Cl 
suddenly slope off, leaving the extreme point of the tail destitute of rays, but edged above and below with a scarcely perceptible 
cutaneous seam. The anus is placed at about one-twelfth of the whole length of tlie fish before the middle. The skin is smooth , and 
there is no perceptible latéral line. The speciinen , after long immersion in spirits, bas a dusky brown colour, darker on the back, 
paler on the belly, and without spots. B. 33. P. 16. Length of the fish 24 inches. To anus 10' 5 inches Tho gill-opening 2' 6 
inches'". 
Syn. Ophisurus cancrivoms Rich. , Iclith . Ereb. Terr. p. 97 tab. 50 fig. 6—9. 
Hab. Singapura, Archîp. Philippin.; Port Essington (Rich.). 
Hem. Je n'ai fait que reproduire ici la description de Sir Richardson. Pour ce qui regarde 
les nombres des dents, il est à observer qu’ils accroissent ordinairement, dans les Pisoodonophis, 
avec l’âge, de sorte que leur valeur n’est que relative. L’absence d'une ligne latérale pourrait 
bien être caractéristique pour l’espèce. 
Pisoodonophis baccidens Dlkr, Ail. Tab. CLXXXVII fig. 4. Mur. XLIII fig. 4 (cop. ex Cant.). 
Descriptio Cantoriana sequens : 
„The general forni is tliick, lieavy ; the head broad, the muzzle short, depressed, pointed; the body cylindrical ; the tail graduallv 
compressed and tapering to a short point. The length of the head, from the muzzle to the anterior orbital margin is '/ 6 of, to 6 1 / 3 
times in the length of the head; the eye, bordering upon the forehead and the lip, occupies the thîrd-eleventh of the length of the 
head; the distance between the anterior orbital margins is l 2 / 3 , between the posterior ones it is 2 horizontal diameters of the eye. 
The posterior orbital margin is situated a little in front of the angle of the mouth, the distance between winch and the muzzle is 
contained 3*/ 2 times in the length of the head. On each side of the crown of the head, from between the eyes to the muzzle ap- 
pears a sériés of four distant pores; behind each eye are three such vertically placed on eacli side, on the occiput two, along each 
side of the upper lip five or six, and beneath each branch of the lower jaw six such pores. The upper lip is fleshy, and lax, and 
gîves the symphysis a more rounded outline than it really has. On each side of the symphysis opens the anterior nasal aperture 
through a voluminous tube. The posterior apertures perforate the lower surface of the lip; they are linear, terminating obliquely 
outwards beneath the anterior orbital margin , and hâve a valve on the external margin ; their length is */ 2 of the diameter of the 
eye. About midway between the anterior and posterior apertures appears’a small pointed lobulet, and a smaller one immediately 
behind the posterior aperture. The middle of the lower surface of the point of the muzzle is occupied by a rounded cluster (nearîy 
of the size of the eye) of globular teeth, lîke minute pearls, of which two or three in the centre are a little larger than the rest. A 
little behind this cluster commence the teeth of the middle line of the palate which resemble the former, and are arrano-ed in the 
shape of a short dagger. On each side of the jaw is an elongated , pointed and baekwards diverging band of teeth. They com- 
mence with a narrow interval from the handle of the dagger and are ail globular, except a single sériés of minute pointed teeth 
along the internai margin of each band. Twe lower jaw is one diameter of the eye shorter than the upper, leaving uncovered the 
point of the muzzle with its teeth and the nasal tubes. The teeth resemble those of the upper jaw with a sitnilar internai sériés of 
pointed ones; the band of each branch is separated by a narrow interval on the symphysis. The tongue is oval and tied to the 
floor of the cavity extending but little in front of the posterior third of the. mouth. The vertical diameter at the occiput is >/ 3 , at 
the anus 3'/ 3 , at the termination of the dorsal and anal */ ie of the length of the head. Ail the fin rays are double; those of the 
dorsal and anal undivided. The rounded peetorals are placed obliquely a little behind the gill-opening; their length is i/ 3 of the 
head; the distance from the muzzle to the root of the upper ray is contained 8'l 2 times in the total length. The dorsal commences 
above the end of the anterior third of the peetorals and terminâtes radier abruptîy at a distance from the compressed point of the 
tail equal to the diameter of the eye; the largest rays do not exceed the distance from the muzzle to the anterior orbital margin. 
The anus opens two diameters of the eye behind the termination of the second fifth of the total length. The fin commences imme- 
diately behind the anus, and terminâtes opposite the dorsal which it resembles in length. The latéral line commence from the side 
of the occiput, occupying the upper third of the side till ît reaches the anus, from whence it continues in the middle to the point 
of the tail. Beneath it is accompanied by a sériés of pores , one diameter of the eye distant from each ciller. 
Head above and back dull greenish olive; lighter on the skies, dotted with brown; throat and abdomen greenish- or bluish white; 
fins pale olive-grev or white, dotted with brown; dorsal edged with black. Iris golden greenish olive; pupîl horizontally lanceolate. 
B. 34 D. 259 to 271. A. 167 to 180. P. 17. Total length 3 feet.” 
Syn. Ophiurus baccidens Cant , Cat. Mal. Fish. p. 320 tab. 5 fig. 1. 
Hab. Singapura , Pinang , Malacca , in mari. 
Pisoodonophis Schaapi Kp, Uebers. Aale, Arch. Naturgesch. XXII, I p. 48; Catal. Apod. Fish. 
p. 19; Ail. Tab. CLXI fig. I. Mur. XVII fig. I. 
Pisoodon. corpore cylindraceo, postice csmpresso, valde elongato, aîtitudine 30 ad 33 in ejus longitudine; capite acuto, convexo, 
corpore latiore, 9 et paulo ad 9 i/ 4 in longitudine corporis, 3 4 /s circiter in longitudine apicem rostri inter et anum ; aîtitudine capi- 
tîs 3'/s circiter in ejus longitudine; oculis diametro 11 ad 12 circiter in longitudine capitis , 2 fere ad 2 in longitudine rostri; 
rostro acuto, convexo, 5‘/ 2 ad 6 circiter in longitudine capitis, paulo longiore quam basi lato, apice parum carnoso; naribus poste- 
rioribus vix ante oculum in labio superiore perforatis, anterioribus tubulo oculo breviore; poris rostro- frontalibus et supra- et infra- 
maxillaribus un.iseriatis bene conspicuis; rictu paulo post oculum producto 3 »/ 2 ad 4 fere in longitudine capitis; labio superiore 
ante et post nares posteriores papilla brevi conica; maxilla superiore quam maxilla inferiore multo longiore; dentibus ossibus omnibus 
conicîs valde obtusîs, pluriseriatis ; dentibus palatinis apicem vittae dentalis vomerinae et dentes nasales attingentibus seriebus 6 circi- 
ter disposais ; dentibus nasalibus sat numerosis tri- ad quadriseriatîs in thurmam oblongo-ovalem collocatis; dentibus vomerinis in 
vittam lamina dentali palatina multo longiorem dentes nasales subattingentem collocatis, anterioribus quadri- ad quînqueseriatis , 
posterioribus tri- ad biseriatis ; dentibus inframaxillaribus quadri- ad sexseriatis seriebus lamina dentali palatina longioribus; aper- 
tura branchîali semîlunari; cute laevi rugosula; linea laterali nuclia inc'piente, bene conspicua , tubulîs et poris distantibüs 
IV 16 
