672 PHYSOSTOMI. 



Thyrsoidea Uneopimnis and Boschii, Kaup, Apod. pp. 82, 87. 



Murcena wfernalis, Poey, Mem. Cub. ii, pp. 347, 354. 



TceniopMs Westphali, Kaup, Aale Hamb. Mus. Nacht. p. 1. 



Gymnothcrax Bosohi and monochrous, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, pp. 105, 106, t. cxc, f. 3, and t. cxci, fig. 2. 



Gymnothorax Jacksonimsis; Bleeker, Verst. en Meded. Ak. Wet. Amst. xv, 1863, p. 450. 



Gymnothorax infernalis, Poey, Fish. Nat. Caba, ii, p. 258. 



Murmna afra, Guntlier,,Catal. viii, p. 123. 



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

 the trunk. Eyes — diameter about 1/2 the length of the snout, and situated slightly nearer angle of the mouth 

 than to the end of the snout. Length of cleft of mouth about 2f in the length of the head. Snout pointed : 

 anterior nasal tubes about 1/2 as long as the orbit. Gill-opening not quite so wide as the eye. Teeth— in old 

 examples in one row, but in the young usually in two rows in both jaws. Golowrs — a light ground, blotched 

 and marked all over with brown, or of a general brownish black. 



Habitat. — Recorded from Tranquebar (Bl. Sch.), Indian Ocean, Australia, and tropical parts of the 

 Atlantic. 



b. — Tail at least twice as long as trunJc. 



14. Mursena macrura, Plate CLXX, fig. 5. 



Muraena macrurus, Bleeker, Bant. p. 324; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 127. 



Thyrsoidea longissima, Kaup, Apod. p. 82. 



Thyrsoidea macrurus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, p. Ill, t. clxvi, f. 2 ; Kner, Novara Fisch. p. 386. 



Length of head from snout to gill-opening, 1/4 of the distance between the end of the snout and the 

 anus : tail from If to twice as long as the trank. i?2/s* "Situated in the front 1/2 of the distance between 

 the angle of the mouth and the end of the snout, about 2 diameters from end of snout. Teeth — pointed, those 

 in the maxilla and mandibles in two rows ; canines badly developed. Fins — the dorsal anteriorly is low and 

 densely enveloped in skin, it commences midway between the gape of the mouth and the gill-opening. 

 CoZoMrs-^ uniform brown, the fins tinged with black. 



The example figured was from Malabar, and is of the variety longissima, Kaup, which has the body 

 comparatively longer than in macrura. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. It attains upwards of 10 feet in length. This is the 

 Seram pambu, Tamil, adverted to by Jerdon. 



B. — Teeth in jaws pointed : globular on vomer. 



15. Mursena thyrsoidea, Plate GLXXII, fig. 3. 



Richards. Sulphur, Ich. p. Ill, and Erebus and Terror, Fish. p. 90 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 330, pi. v, f . 5 ; 

 Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 113. 



Murcena griseobadia, Richardson, Erebus and Terror, Fish. p. 89. 

 Murmna prosopeion, Bleeker, Sumatra, p. 300, and Mursen. p. 73. 

 Thyrsoidea griseobadia, arenata and prosopeion, Kaup, Apod. pp. 74, 85, 87. 

 Gymnothorax prosopeion, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, p. 88, t. clxxxiii, f . 3. 



Length of head 3^ in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail from 1/6 to 1/3 

 longer than the trunk. Eyes—l^ diameters from end of snout, which they are nearer to than the angle of the 

 mouth. Anterior nasal tubes equal in length 2/3 of the vertical diameter of the eye. Length of cleft of mouth 

 3j in the length of the head. Gill-openings rather larger than the eye. Teeth — conical and biserial laterally 

 on the maxilla : about 23 on either ramus of the mandibles : vomerine teeth globular and in 2 rows : no large 

 canines : the mouth cannot be completely shut. Fins — dorsal more than 2/3 as high as the body. Colov/rs — of 

 a light brown covered all over with closely set purplish spots amongst which are light lines forming a net- work : 

 gill-opening sometimes with a black mark around it : no white edge to fins. Bleeker shows a light lower 

 edge to the anal fin. 



Habitat. — Andamans to the Malay Archipelago, China and the Tonga islands. The example figured is 

 14^ inches in length, and was from Port Blair. 



16. Murffina picta, Plate CLXXII, fig. 4. 



Ahl, De Mur. et Ophich. in Thunb. Diss, iil, p. 6, t. ii, f. 2; Giinther, Fish. Zanz. p. 126, and Catal. 

 viii, p. 116. 



Gymnothorax pictus, Bl. Schn. p. 529 ; Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, p. 87, t. clxx, fig. 3, 4, and t. clxxii, fig. 3, 

 and t. clxxiii, fig. 3, and clxxxix, f . 3 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 384. 



Murmnophis pantherinus, Lacep. v, pp. 628, 641, 643. 



Murmna variegata, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Uran. Zool. p. 246, t. lii, f. 1. 



Murcena lita and sid&rea, Richards. Erebus and Terror, Fish. pp. 84, 85, pi. xlviii, t. 8. f. 1-5 ; Bleeker, 

 Moluk. p. 294, Mur. p. 47, and Ternate, p. 383. 



Murcena Pfeifferi, Bleeker, Celebes, p. 173, and Mur. p. 72. 



