OPHISDRTD.E. 17 



teeth abreast in the middle, and taper off gradually towards tho 

 corner of the mouth. A smooth line at the symphysis separates 

 the teeth of each limb of the jaw from one another. Tho upper 

 jaw projects so much beyond tho mandible, that the whole nasal 

 disk is anterior to the tip of the latter; and when the mouth is 

 closed, the conve.v; dental surface of the fore-end of the mandible 

 applies to the anterior vomerine teeth, which coi'respond with them 

 in size, and are larger than the other teeth. 



Length of the fish, 24 in. To anus, 10*5 in. To gill-opening, 

 2-6 iu. {Rich.) 



Port Essington. In the collection at Paris, there is a middle- 

 sized specimen, which was sent from the Mauritius by M. Dus- 

 sumier. Its colour is reddish-brown, with dark dots. It measures 

 18-12 in., of which the tail is 7-29 iu. 



28. PiSOODONOPHIS BOEO, KaU]}. 



Ophisurus boro et hijala, Ham. -Gang. Fish, pp. 20, 21, 363 ; Gray, 



III. Ind. Zool. i., t. 95, f. 1, 2. 

 Ophisurus immaculata, acuminata, et punctulata, Sivains. Fish, ii., 



p. 334. 

 Ophisurus boro, harangua, hijala, rostratus, et minimus, McClell. 



Apod. Fish, Beng. Calc. Journ. v., pp. 184, 185, 211. 

 Ophisurus boro et hijala, Uich., Ereb. d Terr. pp. 99-102; Cantor 



et Blecker. 

 Ophisurus bengalensis (Paris Mus.). 

 Conger microstoma, Eijdoux et Soul. Bonit. i., p. 205, pi. 9, f. 3. 



Dorsal commencing nearly an inch behind the gill-opening; two 

 small cutaneous tags on the edge of the upper lip. This species 

 comes near to cancrivorus ; but is more slender, and has a smaller 

 head. [Kauj).) In its dentition it resembles that species ; but the 

 dental bands are narrower, and the teeth composing them smaller 

 and more uniform in size, except the central nasal ones, which are 

 a little larger. In one specimen there are only 3 teeth ; and there 

 are generally about three irregular rows on the vomer, palatines, and 

 mandible. {Richardson .) 



A specimen from the Deccan, preserved in the Leyden Museum, 

 is greenish on the upper parts, with minute specks, and the whitish 

 dorsal has a very narrow^ dark edging. The example in the French 

 Museum {Conger microstoma) measures 37'45 in. in length. 



Ophisurus hijala is the young fish with less-developed teeth. 



India. 



29. PiSOODONOPHIS FALLENS. 



Ophisurus pallens, Rich., Ereb. d Terr. p. 101. 



The dorsal commences as far behind the gill-opening as that 

 orifice is distant from the tip of the snout. 



Nasal teeth 5 in number, the odd one being in front. Palatine 



D 



