85 



Length of head 4% in the distance between the end of the snout 

 and the vent ; tail nearly twice as long as the body. Eyes small. 

 Posterior nostril slightly tubular in the adult. Extent of cleft of 

 mouth 24 in the length of the head. Teeth no distinct canines ; 

 the maxillary and anterior mandibular teeth in two rows. Colour 

 brownish, with various sized irregularly shaped or rounded black 

 spots and blotches. 



Hob. East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archi- 

 pelago and beyond. An example in the British Museum from the 

 Mauritius is 4 feet in length. 



94. (2.) Gynmomnraena marmorata. (Fig. 34.) 



Gymnomimena marmorata, Lacepede, H. N. Poiss. v, pp. 648, 650 ; 

 Day, Fish. India, p. 674, pi. clxxii, fig. 5 (see synon.), 



Length of head 4 to 4^ in the distance between the end of the 

 snout and the vent ; taif rather longer than the trunk. Eyes 

 small, about H or 1| diameters from the end of the snout, to 



Fig. 34. Gymnomurcena marmorata. 



which they are nearer than to the angle of the mouth. Extent of 

 cleft of mouth from 2| to 2| in the length of the head. The gill- 

 opening wider than the eye. Anterior nasal tubes short, the 

 posterior nostrils with a raised edge in adults. Teeth pointed, in 

 a band in each jaw, the inner row the larger ; no large canines ; 

 in a single row in the vomer, the anterior two rather enlarged and 

 acicular. Fins the vertical fins only exist round the end of the 

 tail, the fin-rays being rudimentary. Colour brownish grey, marbled 

 all over with arborescent dark lines. The variety O. xantliapterus 

 has the fins yellow. 



Hal>. Andamans to the Malay Archipelago. 



