388 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



This genus differs from MystriopMs chiefly in the presence of a con- 

 spicuous fringe of papillae on the lips. The vomerine teeth are canine as 

 in Scytalichthys. Species East Indian, one being recorded from the Gala- 

 pagos. ((3pa%v<;, short ; oupa, body ; 60tf, snake.) 



637. BRACHYSOMOPHIS CROCODILINUS (Bennett). 



Teeth unequal in size ; maxillary teeth in a double row, those of the 

 inner row stronger and less numerous than the outer ; vomerine and 

 mandibular teeth uniserial, large canine teeth ; head 3 in trunk ; snout 

 extremely short and rather flattened, scarcely twice as long as eye, 

 which is small and situated in the anterior ninth of the length of the 

 head; vertical fins moderately well developed; distance between the 

 origin of dorsal fin and gill opening 2| in head; pectoral small ; body 

 longer than tail. Upper parts brownish, minutely dotted with darker ; 

 a series of black pores along the lateral line, sometimes a whitish line 

 across the occiput. (Giinther.) East Indies, a specimen recorded by 

 Giinther from the Galapagos, (crocodilinus, like a crocodile.) 



Ophisurus crocodilinus, BENNETT, Proc. Zobl. Soc. Lond., 1833, 32, Mauritius. 



Brachysomophis horridus, KAUP, Apodes, 9, fig 6, 1856, Otaheite. 



? AchirophicUhys lypus, BLEEKEE, Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk., 42, Celebes. 



Ophichtlys crocodilinus, GUNTHER, Cat., vn, 64, 1870. 



Brachysomophis crocodilinus, JORDAN & DAVIS, I. c., 636. 



Suborder COLOCEPHALI. 



The characters of this group are given on page 346. Three families are 

 now recognized, (/co^of, defective; /ceoaA^, head. 



Family LIII. MUR^NID^. 



(THE MORAYS.) 



The Murcenidce represent the most degenerate type of eels so far as the 

 skeleton is concerned, and they are doubtless the farthest removed from 

 the more typical fishes from which the eels have descended. The essen- 

 tial characters of the family are thus stated by Dr. Gill : 



Colocephalous Apodals with conic head, fully developed opercular 

 apparatus, long and wide ethmoid, posterior maxillines, pauciserial 

 teeth, roundish, lateral branchial apertures, diversiform vertical fins, 

 pectoral fins (typically) suppressed, scaleless skin, restricted interbran- 

 chial slits, and very imperfect branchial skeleton, with the fourth bran- 

 chial arch modified, strengthened, and supporting pharyngeal jaws. 



The Morays may be readily distinguished from the other eels by their 

 small round gill openings and by the absence of pectorals. The body 

 and fins are covered by a thick, leathery skin, the occipital region is ele- 

 vated through the development of the strong muscles which move the 

 lower jaw, and the jaws are usually narrow and armed with knife-like or 

 else molar teeth. The Morays inhabit tropical and subtropical waters, 

 being especially abundant in crevices about coral reefs. Many of the 

 species reach a large size, and all are voracious and pugnacious. The 

 coloration is usually strongly marked, the color cells being highly spe- 

 cialized. We exclude from the Murcenidce the genus Myroconger, from St. 

 Helena, which has pectoral fins, and is probably a type of a distinct 



