24. MUE^NA. 103 



Ncomuroena nigromarginata, Girard, in U. S. 8f Mex. Bound. Ichthyol. 



p. 76, pi. 41. 

 PMurenophis variegata, Caslehi. Afitm. Amer. Sud, Poiss. p. 83, pi. 43. 



fig. 2. 

 Priodonophis ocellatus, Kaup, Aale Hiunhurg. Mits. p. 22; Kner, 



Novara, Fisehe, p. .'583 ; Poe)/, Repert. Fis.-nat. Cuba, ii. p. 202. 

 meleagiis, Poeij, I. c. 



Teeth uniserial (some of them slightly serrated), mandible with 

 twelve or fourteen teeth on each side, the two anterior being canines 

 of moderate size. Intermaxillary teeth not much larger than maxil- 

 lary ; there are no teeth on the mesial line between the intermaxillary 

 teeth. The mouth can be shut completely. Anterior nasal tubes 

 short. Gill-opening narrow. Snout short, thick. Eye rather 

 small. Cleft of the mouth of moderate width. Tail longer than the 

 body. The length of the head is one-half or two-fifths of that of the 

 trunk. Brownish grey, with numerous round white spots irregu- 

 larly disposed, the largest being about as large as the eye. Dorsal 

 fin with subalternate large white and black spots, anal wdth a broad 

 black margin. 



The Murc^nophis variegata of Castelnau, from Rio Janeiro, is said 

 to lack the black spots on the dorsal fin. 



Atlantic coasts of tropical .imerica ; Pacific coast of Panama. 



a. Adult : stuffed, 44 inches long. 



b, c. Half-grown : skins. Jamaica. Purchased of Mr. Parnell. 



d. Half-grown. Gulf of Mexico. Presented by Sii- J. Richardson. 



e,f. Half-grown and young. Bahia. 



g. Half -grown. Brazil. Presented by Lord Stuart. 



h, i, Jc-l. Half -grown. South America. 



m. Young. Panama. From Mr. Salvin's Collection. 



n. Young. From Mr. Stokes's Collection. 



14. Muraena dovii. 



Teeth uniserial, not serrated ; mandible with about eighteen teeth 

 on each side, the two or three anterior being canines of moderate 

 size. Intermaxillary teeth as large as the anterior of the mandible, 

 and there is a long mesial canine tooth. The mouth can be shut 

 nearly completely. Gill-opening as large as the eye, which is of 

 moderate size. Snout rather produced, more than twice as long as 

 the eye. Cleft of the mouth wide, two-fifths of the length of the 

 head. Tail longer than the body. The length of the head is 

 scarcely less than one-half of that of the trunk. The dorsal fin begins 

 considerably in advance of the giU- opening. Brownish black, 

 with bluish dark-edged ocelli smaller than the eye, rather distant 

 from one another, and not very numerous. Fiois coloured iike the 

 body. 



Panama. 



n. Twenty-one inches long. Presented by Captain Dow, 



