29 1 



I 



Much elongate, cylindrical. Anus in the anterior half of the 

 length. Origin of dorsal above or slightly behind gillopenings. 

 Dorsal and anal not confluent, ending at a short distance from 

 point of tail. Pectorals well deve- , J; ^ 



loped. Head rather small, pointed. 

 Snout pointed, somewhat projecting 

 beyond the mouth, which is large, 

 its cleft extending far beyond eye. 

 Edge of the upper lip with a fringe 

 of barbels. Eye small. Anterior 

 nostrils short tubes on the edge of 

 the snout; posterior nostrils a slit on 

 the inner side of the upper lip. 

 Tongue not free. Teeth equally small, 

 in bands on jaws and vomer, those 

 of the intermaxillary plate in a group, 

 distant from the other teeth. No 

 scales, lateral line present. Gill- Fig. 135. Dentition otdrrhi- 

 openings rather small, before and muraena chinensis Kaup. 



a teeth on intermaxillary plate, 

 Somewhat below base of pectorals. m maxillary, md mandibulary, 



Distribution: Red Sea , Zan- v vomerine teeth. X 4- 



zibar, Madagascar, Indo-australian Archipelago, Philippines, 

 China. 



Key to the indo-australian species of 

 Cirrhimuraena. 



1. Cleft of mouth thrice in length of head. Vomerine 



band of teeth narrow, consisting of 2 series C. tapeinopterus p. 291, 



2. Cleft of mouth less than thrice in length of head. 

 Vomerine band of teeth broader, consisting of 3 to 4 

 series. 



a. Origin of dorsal above gillopenings C. chinensis p. 292. 



l>. Origin of dorsal behind base of pectorals C. chilopogon p. 293. 



i. Cirrhimuraena tapeinopterus Blkr. 



Cirrhimuraena tapeinopteriis Bleeker, Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk. I. 1863, p. 183. 



Atl. Ichth. IV. 1864, p. 41. 



? Cirrhimuraena tapeinoptera Kner, Fische Novara-Exp. 1865 1867, p. 376. 

 Ophichthys tapeinopterus Giinther, Cat. Brit. Mus. VIII. 1870, p. 75. 

 Ophichthus tapeinopterus Jordan & Scale, Bull. Bureau fish. Washington XXVI. 



(1906) 1907, p. 6. 



