375 



irregularly biserial or uniserial. Mandibles with 15 20 teeth 

 on each side, the foremost longer than the others, which are 

 compressed and conical. Near the symphysis there are generally 

 some larger teeth, placed at the inner side of the toothrow. 

 Yellowish, densely covered with dark brown spots; these spots 

 may fuse into larger irregular patches, in which case only a 

 yellowish network from the groundcolour is left. Dorsal and 

 anal often with a light border, that of the anal broader than 

 that of the dorsal. Corner of mouth sometimes with a dark 

 patch. Gillopenings always in a dark brown or black patch. 

 Length 1500 mm. [Types of G.formosus, javanicus and rhodo- 

 cepJialus in the British Museum seen by us. A specimen of 

 G. flavimarginatus of BLEEKER'S collection in the Zoological 

 Museum of Amsterdam seen by us]. 



Habitat: Sumatra (Priaman, Padang); Batu Islands; Java 

 (Prigi, Patjitan!); Ambon!; Ceram!; Misol; Timor-Laut; New 

 Guinea (Humboldt Bay!). East coast of Africa, Madagascar, 

 Bourbon, Mauritius, Seychelles, Red Sea, seas of India, Philip- 

 pines, Formosa, Pelew Islands, Pacific Islands to Sandwich 

 Islands. 



This species is characterized by its short head and rather 

 short snout and may moreover easily be identified by the 

 dark patch, in which the gillopenings are placed. 



ii. Muraena (Gymnothorax) melanospilus Blkr. 



Muraena mdanospila Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Ned. Indie IX. 1855, p. 279. 



Gymnothorax melanospilus Bleeker, Atl. Ichth. IV. 1864, p. 90. 



Muraena melanospila Gunther, Cat. Brit. Mus. VIII. 1870, p. 109. 



Mttraena melanospila Alley ne & Macleay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. I. 1877, p. 353. 



Muraena melanospila Macleay, Descript. Cat. Fishes of Australia 1881, p. 219. 



Gymnothorax pescadoris Jordan & Evermann, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XXV. 1902, 



p. 326. 

 Gymnothorax melanospilos Jordan & Richardson, Mem. Carnegie Mus. IV. 1909, 



p. 174- 



Height 1418; head about 7 9, 2 ! / 2 3-3 in trunk. Tail 

 equal to or a little longer than body. Eye 10 12; one half 

 of the length of the snout, situated above the middle of the 

 cleft of the mouth, the length of which is contained about 

 twice and two thirds in that of the head. Cleft of mouth not 

 closing. Snout short and compressed. Origin of dorsal before 

 gillopenings which are wider than the eye. Teeth uniserial; in 

 the maxillaries about 14 conical, somewhat compressed ones, the 



