124 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEU^I. 



Genus Gymnothorax Bloch. 

 The Tropical Morays. 



Gymnothorax ocellatus Agassiz. 

 Plate io. 



Head 6J^ ; depth 152^ ; snout 5 in head; eye 7^ ; mouth 2^^ ; 

 interorbital space 6 ; head and trunk a trifle less than tail. Body 

 deep, well compressed and tapering back from pharynx, which 

 is greatest depth. Head compressed, and muzzle a little elongate, 

 blunt. Snout convex, a little long. Eye about midway in length 

 of mouth, and ellipsoid. Jaws even and along margin of each a 

 single series of large knife-like entire backwardly-directed tri- 

 angular teeth. In front of mouth about 2 depressible similar 

 teeth. Mouth not completely closing, so that some teeth are 

 visible. Anterior nostril in a fleshy tube near tip of snout. Pos- 

 terior nostril a conspicuous pore^oveg. front rim of pupil in 

 interorbital space. Interorbital space convex. Gill-opening about 

 ^/y of horizontal orbital diameter. Along edge of upper jaw 

 anteriorly 3 pores on each side, and same on mandible. Several 

 longitudinal striae along each side of pharynx, which is also finely 

 wrinkled. Dorsal beginning about last fourth in space between 

 posterior margin of eye and gill-opening. Confluent fins low, 

 and caudal small. Color in alcohol pale brownish, body every- 

 where marked by a reticulating pattern leaving small rounded 

 pale spots. On tail posteriorly these become large and more 

 irregular. Same pattern of coloration extends over basal portion 

 of caudal to its margin, which is marked by about 25 elongate 

 irregular deep brown blotches with ocellated margins, pale encir- 

 cling color sometimes nearly white. Margin of anal uniform deep 

 brown. Head uniform pale brownish. Iris slaty. Length 14^ 

 inches. New Jersey. Capt. Davis. No. 995, Academy of Nat- 

 ural Sciences of Philadelphia. 



Known from our coast only by the above example, most likely 

 a straggler from tropical America in the Gulf Stream. It agrees 

 very well with one from San Domingo however. The Gymno- 



