﻿320 



tail. Eye very small, about 20, more than twice in snout, 

 situated above anterior third of cleft of mouth. Posterior nostrils 

 a long slit in the upper lip, looking downward, below eye; 

 anterior nostrils curved, denticulated slits in a low papilla near 

 tip of the ventral surface of the snout. Snout pointed, 5.7 in 

 head, its conical part surpassing lower jaw with about 3 eye- 

 diameters. Cleft of mouth 4.6 in head, reaching far behind eye. 

 Dorsal and anal wanting. Teeth pointed, uniserial, those in 

 vomer and mandibles stouter, on intermaxillary plate 5 stouter 

 teeth in a A, the point directed forward. Gillopenings y entrally 

 situa ted longitudinal slits, converging anteriorly and separated 

 here by a distance oFnearly a third of their length, which is 

 about equal to 3 eyediameters. Anterior (upper) fold of gill- 

 membranes forms a duplicature. Colour of single alcohol specimen 

 reddish blue. Length of single specimen known 240 mm. [Type 

 of the species in the zoological Museum of Amsterdam]. 



Habitat: Island Nasi besar, near West point of Sumatra; 

 collected by the Government Fisheries Investigation Ship "Gier". 



Note. This species seems to be closely allied to Ichthyapiis 

 acutirostris (Brisout de Barneville). 



2. Sphagebranchus polyophthalmus (Blkr.). [Fig. 153, 154, p. 318].^ 



Dalophis polyoplithalimts Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Ned. Indie IV. 1853, p. 299. 

 Anguism-us punctulatus Kaup, Cat. Apodal Fish 1856, p. 24. 

 Sphagebranchus polyophthalmus Kaup, Ibid. p. 26. 

 Sphagebranchus polyophthalmus Bleeker, Atl. Ichth. IV. 1864, p. 70. 

 Ophichthys polyophthalmus Giinther, Cat. Brit. Mus. VIII. 1870, p. 85. 

 Ophichthys polyophthali/ius Volz, Zool. Jahrb. System. XIX. 1903, p. 416. 

 Ophichthys punctulatus Giinther, Fische d. Siidsee IX. 1910, p. 403. 



Height 28 — 35; head 8 to more than 9, more than thrice 

 to 4^2 times in trunk; head and trunk somewhat longer than 

 tail. Eye about 13 — 18, more than twice in snout. Posterior 

 nostrils a slit in the upper lip, before the eye, provided with 

 a conspicuous pendulous papilla, anterior nostrils a rather long 

 slit in a broad, low papilla at some distance from the tip of 

 the snout. Snout pointed, convex, prominent. Cleft of mouth 

 more than 2'/.^ times in length of head, extending far behind 

 eye. Dorsal very low, somewhat higher on tail, the distance 

 of its origin from gillopenings 2.3 to 4 times in length of head. 

 Anal very low. Dorsal and anal reaching nearly to end of tail. 

 Teeth pointed, recurved, uniserial, on the intermaxillary plate 



