Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 401 



black spot around gill opening; dorsal mottled with grayish; posterior 

 part of body with a few scattered round grayish spots about as large as 

 pupil ; these irregular in size and position and rather faint, most numerous 

 around vent and on anal fin ; sides of tail nearly or quite plain ; angle of 

 mouth dark. Length 20 inches. Galapagos Islands ; one specimen known ; 

 resembling the European Murccna helena, but less mottled and more dis- 

 tinctly spotted, (insular um, of the islands.) 



Miinvna. insularum, JORDAN & DAVIS, Apodal Fishes, 609, 1892, Chatham Island. (Type, No. 

 38300. Coll. Dr. W. H. Jones.) 



660. MUR.ENA ARGUS (Steindachner). 



Jawa capable of being completely closed. Teeth all uniserial ; those 

 of upper jaw strong, sharp-pointed, recurved; vomerine teeth much 

 smaller, preceded by two long canines ; head 6i in total length ; eye 2 

 in snout; snout 5 in head. Body with three rows of diffuse yellow 

 blotches, including fine spots. Color clear brown with a reddish tinge; 

 very small yellow spots covering head, body and fins, mixed here and 

 there with larger spots; large yellowish blotches arranged in three rows 

 along the body; the lower row fainter than upper. (Steindachner.) 

 Altata, west coast of Mexico ; not seen by us. (Argus, the hundred-eyed, 

 from the innumerable spots.) 



Gynmothorax (Limamursena) argus, STEINDACHNER, Ich. Notizen, x, 17, pi. iv, 1870, Altata. 

 Mursena argus, JORDAN & DAVIS, I. c., 610. 



661. MURjENA RETIFERA, Goode & Bean. 



Vomerine teeth small, sharp ; teeth all uniserial, large and strong in 

 the jaws ; those in front not enlarged ; head 2f to 3 in trunk ; tail a little 

 longer than rest of body. Jaws curved along the gape so that they can 

 not be completely closed. Body covered by well-defined reticulations, 

 inclosing light yellowish brown spots, which posteriorly are arranged in 

 groups of 5 to 8 ; gill opening largely black, within a conspicuous dark 

 blotch ; angle of mouth with a dark spot; inside of mouth with yellow- 

 ish brown spots. Coast of South Carolina, in rather deep water, occa- 

 sionally brought to the Charleston markets, (rete, net ; fero, I bear.) 

 Mimeiiu retifera, GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 435, off Charleston. (Type No. 



31393. Coll. C. C. Leslie.) JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 894, 1883; JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N- 



A., 51, 1885 ; JORDAN & DAVIS, I. c., 610. 



662. MTJRvENA MELANOTIS (Kaup). 



Cleft of mouth 2| to 2i in head ; head 2i to 2i in trunk ; tail a little 

 longer than rest of body ; teeth of upper jaw anteriorly in two rows, the 

 inner teeth larger and farther apart; canines moderate. Color dark 

 brown with many small obscure whitish spots, these sometimes over 

 whole body, sometimes confined to head and back anteriorly ; belly plain 

 brown ; dark spot on gill opening and at angle of mouth always conspic- 

 uous ; a pale spot on base of lower jaw before the dark one. Tropical 

 Atlantic, from Africa to South America, its range in the West Indies 

 uncertain, from confusion with other species- 0/eAaf, black ; oif, ear.) 

 F. N. A. 27 



