158 



The Philippine Journal of Science 



entire tail belly and throat therefore paler than the other parts; 

 fins uniform pale yellowish or slightly punctulated 



I have examined four specimens, three of them females ready 

 to spawn, taken from a bangos pond at Malabon, Rizal Province, 

 on the shores of Manila Bay. 



Measurements of four specimens of Murxnichthys malabonensis from 

 Malabon, Luzon. 





I^Th^T 



M I«L 



Depth. 



T 



~~ 





"s 



» 



11 



1 







1"°- . 



117 



17 



The table shows the great relative difference in depth between 

 the spawning females and the younger, less-mature individuals 

 such as No. 842. In common with other small eels, they spawn 

 at Manila Bay in midsummer, those of this particular species 

 probably about the middle of July. 



This species is very close to Murxnichthys thompsoni Jordan 

 and Richardson, but differs from it in several particulars 

 such as larger eyes, greater slenderness, greater length of head 

 and trunk in proportion to that of tail, etc. It differs very 

 strongly from Mursenichthys gymnopterus in the dentition, less 

 so in the position of the dorsal and in some minor points. 

 OPHICHTHYID^E 



SNAKE EELS 



Scaleless, elongate, true eels, having a wormlike or slightly 

 compressed body, the end of the tail extending beyond the vertical 

 fins (which may be well developed, very small or altogether 

 wanting) and lacking even the rudiments of a caudal fin. The 

 pectorals may be fully developed or degraded and entirely absent. 

 The anterior nostrils are in a tube or papilla in the upper lip and 

 open downward. The posterior nostrils are an opening on the 

 inner side of the upper lip within a tumid flap forward of or 

 beneath the front margin of the eye. In a few of the genera the 

 upper lip is fringed with a mustachelike row of barbels while in 

 a number of genera there are two pairs of teatlike papilla? on 

 the upper lip. The tongue is fastened more or less completely 

 to the floor of the mouth. The gill openings are not confluent 



