MURiENA. 
127 
431. Mursena nubila. [107, 461, 463, 535.] 
Muraena nubila, Richards. Zool. Ereb. <Sf Terr. Fish. p. 81, pi. 46. f. 6-10 ; Kaup, Cat. Ap. Fish. p. 57, 
fig. 48. 
Aden. Zanzibar. Mauritius. Norfolk Island. 
432. Mureena flavomarginata. [718.] 
? Murenopliis grise, var. Lacep. v. 641, pi. 19. f. 3. 
Muraena flavimarginata, Rupp. Atl. Fische, p. 119, t. 30. f. 3. 
Zanzibar. Mozambique. Bed Sea. 
433. Mursena nudivomer, sp. n. Plate XVIII. [460, 551. j 
Vomerine teeth none ; upper jaw with a cluster of five or six slightly curved teeth 
in front (the hindermost being the longest), and with from sixteen to eighteen rather 
strong teeth in the lateral series. These numbers, however, are not constant, as teeth 
are constantly being shed. The distance of the gill-opening from the extremity of the 
snout is one-eighth or one-ninth of the total length, and twice the length of the man- 
dible. Origin of dorsal fin opposite the middle of the distance between gill-opening 
and mandibulary joint. Dorsal and anal fins very distinct and of moderate height. 
General habit of body rather slender. 
Colour in a dried state. — Ground-colour pale reddish yellow ; head and anterior 
parts of trunk densely covered with small irregular brown specks, which, towards the 
hind part of the trunk, become confluent into vermiculated lines. On the tail the lines 
form a regular network enclosing oval spots, each about twice the size of the eye. The 
fins participate in the coloration of the corresponding parts of the body. Length of 
typical specimen 2 feet 10 inches. 
In another specimen, hardly shorter than the other, the vermiculated lines com- 
mence before the middle of the trunk, forming a network on the hind portion ; on the 
tail the brown becomes the ground-colour ; this part is beautifully ornamented with 
ovate, yellow, black-edged ocelli, each the size of the eye. 
Zanzibar. 
This species resembles Muraena ocellata, Agassiz (Fisc. Bras. p. 91, t. L. h. figs. 6-9, 
and Richards. Voy. Ereb. & Terr. Zool. Fish. p. 82, pi. 47. figs. 6-10), but is distin- 
guished from it by the absence of vomerine teeth, and by a marked difference in the 
coloration ; the Mexican species has light markings on a dark ground, on the fore part 
of the fish, while that from Zanzibar has dark markings on a light ground. 
