PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 345 



Pectorals sliort, their length just about half head, equal to length of 

 snout aud eye. 



Scales comparatively large: 5 series between lateral line aud veutrals; 

 4 between adipose fin aud lateral line. Scales of breast little reduced; 

 11 between the bases of the two pectorals. 



Head, 4f in length (4 in 8. f ceteris), 5^ including caudal; greatest 

 depth, G|. D. 11; A. 13. Scales, 0-Gl-O. 



Color in life, brownish-olive above, white below ; each scale of back 

 with one or more paler flecks; top and sides of head marbled; lower 

 jaw sometimes marked with darker. Pectorals and caudal mostly black- 

 ish; adipose fin black, with a pale border; ventrals and anal immacu- 

 late. No yellow in life. 



Two specimens of this species were obtained, one 7^ inches long 

 (28392) from the harbor of Mazatlan, the other 7 inches long (20449) 

 from Panama. The species is much like the S. foetens of the Atlantic 

 Coast, but may be readily known by the small head and the somewhat 

 larger scales. Sy nodus foetens has been recorded from Panama, by Dr. 

 Gunther, but the reference is probably to S. scituUceps. 



9. Muraena pinta, sp. uov. (28238, 28177, 28388, 28197, 29808, 29359. ) 



Allied to Murwna lentiginosa Jenyns. 



Body rather stout and compressed. Teeth all comparatively small, 

 subequal, everywhere uniserial; those of the vomer developed only pos- 

 teriorly and smaller than the others. Two anterior teeth of mandible 

 larger than the other teeth, but hardly canine-like. Lateral teeth of 

 both jaws rather narrow, sharp, directed a little backwards, those of 

 lower jaw smallest. Mouth not closing completely. Jaws about equal. 

 Anterior nostril with the tube two-thirds diameter of eye; tube of pos- 

 terior nostrils nearly as long as pupil. Cleft of mouth 2f in head. Gill- 

 openiug longer than eye. Eye 2.^ in snout, a little nearer tip of snout 

 than angle of mouth. Head 2|- in trunk. Tail a very little longer than 

 rest of body. Dorsal well elevated, beginning in* front of gill-opening. 



Color rather dark olivaceous-brown above, belly slightly paler, eveiy- 

 where covered with round or horizontally-oblong light yellow spots, each 

 surrounded by a wide black border. On the body these spots are 

 placed with some regularity ; the larger ones, which are a little larger 

 than the pui^il, are arranged in 5 or G horizontal rows, those of each row 

 being connected hy dark streaks two-thirds as wide as their diameter ; 

 between the larger streaks are numerous small ones, some of them mere 

 points; all except the very smallest are surrounded by darker rings, 

 and none are indistinct or confluent. The spots are rather larger and 

 brighter and more crowded on the belly than on the back, where the 

 ground color occupies more of the surface than the spots; towards the 

 head the spots become closer together and rather smaller, and on the 

 anterior and lower parts of the head the ground color is reduced to 

 mere reticulations around the spots. Space about gill-opening dusky 



