252 



Distribution: Marine, in brackish or fresh water; costal, 

 in aestuaries or bathypelagic, all over the world in warm and 

 temperate seas. 



Artificial key to the indo-australian genera 

 of Congridae. 



I. Canine teeth in frontpart of jaws and on vomer . . . Muracnesox p. 252. 

 II. No canine teeth. 



1. Anterior nostrils in a tube. 



a. Teeth equal, outer series of teeth so closely set 



as to form a cutting edge Conger p. 257. 



b. Teeth unequal 5 not so closely set as to form a 



cutting edge Congrellus p. 260. 



2. Anterior nostrils not tubulate. 



a. Dorsal beginning above base of pectorals or farther 



behind. Tail strongly tapering. Colour uniform. Uroconger p. 264. 



b. Dorsal beginning at some distance before gill- 

 openings. Tail normal. Body banded, head with 



dark blotches Poeciloconger p. 266. 



i. Muraenesox McClelland. 



(MCCLELLAND, Calcutta Journal Natural History IV. 1843, P- 408). 



Elongate, anteriorly subcylindrical, posteriorly compressed. 

 Anus in the anterior half of the length. The origin of the 

 dorsal before or above the gillopenings. Dorsal, anal and caudal 

 confluent. Pectorals well developed. Head elongate. Snout 

 produced. Upper jaw prominent, conical, its tip rounded, 

 somewhat broadened and somewhat separated by a notch from 

 the rest of the snout. Eye large, oval, covered by skin, without 

 a free orbital margin. Posterior nostrils opposite to middle 

 of eye but distant from it and separated by about the same 

 distance from the anterior nostrils, which are shortly tubulated 

 and situated behind the notch of the snout. Mouth wide, 

 extending far behind the eye. Tongue not free. Maxillary teeth 

 conical, in several rows, partly separated by an edentulous 

 interspace. Mandibulary teeth conical, in several rows, the outer 

 of which may be pointing outwards, the anterior teeth are 

 caniniform. Teeth of intermaxillary plate more or less caniniform, 

 followed by several long series of teeth on the vomer, the 

 middle of which is formed by large conical or compressed 



