392 



Habitat: Waigeu and Island Rawak [QUOY & GAIMARD]. - 

 Samoa, Tahiti, Raiatea, Hawaii. 



Note: JORDAN &SEALE (l.s.c.) have united Muraena canina 

 of QUOY & GAIMARD (1. s. c.) with Enchelynassa Bleekeri Kaup. 

 Notwithstanding the description of QUOY & GAIMARD is insuf- 

 ficient, we follow JORDAN & SEALE in their interpretation, 

 because the french authors say about the nostrils: "narines 

 tubulees". It is clear that they mean by "narines" the poste- 

 rior nostrils, for from their descriptions of other species of 

 Muraena it appears, that they knew the tubes of the anterior 

 nostrils, but did not recnognise them as such. They use the 

 name "narines" only for the posterior nostrils. Moreover their 

 description of the dentition, of the head as "capite crasso", 

 of the colour as "uniformement noiratre" makes it plausible, 

 that the opinion of JORDAN & SEALE is right. 



5. Gymnomuraena Lacepede. 



(LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poissons V. 1803, p. 648). 



Uropterygins Riippell; Scuticaria Jordan & Snyder; 



Anarchias Jordan & Scale. 



Elongate or very elongate, rounded or somewhat compressed. 

 Eye small, covered by skin. Anterior nostrils in a conspicuous 



Fig- 193- Gymnomuraena marnwrata Lacep. X */5' 



tube, posterior nostrils in a shorter or longer tube or with a 

 rim only. Cleft of mouth reaching behind eye, closing com- 

 pletely or nearly so. Pectorals absent. Dorsal and anal reduced 



