360 



with the tail underneath. Teeth conical, compressed, partly 

 depressible, in the maxillaries 8 12, mostly uniserial; they may 

 be biserial (polyodon] or only on one side so. On the inter- 

 maxillary plate a peripheral series of 9 to 20 and 2 to 3 mesial 

 ones; on vpmer a single series of about 4 IO; in the mandibles 

 I2 24 in one row, the anterior ones may be irregularly 

 biserial. Brownish olive or sulphur yellow (when alive), anterior 

 part of head with small blackish dots, fins with a white margin. 

 Length 800 mm. [Type of G. megapterus in the Zoological 

 Museum of Amsterdam]. 



Habitat: Nias!; Bawean!; Savu!; Timor; Ambon!; Ceram; 

 New Guinea. - - Madagascar, Mauritius, Japan, Pacific Islands. 



3. Subgenus Gymnothorax Bloch. 



(BLOCH, Ausland. Fische IX. 1795, p. 83). 



Posterior nostrils a round or oval opening on the top of 



the head before eye, sometimes pro- 

 vided with a rim, but never with a 

 tube. Height less than 30. Teeth 

 without serrature. 



in. 



Fig. 1 80. Opened mouth of Muranea 

 (Gymnothorax) picta Ahl, to show the 

 mesial tooth immediately behind the 

 peripheral series of intermaxillary teeth 

 which it equals in size. Vomerine 

 teeth in a double series. 



Fig. 181. Head of Muraena (Gymnothorax) 



zonipectis Scale, with opened mouth to 



show the mesial depressible fang (m) on the 



intermaxillary plate. X 2 - 



Artificial key to the ind o-a ust ral ian species 

 of the Subgenus Gymnothorax. 



A. Mesial teeth on intermaxillary plate conical, not longer than those of 

 the peripheral series, one or two in number (Fig. 180). 



