FAMILY, X— MUR^NID^. 669 



mouth equals about 3f in the length of the head : jaws nearly equal in length anteriorly. Teeth— the maxillary, 

 anterior vomerine and anterior mandibular teeth biserial, the rest uniserial. Golov/rs — Head, body, and fins dark 

 greenish-olive, becoming of a greenish-yellow inferiorly : silvery dots along the lateral-line. 



A stuffed example 32-5 in length exists in the British Museum, which is said to belong to this species : it 

 was presented by J. Reeves, Esq. (Kaup,) so probably came from China. 



McClelland assigns D. 484, A. 394, Vertebrae 211, to this species. 



Habitat. — Bay of Bengal, Pinang. 



4. Muraena punctata, Plate CLXXIII, fig. 1. 



Oyrwnotlwrax pimctatus, Bl. Schn. p. 626. 



Mv/rcena, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 22, and Galaniaia painn, pi. 32. 



Mv/rcena punctata, Richard. Voy. Erebas and Terror, Ich. p. 83 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 78 ; Kaup, Apod. p. 

 64 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 102. 



Length of head 3| in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail rather longer than 

 the trunk. Eyes — of moderate size, situated midway between the angle of the mouth and end of the snout : 

 anterior nasal tubes about 1/2 as long as the orbit. Length of cleft of mouth equal to half the length of the 

 head : the mouth can be completely closed. Gill-opening about twice as large as the orbit. Teeth — in a single 

 row, from 18 to 22 on either side of the mandible, the anterior of which are the longest. Canines of moderate 

 size. Golowrs — purplish black, with black streaks radiating from the eye : the whole of the fish covered with 

 pure white spots having a darls: edge, and which are largest posteriorly, but nowhere exceed the size of the 

 pupil of the eye. 



Habitat. — Coromandel Coast of India. It attains to a large size. Russell observes that it was not 

 eaten, as it was considered to be of a poisonous nature, whilst its flesh smelt very rank even when jusf 

 captured. 



5. Mursena Ruppellii. 



Mv/rmna coluhrma, Lacep. v, pp. 627, 641, 642, pi. xix, fig. 1 (not Boddaert) ; Richards. Erebus and 

 Terror, Pish. p. 88 ; Bleeker, Plores, p. 335. 



Murcena retiaidata, Riipp. Atl. Pische, p. 117 (not Bloch). 



Balophis Biipellioe, McClelland, Cal. Joum. Nat. Hist, v, p. 213. 



Thyrsoidea colubrma, Kaup, Apod. p. 84. 



Gynmothorax reticularis, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, p. 98, t. clxxvii, fig. 1, t. clxxxi, fig. 4, and t. clxxxiii, 

 fig. 2 (not Bloch). 



, Murcena EieppelKi, Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 104; Klunz. P. Roth. Meer. 1871, p. 615. 



Length of head 3| to 3| in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail about 1/5 

 longer than the trunk. Hyes — rather above 1/2 the length of the snout, and situated nearly midway between 

 angle of mouth and end of snout : anterior nasal tubes scarcely 1/2 the length of the eye. Snout slightly com- 

 pressed : extent of cleft of mouth 2f in the length of the head. Gill-opening about as wide as the eye. Teethr— 

 in a single row (the young may have one or two extra teeth forming an inner maxillary row), from 20 to 23 in 

 either mandible : canines of moderate size : the mouth can be completely closed. Colours— jellowish, with 

 from 18 to 20 black rings encircling the head and body : they are narrower than the ground colour : the first 

 3 are on the head, the others sometimes become less distinct as age increases. 



Habitat. — Andamans and Malay Archipelago. 



6. Mursena reticularis. 



Gymnothorax reticularis and reticulatus, Bloch, t. 416 ; Bl. Schn. p. 628. 



MurcBthopMs reticularis, Lacep. v, pp. 628, 642, 643. 



Murcena reticulata, Richard. Erebus and Terror, Pish. p. 82 ; Kaup, Apod. p. 60, f. 49. 



Murcena minor, Temm. and Schleg. Pauna Japon. Poiss. p. 269, t. 115, f. 2. 



Priodonophis minor, Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. xxvi, p. 123 : Kner, Novara Pische, p. 382. 



Mun^cena reticularis, Bleeker, Beng. p. 78 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 105. 



Length of head 3| in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail a little longer than, 

 the trunk. %es— diameter 2/3 of the length of the snout, situated rather nearer angle of mouth than end of 

 snout. Anterior nasal tubes very short : snout short and very slightly compressed. Extent of cleft of mouth 1/3 

 of the length of the head. Gill-opening of about the same size as the eye. Teeth— in a smgle row, sonie 

 being slightly serrated : about 13 in either mandible : the canines small, the mouth can be completely closed. 

 Golov/rs— hea.A and back spotted and dotted with brown : about 16 dark cross bands on the body, wider than 

 the ground colour, and most distinct in the lower half of the body and on the dorsal fin. The first well-marked 

 ventral band is behind the gill-opening. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to China and Japan. 



7. Mursena punctatofasciata, Plate CLXIX, fig. 4. 

 Murcena catenata, Bleeker, Amboina, p. 66 (not Richard, etc.) 



