Fishes of the South Pacific. 9 



the angle of jaws than tip of snout; anterior nostrils tubular, short, 

 equal to one-half the diameter of eye; posterior nostrils round 

 holes over anterior half of eye; interorbital 1.20 in snout; a longi- 

 tudinal groove on top of head; gill openings small, equal to eye; 

 distance from angle of jaw to tip 2.10 in head; teeth in upper jaw 

 biserial, the inner row the largest; a group of 9 enlarged canine- 

 like teeth in anterior third of upper jaw of which three are on 

 the vomer, the two posterior maxillary teeth are the largest and 

 closely resemble fangs; a single series of blunt teeth on the palates; 

 sides of lower jaw with a single series, except at tip where there 

 are 6 enlarged canines, about 20 teeth on each side. 



Color in spirits, a lamp black, lighter on belly which has some 

 brownish reticulations and black spots; some lighter yellowish 

 blotches on fins, intermingled with bluish black; head without 

 markings, the under jaw is a shade lighter in color. 



One specimen from Tahiti, No. 1367 (Fig. 1) B. M. Length 

 8.50 in. 



Gymnothorax thyrsoideus (Richardson). 



One specimen, No. 1037 B. M., from Fate, New Hebrides. 

 One specimen, No. 759 B. M., from Tubuai, Austral Ids. 



Gymnothorax flavomarginatus (Riippell). 



In life this eel is a pale yellowish, thickly marbled with light 

 brown, as figured by Bleeker ( Atl. Icth. Tab. CLXXVIII, fig. 3) 

 with a black spot at gill openings. In spirits it becomes a darker 

 brown, but not densely marbled with black. (Giinth. Cat. Fishes, 

 Vol. VIII, p. 120.) Teeth are uniserial except vomerine series, 

 which are forked in front. 



One specimen, No. 762 B. M., from Tubuai, Austral Ids. 

 Length 17 in. 



One specimen, No. 1584 B. M., from Raiatea, Society Ids. 



Gymnothorax undulatus (Lacepede). 



Depth 1.80 in head; head 2.25; eye 1.50 in snout, its snout is 

 midway between snout and angle of jaws; interorbital equal to 

 middle width of snout; jaws equal, their inner length from tip to 

 angle 2.15 in head; greatest width of head 3.19 in its length; gill 

 openings without black spot. 



Body elongate, cylindrical; no scales; no lateral line; head 

 swollen above; the lower jaw slightly curved; teeth in a single 

 row in jaws; the six anterior teeth of upper jaws enlarged depress- 

 ible canines, vomer with two or three depressible canines; palate 

 with a single row of six small but sharp-pointed teeth; posterior 

 half of upper jaw has about 13 short oblique teeth in each side; 

 the lower jaw has 21 small sharp teeth in each side, and 4 big 

 canines in front of these; tongue atrophied; anterior nostrils tubu- 

 lar, situated 011 the upper lip; posterior nostrils are circular holes 



