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APODAL FISHES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. 
20. GYMNOTHORAX FUNEBRIS. 
(Black Moray; Morena Verde.) 
Murcena maculata nigra et viridis (The Moray), Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, tab. 20, 
1738 (Bahamas). 
Gymnothorax funebris Ranzaui, Nov. Comm. Ac. Sc. Inst. Bonon., IV, 76, 1840 (Brazil). 
Sider a f unebris Bean & Dresel, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 169, 1884 (Jamaica); Jordan, 
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 110, 1864 (Key West); Jordan, Cat, F. N. A., 52, 1885. 
Murcena lineopinnis Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fish., 89, 1844 (Puerto s 
Cabello). 
Thyrsoidea lineopinnis Kaup, Apodes, 82, 1856. 
? Murcena prasina Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fish., 93, 1844 (Australia) 
( fide Gunther). 
? Murcena boscliii Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. Mur., XXV, 52, 1853 (Sumatra) {fide Gunther). 
9. Gymnothorax boscliii Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Mur., 105, pi. 46, fig. 3, 1864 (Sumatra 
and Java). 
? Murcena monochrous Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind., 384, 1856 (Ternate). 
f Gymnothorax monochrous Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Mur., 116, pi. 47, fig. 2, 1864 (Singa- 
pore ; Sumatra ; Ternate ; Amboyna) {fide Giinther). 
Tceniophis westpliali Kaup, Aale Hamburg. Mus., Nachtrag, 1, 1859 {fide Gunther). 
Thyrsoidea aterrima Kaup, Aale Hamburg. Mus., 22, 1859 {fide Gunther). 
Tamiopliis aterrima Kaup, 1. c., tab. 3, fig. 1, 1859. 
Murcena aterrima Giinther, vm, 124, 1870 (Dominica). 
Murcena infer nails Poey, Memorias, n, 347, 354, 1860 (Cuba). 
Gymnothorax infernalis Poey, Repertorio, ii, 278, 1868 ; Poey, Synopsis, 426, 1868. 
Thyrsoidea concolor Abbott, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 479, 1860 (Vera Cruz). 
Murcena erebus Poey, Memorias, ii, 426 (Cuba). 
Gymnothorax erebus Poey, Repertorio, ii, 258, 1828 ; Poey, Synopsis, 427, 1868; Poey, 
Enumeratio, 155, 1875. 
? Gymnothorax jacksoniensis Bleeker, Versl. Med. Akad. Wet. Amsterd., 450, 1863 {fide 
Giinther). 
? Murcena afra Giiuther, vm, 123, 1870 (not of Bloch). 
Sidera castanea Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 647, 1882 (Mazatlau) ; Jordan 
& Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 210, 1883 (Mazatlan). 
Habitat : Tropical America on both coasts. Florida to Brazil ; Mazat- 
lan to Panama. Also recorded from the East Indian Archipelago and 
Australia. 
Etymology : Funebris , funereal, from its dark color. 
This large Moray is one of the commonest and most widely distrib- 
. uted of the American species, being found in abundance on both coasts 
in tropical America. If we can trust to the synonymy of Dr. Giinther 
the same species is also widely distributed in the East Indies, but we 
have had no opportunity to compare specimens of the Old World form 
called prasinus , boschi , or monochrous with the American funebris. 
We have not adopted the name afer , used for the species by Gun- 
ther, because the figure of Gymnothorax afer given by Bloch by no 
means represents the color of our species and was probably intended 
for something else. It is, in fact, as Poey has suggested, much more 
like moringa. There is no doubt of the identity of funebris , concolor , 
castanea , and infernalis. The erebus of Poey is said to agree in color, 
but to differ in the dentition of the vomer. The vomerine teeth are 
