23 ' 2 H err e: Philippine Eels 219 



the length of head ; gill openings about two-thirds the diameter 

 of eye; teeth long, pointed, coarse, but very irregular in size, 

 directed backwards, the posterior ones much the smallest ; about 

 ten on each maxilla and a row of twelve much larger ones on 

 intermaxillary, with three depressible canines on central line; 

 one small sharp tooth far back on vomer; about twenty teeth of 

 very uneven size but mostly large and sharp pointed on each 

 mandible, with two large depressible canines forming an inner 

 series near symphysis. 



A stout, heavy-bodied eel, with the dorsal well developed, but 

 less than half as high as body; anal very low. 



Color in alcohol uniform umber or blackish brown, belly paler. 

 Here described from a large eviscerated specimen having a 

 length of 610 millimeters, Bureau of Science collection No. 4432, 

 from Zamboanga. It is nearest to Bleeker's Gymnothorax mono- 

 chrous which Weber and Beaufort have united with his G. boschi. 

 I have seen what is undoubtedly this species in the fish markets 

 in Manila and southward, but the specimens have always been cut 

 up so that I have been unable to secure them for study. 



There is a living Gymnothorax in the Bureau of Science aqua- 

 rium which does not agree with any described species, but I place 

 it here rather than describe it as new. It has a thick heavy body, 

 640 millimeters long, in which the depth is 10£ times; head 1.5 

 times as long as depth and 7.1 in total length and 2.55 in trunk; 

 tail equal to head and trunk together; eyes very full and rounded, 

 with brown iris, and contained 10 times in head and twice in the 

 long narrow snout; width of interorbital space equals \ the 

 length of snout; jaws curved and do not close completely, gape 

 2.3 in head; origin of dorsal one-third the length of head in 

 advance of gill openings, which are about seven-ninths as large 

 as eyes ; dorsal well developed, its height along middle of trunk 

 2.5 in body depth and its height over anus half the depth at that 

 point ; anal fin thick and rather low. 



It is of course not possible to count the teeth, but they are in 

 a single row throughout, with three mesial canines on the inter- 

 maxillary plate, the posterior one being very long and needlelike. 

 Color uniform liver brown, somewhat darker dorsally and on 

 dorsal fin; head much paler, being uniform pale clay or pale 

 yellowish brown ; belly similar, much paler than rest of trunk and 

 tail. There is a narrow and rather inconspicuous very pale 

 yellowish margin to dorsal fin; no marks, blotches, or mottling 

 anywhere. 



