Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2805 



out tube; occiput not especially elevated, the anterior profile scarcely 

 concave (perfectly straight in young 2 feet long). Dorsal fin commencing 

 much in advance of gill opening, becoming unusually high posteriorly, 

 where its vertical height is more than | greatest depth of body ; the length 

 of the longest ray more than greatest depth of body. Color light brown- 

 ish chestnut, slightly paler on abdomen; no spots or bands anywhere; 

 lins without dark margins; no dark spot on gill opening or at angle of 

 mouth; no black about eye; head without conspicuous pores. The speci- 

 men here described is 44 inches in length; others about 2 feet in length 

 a.u'ree very closely. This enormous eel is very common among the rocks 

 about Mazatlan, where it reaches a length of 6 feet. It is close to the 

 West Indian species, L. funebris, but the colors are not the same, funcbris 

 being a greenish black, while caslaneus is a purplish chestnut, without 

 shades of olive or green, (castaneus, chestnut.) 



Sidera castanea, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 647, Mazatlan. (Type, 

 Nos. 28246, 29535 and 29591. Coll. C. U. Gilbert.) 



After Lycodontis mordax add: 



G49(a). LYCODONTIS PICTUS (Ahl). 



Head 4 in trunk ; tail about as long as body ; eye 2 in snout, situated 

 midway between snout and angle of mouth ; cleft of mouth 2f in head ; 

 snout 5| in head; anterior nasal tube 5 in snout; gill opening 11 in head. 

 Teeth in each jaw in a single series; palatine series either parallel with 

 these or divergent; no distinct canines; teeth comparatively small ; ante- 

 rior vomerine 1 or 2 in number, bluntish and conical; posterior vomerine 

 teeth rather blunt. Anterior nasal tubes moderate. Dorsal low anteri- 

 orly and beginning in front of gill opening. Color brownish gray or 

 purplish, everywhere covered with small purplish black spots, which are 

 not confluent; in the adult the spots are arranged in roundish or ring- 

 like blotches on the sides; fins colored like body, without dark edges; 

 young pale with black ring-shaped markings; variation in color and 

 form of markings numerous. East Indies; everywhere common. East to 

 offshore islands of Mexico. Two specimens, about 3 feet in length, taken 

 at Clarion Island by Mr. R. C. McGregor, (pictus, painted.) 



Murcena picta, AHL, le Murjena et ophichtho, vi, 6, tab. 2, f. 2; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, 



vni, 116. 



Gymnothor ax pictus, BLEEKER, All. Ichth., Muraena, 87, tab. 26, 28, 29, 45. 

 Murcenophis panlherina, LACKPKDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 628, 1803. 

 Murcena variegata, QUOY & GAIMARD, Voy. Uranie, Zool., 246, pi. 52, f. 1. 

 Murcena lita, RICHARDSON, Voy. Erebus and Terror, 84, Moluccas. 

 Murcena siderea, RICHARDSON, Voy. Erebus and Terror, 85, pi. 48, f. 1-5, Australia. 

 Murcena pfei/eri, BLEEKER, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind., v, 173, Celebes. 

 Sidera pfei/eri, KAUP, Apodes, 70. 



Page 401. After Murcena argus insert : 



660(a). MUB^NA CLEPSYDRA, Gilbert, new species. 



Closely related to M. insiilarum and M. argus, from the tropical Pacific, 

 differing from both in color. Nostrils tubular, of almost equal length. 



