Lips fringed. Maxillary teeth in a double series. Pectorals 

 present. Anus in or before middle of length. 



Distribution: Indo-australian Archipelago, Indie and 

 Pacific. 



Key to the indo-au stralian species of 

 subgenus Brachysomophis. 



1. Pectorals 10 II times in head. Colour uniform. . . . B. crocodilinus p. 314. 



2. Pectorals 45 times in head. Large black spots and 



bands B. cirrhochilus p. 315. 



i. Brachysomophis (Brachysomophis) crocodilinus (Benn.). 



Ophisurus crocodilinus Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1833, p. 32. 



Brachysomophis horridus Kaup, Cat. Apodal fish 1856, p. 9. 



Brachysomophis horridus Bleeker, Versl. Akad. Amsterdam (2) .II. (1867) 1868, 



P- 303. 



Ophichthys crocodilinus Giinther, Cat. Brit. Mus. VIII. 1870, p. 64. 

 Brachysomophis crocodilinus Jordan & Snyder, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. XXIII. 1901, 



P- 875- 

 Ophichthys crocodilinus Giinther, Fische d. Sttdsee Heft IX. 1910, p. 398. 



Height about 21; head f l / s 7 5 / G , 2.8 3 times in trunk; 

 head and trunk somewhat shorter or longer than tail. Eye 15, 

 situated about in the anterior ninth of the length of the head. 

 Snout extremely short, rather flattened, broader than long, as 

 long as or longer than eye; lower jaw somewhat prominent. 

 Cleft of mouth somewhat less than 3 times in length of head. 

 Lips fringed by a single series of papillae. Vertical fins more 

 than twice lower than height of body; dorsal commencing 

 about 2 / 5 of the length of the head behind the gillopenings. 

 Dorsal and anal ending about half length of cleft of mouth 

 before point of tail. Pectorals small, 10 II times in head. 

 Maxillary teeth in a double series, those of the inner series 

 stronger and less numerous than the outer one. Mandibulary teeth 

 caniniform, widely set in one series; as also those of the vomer. 

 On the intermaxillary plate about 4 or 5 teeth in a transverse 

 series; the lateral ones the largest. Gillopenings wide. Brow- 

 nish above, lighter below. A series of black pores along the 

 lateral line; occiput with a transverse series of yellowish spots. 

 Length 1375 mm. [After BLEEKER and GUNTHER, and a 

 specimen of 330 mm. seen by us in the Leiden Museum]. 



Habitat: Sangir-Islands. South Arabia; Mauritius; Japan ; 

 Tahiti; Savai; Galapagos Islands. 



