96 



MUR^NID.^, 



Skeleton. — Orbit generally a comj^lete osseous ring. Suture be- 

 tween maxillary and intermaxillary very distinct. Anterior verte- 

 brae with a broad inferior spinous process ; transverse process of the 

 abdominal vertebrae deeply concave, sometimes cup-shaped ; caudal 

 vertebrae with short transverse upper and lower spinous processes. 



Vertebrae. 



Abdominal. Caudal. 



Murcena helena 69-71 + /2-70 = 141 



meleagris 60 -|- 60 = 120 



undulata 64 -|- 68 = 132 



muringa 65 -(- 79 := 144 



unicolor 65 + 71 = 136 



zebra 97 + 38 =135 



nehulosa 65 -|- 57 = 122 



catenata 65 -|- 51 =110 



I. Teeth acute. 

 A. Posterior nostrils tubular : Murfena. 



• 1. Muraena helena. 



Mvpaiva, Aristot. i. c. 5, ii. c. 13 & 15, iii. e. 10, v. c. 10, viii. c. 2, \^ 

 & 15, ix. c. 2 ; jElian, i. c. .32 & 50, ix. c. 40 & 60 ; Afhm. lib. vii. 



Miiraena, Plin. ix. c. 16,19, 20, 23, 54,55 ; xxxii. c. 2, 5, 7 & 8 ; Bcllon. 

 De Aq7(nt. p. 158 ; Rondel, xiv. c. 5, p. 402 ; Sakian, pp. 59, GO ; 

 Willughhj,Hist. Pise. p. 103, tab. G 1 ; Aldrov. iii. c. 27, ^p. 350, 357. 



Muriena, sp. no. G, Artedi, Synon. p. 41 ; Genera, p. 2o ; Gronov. 

 Zoophjl. no. 164. 



Mursena helena, L. Sijst. Nat. i. p. 425 ; Briinn. Pise. Mass. p. 11 ; 

 Block, Aiisldnd. Fisch. ii. p. 31, taf. 153 ; Risso, Ichth. Nice, p. 366, 

 and Eur. Merid. iii. p. 189 ; Costa, Faun. Nap. Pesc, with figure of 

 skull ; Jenyns, Mati. p. 479 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. 2nd edit. ii. p. 40(5, 

 -and 3rd edit. i. p. 73 ; Couch, Fish. Brit. Isl. iv. p. 335, pi. 237 (not 

 good); Guiche?!. Explor. Alg^r. Poiss. p. 114; Gronoi\ Syst. ed. 

 Gray, p. 18 ; Richards. Voy. Ereb. ^ Terr. Ichthyol. p. 80, pi. 49. 

 figs. 1-6 ; Kaup, Apod. pp. 55 (synonymy erroneous). 



Muraenophis helena, Lac^p. v. p. 631. 



Gymnothorax muraena, Hi. Schn. p. 525. 



Muraena romana, Shaw, Gen. Zool. iv. 1, p. 26. 



Muraena guttata, Risso, Eur. 31&id. iii. 1826, p. 191. 



Skeleton : Rosenthal, Ichthyotom. Taf. tab. 23 ; Owen, Osteol. Catal. 

 i. p. 14. 



Posterior nostrils tubular; anterior nasal tubes of moderate length, 

 their length being about equal to the vertical diameter of the eye. 

 Teeth uniserial. Intermaxillary and mandibular canine teeth but little 

 larger than the lateral teeth ; anterior vomerine teeth much the largest, 

 17-18 teeth on each side of the lower jaw. Gill-opening a small 

 horizontal slit. Snout rather pointed ; eye small, two-fifths of the 

 length of the snout, situated above the middle of the length of the 

 cleft of themouth. Cleft of the mouth wide, its length being about 

 two-thirds of the distance between the angle of the mouth and the 

 gill-opening. Tail a little longer than the body. The length of the 

 head is two-fifths or one-third of that of the trunk. Brown, with 



