiiced ; no large canitie teeth. 



23. OpMchthys regius. 



Opliisurus regius, (Shaw) Richards. Voy. Ereb. 8c Terr. Fish. p. 100. 

 Herpetoichthus regius, Kaup, Apod. p. 8 (cop. Richards.). 



Groxmd-colour olive, with from 18 to 23 large round brown spots, 

 each extending from the dorsal fin to the abdomen ; thej^ are larger 

 than the interspaces, which, again, are ornamented by vertical series 

 of small spots, the middle series being formed by somewhat larger 

 spots. Head densely spotted with brown. Dorsal fin with nume- 

 rous small spots, and with a series of larger spots along the margin. 

 Anal fin nearly immaculate. The length of the head is one-third 

 of the distance of the giU-opening from the vent. Cleft of the 

 mouth very wide, nearly two-fifths of the length of the head. Eye 

 small, two-fifths of the length of the snout, situated in the anterior 



* Viz. in Mediterranean examples = 20 : 48. 



Atlantic examples = 2.5 : 40, 



or = 15 : 2.'>. 



Japanese examples == 22 : 35. 



Australian examples ... = IG : 29. 



