23,2 H err e: Philippine Eels 163 



from which hang the tubes of the anterior nostrils ; posterior 

 nostrils opening downward in upper lip, concealed by a flap; 

 mouth small, weak, the gape extending little if any beyond eye; 

 tongue adnate; teeth small, pointed, in two rows on maxillanes 

 and one on mandible; none on vomer; lateral line present; 

 gill openings small, vertical, lateral slits, separated by a broad 

 interspace. , -/• 



Delicate, graceful, brightly colored eels, separated from 

 OphicKthus, CMevastes, and other closely related genera by the 

 absence of teeth on vomer. Found throughout Malaysia to the 

 Riu Kiu Islands, Australia, Hawaii, and the South Sea Islands. 

 Leiuranus semicinctus (Lay and Bennett) . 



Ophisurus semicinctus Lay and Bennett, Beechey's Voyage Blossom 



L^SJZjSk ^nthek, Cat. Fishes Br, Mu, . ( f •>£ 



Jordan and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus I™"™;/™* 



and Beaufort, Fishes Indo-Austr. Arch. 3 (1916) 294, fig. 137. 



I have examined two specimens of this Pf^H^?™^ 



eel- one 360 millimeters long, from Dumaguete, Oriental Negros, 



and the otheT from Sitanki with a length of 278 millimeters. 



w\ d ilfL?a e gree in most respects with the P^^^ 



they differ in some particulars: Body f^ te ' "^^^ 



the tail is longer. In the s f . " e *L i arger one , 174 

 measure 132 millimeters, the tail, 146; in the larger one, 

 and 186, respectively one-eighth the 



low, not quite reachi ng tip . rfta B. ^.^ The 



The arrangement and shades oi cu ]e 



Sitanki specimen is yehow and brown m alternate narr ^ 

 yellow and wide dark brown ^- fl ^X, down the 

 are twenty-six, do not e« than ^^.^ ha3 

 sides, except the last two on the tail, ine ^ 



twenty-six wide ^.^^^J^wX Weber 

 r^r^CkTnrSnued on nns," but in my 

 specimens the dorsal is all pale. 



