58 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
very fine, the spots are irregular in outline and decrease in size 
on posterior parts of the body. The tail coloration in general is 
much like that of Echidna trossula Jordan and Stark, and the tail 
is not so blunt as in G. nuttingt. The teeth are sharp, rather 
flattened, blades, elongated triangles, pointing backward like the 
teeth of a saw. In places the mottling seems reversed, being 
light yellowish on a black background. The spots are nowhere 
aggregated into dark rounded blotches as in G. pictus. 
Another moray was much smaller, about 22 inches long and 
very beautifully marked. It apparently belongs to the genus 
Urapterygius, the fins being confined to the caudal region; the 
markings are very dark brown bands extending across the dorsal 
and ventral regions but interrupted on the sides by a light yellow- 
ish stripe with many small irregular dark brown spots. The ends 
of each half-band are somewhat broadened, rounded and contain 
distinct very light yellowish circular markings, making two rows 
of light spots on each side of the animal. All of the dorsal and 
lateral areas not occupied by the bands are light yellow with 
irregular dark brown spots. Anterior teeth are sharp, compressed 
with tips curving backward while the posterior teeth are much 
smaller and blunt. The dentition seems to be intermediate be- 
tween the genera Echidna and Gymnothorax. Another specimen 
has the black half-bands less distinct. 
Tetraodon, near T. acrostaticus, is a very remarkable form with 
prominent teeth, like immense incisors, one on each side of its jaw, 
and each divided from its mate by a sharp fissure. The specimen 
has no definite spines or bristles, but a number of minute soft 
papille can be seen, particularly on the ventral surface, but less 
evident on the back and sides. The nasal tentacle is bifid, a 
generic character according to Jordan. The specimen is about 
nine inches long, the dorsal and most of the lateral surfaces black 
or very dark brown with round yellowish spots; the ventral sur- 
face is yellow with very prominent longitudinal blackish stripes. 
The family Tetraodontide, or puff fishes, contains a number of 
bizarre forms resembling the porcupine fishes, but without the 
formidable sharp spines of the latter. They can swell themselves 
up as tight as a drum, on occasion, and appear to use this power 
as a means of protection. The human analogy is so evident that 
comment is unnecessary. A larger specimen bears out the state- 
ment of Jordan that ‘‘the black stripes on the abdomen disappear 
with age.’’ The papille, also, are less evident on the larger and 
presumably older specimens. 
