23,2 Her re: Philippine Eels 195 



closed completely and the gape extends far behind eyes, its 

 length 2.4 times in that of head; the teeth on maxillaries in two 

 short rows and much the smallest, the remaining teeth all being 

 broad, smooth, and granular or molarlike; on vomer is a pear- 

 shaped group of large teeth which is broadly connected with a 

 rounded group of similar teeth on the intermaxillary plate so 

 that the whole roof of mouth is studded with teeth, the central 

 ones being the largest; mandible has three or four irregular 

 rows of teeth, those of inner row being the largest ; head deep, 

 compressed, and much swollen on occiput; dorsal and anal fins 

 concealed by the smooth, thick, very tough skin and almost 

 obsolete except near tip of tail; dorsal very low, its height only 

 one-fourth or one-fifth that of trunk. 



Color in alcohol dark reddish to chocolate brown, with over 

 seventy narrow white rings, each faintly bordered by a darker or 

 blackish edging; the rings may be divided, fragmentary, or 

 broken up into spots, but most of them are complete. 



The above description is that of a fine specimen, 640 milli- 

 meters long, obtained at Nasugbu, Batangas, November 25, 1922. 

 Its other dimensions are as follows: Depth, 30 millimeters; 

 head, 60; tail, 180; eye, 7.5; gape, 2.4. 



According to Weber and Beaufort the proportions are as 

 follows: "Height 17-21; head 8.6-9.75, 4.8 to about 5.5 in trunk. 

 Tail nearly twice to more than twice in head and trunk. Eye 

 10-12.5, 1.6 to twice in snout. Snout more or less than 7 in 

 head. Cleft of mouth 2.7 to 3.5 in length of head." 



The color in life is dark reddish or purplish brown, with 

 from thirty to more than one hundred narrow white pale 

 yellowish, or golden rings, each bordered by a darker edging 

 than the general body color. . 



This is the first authentic record from the Philippines of this 

 handsome, easily recognized, and particularly snaky-looking 



ed As there is apparently no such locality as Muscat Cove in the 

 Philippines, neither the Coast and Geodetic Survey nor the 

 Philippine Census Bureau having any knowledge of such a place, 

 I cannot accept Fowler's record cited above. 



This eel reaches a length of 1,250 millimeters or mo ^an 

 is very widely distributed. It was originally des ^ lbed ^ * 

 specimen obtained in Sumatra, but is now known from the Red 

 Sea and the east coast of Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and 

 throughout Polynesia. 



