OrilISURID.E. '' 5 



7. Centkurophis macrochir. 



Ophisnrus macrochir, Blecker, Muran. p. 26. 



According to the description of this species, it approaches the 

 group of Centrurophis ; but seems to be kept apart by the number 

 of its teeth, viz., on the pahital bone 18, with a solitary nasal 

 tooth.* In my genus Ca(lecheh/s also, there is only one tooth on 

 the nasal bone; but this genus has no pectoral fin, and macrochir 

 cannot, therefore, be mistaken for a species of that group. 

 Vomerine teeth 36, most of which stand iu two ranks, though the 

 posterior ones run into a single row. On each half of the man- 

 dible, there are "24 teeth. All the teeth are equally large and 

 pointed. The pectoral fin measures one-third of the length of the 

 head, and the dorsal begins half the length of the head behind the 

 gill-opening. The specimen described by Dr. Bleeker was muti- 

 lated of the tail. Its length down to the auus was 5-7 in. It is 

 seemingly the type of a proper group. 



Java. 



Genus 3. POECILOCEPHALUS, Kauj). 



Nasal teeth not extending before the lower jaw, 3 in number, the 

 2 anterior ones smaller, and standing transversely side by side. 

 Palatine teeth 11, arranged in a curve which commences at the 

 mesial line. Vomerine teeth, 11. Mandibular teeth, 18-10. All 

 the teeth pointed, short, curved backwards, and of the same size. 

 Head considerably rounded. Upper lip destitute of cuticular tags. 

 Dorsal beginning opposite to the pectorals, which are very short. 



8. POECILOCEPHALUS BoNAPARTI, fig. 3. 



Head, viz. round the eyes, ornamented by an irregular network 

 of black lines ; on the occiput, a light, gray band, grizzled with 

 black. Irregular yellowish marks, bordered with black, encom- 

 pass the throat. Eighteen black bars cross the body, from the 

 occiput onwards ; and there are some black spots on the belly. 

 There are also black spots on the dorsal fin in the vicinity of the 

 black body-bands. On the anal, there are merely traces of spots. 

 Length 24 in., whereof the tail measures lOSo in. Erom the tip 

 of the snout to the gill-opening, 1-97 iu. Length of the pectoral, 

 0-24 in. 



I received this handsome eel from Prince Charles Lucien Bona- 

 parte, the author of the Fauna Itallca, and of the Catalogo Metho- 

 dico. 



Amboina (Quoy and Gaimard). 



• Perhaps the four posterior nasal teeth, which normally stand in two rows, are 

 broken away, and only the front pairless one remains. 



