24. MUBiENA. 93 



Second Subfamily. 



MURtENID^ engyschist^. 



The branchial openings in the pharynx are narrow slits. 



Tenth Group. MUR^NINA. 



23. MYROCONGER. 



Scaleless. Head without conspicuous muciferous cavities. Cleft 

 of the mouth wide. All the teeth acicular, subequal in size, forming 

 broadish bands, the vomerine band tapering into a single series ter- 

 minating far back in the mouth. Pectoral and vertical fins well 

 developed, the dorsal fin commencing in advance of the small gill- 

 opening. The posterior nostril is on the level of the upper margin 

 of the orbit, the anterior in a tube. Eye of moderate size. 



St. Helena. 



1. Myroconger compressus. 



Body compressed, rather deep ; snout of moderate length, de- 

 pressed, with the lower jaw rather prominent. The cleft of the 

 mouth extends somewhat behind the eye, which is of moderate size, 

 one-half of the length of the snout, and one-eighth of that of the 

 head. The dorsal fin commences midway between occiput and gill- 

 opening ; pectoral about as long as the snout. The length of the head 

 is one-half of that of the trunk ; tail longer than the body. The skin 

 of the throat and chest shows traces of large scale-pouches, regularly 

 arranged, each about half the siiie of the eye. Uniform whitish. 



St. Helena. 



a. Fine specimen, 22 inches long. Presented by J. C. Melliss, Esq. 



24. MUR.ffiNA*. 

 Mursena, sp., Artedi, Linn., Block. 

 Gymnothorax, Block, Bl. Schn. 

 Muraenophis, Lacep. 

 Muraena, Cuv., Rickardso^i. 

 Echidna, /. R. Forster. 



Thaerodontis, Strophidon, Lycodontis, M^ Clelland. 

 Muroena, Sidera, Eurymyctera, Thyrsoidea, Limamuraena, Polyura- 



nodon,Poecilophis,Gymnomuraena, Priodonophis,Taeniophis,A77M/>. 

 Pseudomur?ena, J. Y. Joknson. 

 Echidna, Gymnothorax, Priodonophis, Strophidon, Thyrsoidea, 



Bleeker. 



* 1. Gymnothorax wilsoni, III. Schn. p. 529. — Q. (dentibus palatinis nullis?) 

 capite parvo, crasso, viridi, maculis roseis latis ornato, pinna dorsali 

 longitudine doirsi, ano capiti propinquiore qu?m apici caudte. Hab. 

 in Nova HoUafidia, Banning dictus. 

 2. Muraenophis stellata, Lacep. v. pp. 629, G22, 644. — La dorsale tres bas.se 

 et comnaen9ant tres-pres de la nuque ; les deux mticboires gamies de 

 dents aigues et claii'-semees ; deux rang^es de dents semblables de 

 chaque cote du palais ; deux series longitudinales de taches on forme 

 d'etoiles irr6guHeres, de chaque cot^ de I'animal. Sa couleur generale 



