24. MUR/ENA. 113 



Muraena vermiculata, Richards. Voij. Ereb. 8f Terr. Fish. p. 92. 



gracilis, Richards. I. c. 



punctata et literata, Bleek. Verh. Bat. Gen. xxv. Mur. p. 42. 



tile, Bleek. I. c. Beng. p. 159 ; or Nat. Tyds. Ned. J/id. ix. 



p. 427. 

 Thyrsoidea tile, Kaup, Apod. p. 93 (copied from Richards.), fig. 66. 

 Gymnothorax tile, Bleek. Atl. Ichfh. Mur. p. 97, tab. 34. fig. 1; Kner, 



Novara, Fische, p. 335. 



All the teeth more or les^s distinctly hin'rial, except the lateral of the 

 mandible, which are uniserial. Canine teeth small. Anterior nasal 

 tubes very short. Snout of moderate length, rather obtuse. Eye of 

 moderate size, one-half or two-thirds of the length of the snout, 

 situated somewhat nearer to the angle of the mouth than to the end 

 of the snout. Cleft of the mouth of moderate width, (jill-opijuing 

 about as wide as the eye. Tail as long as, or shorter than, the body. 

 The length of the head is one-third of that of the trunk. Brown or 

 brownish black, with numerous irregular very small light specks, un- 

 equal in size. These specks disappear more or less with age on the 

 anterior part of the body, but are distinct on the dorsal fin and 

 tail. 



Indian Ocean. 



a, h. Several adult and half-grown specimens. Calcutta. 



c. Adult. India. Presented by General Hardwicke. — Type of M. 



vermicularis. 



d, e. Half-grown. India. — Types of M. graciVn^. 



f. Adult. East Indies. From Dr. Bleeker's Collection. 



32. Muraena thjrrsoidea. 



Muraena thyrsoidea, Richards. Voi/. Sulph. Ichth. p. Ill (not fig.), 

 and Voxj. Ereb. ^- Terr. p. 90 ; CVmi. Mai. Fish. p. 330, pi. 5. f. ."i. 



griseobadia, Richards. Voi/. Ereb. ^ Tifr. Fish. p. 89. 



prosopeion, Bleek. Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. iv. p. 300 ; or Verli. 



Bat. Gen. xxv. Mur. p. 73. 



Thyrsoidea griaeobadia, Kaup, Apod. p. 74 (cop. Richards.). 



arenata, Kaup, Apod. p. 85 (cop. Richards.). 



Gymnothorax prosopeion, Bleek. Atl. Ichth. Mur. p. 88, pi. 39. fig. 3. 



Skin with scale-pouches. Teeth short, biserial, except on the in- 

 termaxillary and the sides of the mandible. Anterior nasal tubes 

 very short. Gill-opening rather wider than the eye. Snout short, 

 obtuse ; eye very small. Tail a little longer than the body ; the 

 length of the head is one-third of that of the trunk ; fins low. 

 Brownish, all over minutely dotted and speckled with brown and 

 white. 



East-Indian archipelago ; China ; Tonga Islands. 



(/. Twenty-six inches long. China. Presented by J, R. Reeves, 

 Esq. — Type of the description of M. thyrsoidea, but not of the 

 figure. 



b. Skin. Pinang. From Dr. Cantor's Collection. 



Blceker represents this fish {G. prosojteion) as having the anal fin 

 VOL. vin. 1 



