FISHES OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
105 
Genus 57. EURYMYCTERA Kaup. 
The tube of the anterior nostril stretches considerably beyond the lips, and its tip is dilated above 
and below; posterior nostril surrounded by a funnel-formed border, and situated before the eye. 
This genus differs from Gymnolhora.x in the slender, acuminate snout. 
Eurymyctera Kaup. Apodes, 72, 1850 (crudelis). 
64. Eurymyctera acutirostris (Abbott). 
Head much compressed, the facial outline moderately oblique; eye large, circular, equal to 0.2 of 
length of side of head, measuring from angle of jaws; jaws greatly attenuated, very slender, the 
lower somewhat the smaller and with a gentle upward curve at its extremity; teeth uniserial, 
compressed, very acute, the palatines, vomerines, and mandibularsall inwardly directed; the palatine 
teeth 13, of a uniform size, the series commencing below center of orbit and terminating shortly 
anteriorly to angle of jaws; 12 compressed acute teeth upon vomer in a direct line, the anterior tooth 
much the largest; mandible with 26 teeth upon each side, the anterior 4 of each side being nearly 
3 times the others in size, more widely set, the posterior pair with a single, compressed, very small 
tooth between them; nasal teeth 14, widely set and from 3 to 5 minute teeth between each pair; 3 
teeth placed upon mesial line, the second one very slender and the longest tooth in mouth; the third 
twice as great in circumference, and but little shorter than tile second tooth; orbits one diameter 
distant, and the distance from upper edge of orbit to facial outline equal to distance between lower 
margin of orbit and free edge of upper lip; gill-opening rather small and oblique; pores upon snout 
and lateral line not visible; fold of skin enveloping dorsal fin unusually thin and arising within a 
short distance of occiput, with a slope of about forty-live degrees; gill-opening situated as far 
posteriorly to commencement of dorsal as that is posterior to angle of jaws; dorsal fin equal in width 
to 0.88 width of body, with no perceptible decrease until it approaches posterior eighth of body, when 
it decreases rapidly and at its termination is only equal to one-seventh of width of fin upon back. 
Ground color in alcohol, dark hair-brown, nearly black upon occiput and cheek, and along base of 
dorsal fin; head, body, and both fins irregularly reticulated with narrow bands of white, varying in 
width and becoming yellow on posterior fifth of dorsal fin, and upon that portion of body, but in a 
less degree; 3 broken lines of black extending along body from angle of jaws to gill-opening; iris chrome 
yellow. 
This species is known only from Abbott’s type (No. 998, Mils. Phila. Acad.) collected in the 
Hawaiian Islands in 1835 by Dr. J. K. Townsend. 
Mursena acutirostris Abbott, Proe. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliila. I860, 176. Hawaiian Islands; Gunther, Cat., VIII, 127, 1870; after 
Abbott. 
I/ycodonlis acutirostris, Fowler, Proe. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1930, 491, PI. XVIII, tig. 5; from Abbott’s type. 
Genus 58. ECHIDNA Forster. 
The name Echidna was suggested for these eels long before its application by Cuvier to a genus of 
Australian monotremes (properly called Tachyglossus), and includes some 12 or 15 species, most of 
them belonging to the western Pacific. They represent the highest degree of specialization among 
the morays, as Uropterygius represents the extreme degradation. The genus is well marked, distin¬ 
guished from the other morays by the blunt teeth. It is represented in Hawaiian waters by 7 nominal 
species. 
Echidna Forster, Enchiridion, 31, 1778 ( varicgata). 
Gymnomunsna Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, G48, 1803 (doliata — mannorata). 
Gymnopsis Rafinesque, Analyse Nature, 1S15, 93 (doliata). 
Pcscilophis Kaup, Apodes, 98, 1856 (catcnatus). 
a. Vertical fins low, almost obsolete; body encircled by alternating light and dark rings, 30 to 100 in number.. zebra, p. 106 
aa. Vertical fins well developed; body rings, when present, broader, 20 to 30 in number. 
b. Jaws completely closing; body color-rings narrower than eye. 
c. Upper jaw with 1 series of teeth on sides; body with about 27 narrow brown bands alternating with 
wider light bands; corner of mouth brown without distinct black spot. psalion, p. 106 
cc. Upper jaw with 2 series of teeth on sides; body with about 23 dark bands, indistinct on middle part 
of body; corner of mouth with a distinct black spot. obscura, p. 107 
