390 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



of these, continuous with the outer series, are 3 fixed, knife-shaped teeth, 

 then a movable tooth, then 3 fixed teeth ; on the middle Hue of vomer 3 

 depressible fangs, the posterior the largest of the teeth ; in the lower jaw 

 a single series, corresponding to the outer series in the upper jaw, some 

 of the front teeth enlarged and fixed. Dark brown, vaguely reticulated 

 with narrow, paler markings and spots ; a round dark blotch about gill 

 opening ; lower side of head and throat with about 15 dark lengthwise 

 streaks ; belly with similar streaks running crosswise ; dark line on each 

 side of base of anal, with short cross branches. Reaches a length of five 

 feet. Point Concepcion to Cerros Island ; abundant about the Santa Bar- 

 bara islands, remarkable for its ferocity. A food fish of some importance. 

 (mordax, prone to bite.) 

 Mursena mordax, AYRES, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Cal., 1859, 30, Cerros Island ; JORDAN & GILBERT, 



Synopsis, 356, 1883 ; JORDAN, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mua., 1880, 30. 

 Sidera mordax, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1883, 210. 

 Gymnothorax mordax, JORDAN & DAVIS, I. c., 610. 



650. LYCODONTIS FTJNEBRIS (Ranzani). 

 (BLACK MORAY; MORENA VERDE.) 



Tail a little longer than head and trunk. Teeth uniserial in the jaws in 

 the adults ; teeth on vomer uniserial (var. f erebus), or biserial (funebris); 

 long, depressible canines on front of vomer ; eye 2 to 2-J in snout, above 

 middle of gape ; cleft.of mouth 2^ in head ; head 2| in trunk. Color dark 

 olive brown, nearly plain, paler on throat, sometimes with very faint 

 darker marblings ; dorsal and anal fins with dark lines running longitudi- 

 nally ; belly without black transverse lines. Jaws not completely clos- 

 ing. Tropical America, on both coasts ; the largest of our eels, reaching 5 

 or 6 feet or more ; extremely ferocious ; common from Florida Keys to Rio 

 Janeiro, and from Gulf of California to Panama.* A very similar species 

 (prasinus) regarded by Dr. Giinther as the same, occurs in the East Indies. 

 (funebris, funereal, from its dark color.) 



Mursena maeiilata nigra et viridi*, (The Moray}, CATESBY, Nat. Hist. Carolina, pi. 20, 1738, 



Bahamas. 

 Gymnothorax funebris, RANZANI, Nov. Comm. Ac. Sc. Inst. Bonon., iv, 76, 1840, Brazil ; JORDAN 



& DAVIS, I. c., 603. 



Mursena lineopinnis, RICHARDSON, Voy. Erebus & Terror, Fish., 89, 1844, Puerto Cabello. 

 Tseniophis ivestphali, KAUP, Aale Hamburg Mus. Nachtrag., 1, 1859. 

 Thyrsoidea aterrima, KAUP, Aale Hamburg Mus., 22, 1859. 

 Mursena inf emails, POEY, Memorias, n, 347, 354, 1860, Cuba. 

 Thyrsoidea concolor, ABBOTT, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, 479, Vera Cruz. 

 Mursena erebus, POEY, Memorias, n, 426, 1860, Cuba. 

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



28246, 29535, and 29591. Coll. Gilbert.) 



Mursena afra, GtJNTHER, Cat., vin, 123, 1870, (not after Bloch, which is more like moringa). 

 Mursena alerrima, GATHER, Cat., vni, 124, 1870. 

 Sidera funebris, BEAN & DRESEL, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884, 169. 



* Lycodontis castaneus of the Pacific is probably distinct from Lycodontis funebris. 



