MUR.ENID.E. 71 



tion of the colour : Upper aspect of the body, to;:fether with the 

 clorsiil fill, violet-blue, reticuhited, and veined by yellow or oranj^e ; 

 anal fin and under aspect violet-blue, with small, crowded, variously- 

 shaped yellow or orange spots. 



Rays: D. 312; A. 210; C. 10. 



Length, 15-8G-20-04 in. 



Oerara. Macassar. Celebes. 



/S. Nasals, hiserial; 'Diandihulars, imiscrial. 



134. SiDKRA PANTHERINA. 



Murajuophis pantherine, Lacep. t. v., 641. 



MuroBna picta, ThiDiberg, 7, t. i., f. 2. 



Murtena aloiuaria, Sol. 



Muvfena pratbernon, Quoy S Gaim. Voy. du Freyc. pi. 52, f. 1 ; 



Rich., Ereb. d Terr. 84. 

 Murajna siderea et lita, Puch., Ereb. <& Terr. 84, 85, pi. 48, f. 1-5. 



Lacepede and Thunberg were the first who described and figured 

 this Murana. Lacepedes specimen, which is still in the Paris 

 Museum, is a young fish, and the spots on the skin are less nume- 

 rous than in older individuals. In place of the five rows of spots 

 that are well expressed in Richardson's figure, the young fish is 

 marked by small roundish or irregularly-indented spots, margined 

 with black, which, sometimes on one, sometimes on the other side, 

 are open, or merely encircled by black points. The under aspect 

 is, down to the anus, yellowish, without spots. lu advanced age 

 the under surface continues lighter; but it becomes spotted. 



In the dark variety, pratbernon and lita, the black colour predo- 

 minates on the upper parts ; and the lighter colour is reduced to 

 fine zigzag lines, which form all manner of figures. This dark 

 variety also exhibits at times the same longitudinal rows of round 

 spots which show in the lighter variety that Richardson has de- 

 scribed under the name of siderea. In some examples of this yel- 

 lowish variety one can perceive no traces of the round spots. 



Australia (Richardson). Darnley Island (British Museum, Jukes, 

 Quoy d Gaim.). Diego Gracias (Bosk). Strong Island (Lesson). 

 New Guinea (Richardson). Moluccas (Berlin Museum). 



Sub-Family II. THYRSODEINiE. 



On the palatine bones there is, behind the outer row of teeth, 

 a second rank, which varies extremely in its numbers.* 



At the head of this family I place a most singular form, which is 

 very evidently different from all the other TJnjrsodviinc. 



* In a small miinber the inner teeth are wanting occasionally, and it is necessary 

 to e.tamine a large suite of specimens to avoid mistake. 



