128 
LEPTOCEPHALIM. 
Family OPHIURIim 
OPHIURUS, Lace]). 
434. Ophiurus marginatus. [378. j 
Opliiurus marginatus, Peters, Wiegm. Arch. 1855, p. 272. 
Body slender and cylindrical ; the length of the praeanal part is contained once and 
a third in the tail. Tail scarcely compressed, tapering to a point. The length of the 
head to gill-openings is contained nearly seventeen times in the total length,, and seven 
times in the length to the vent. The distance between the angle of the mouth and the 
end of the snout is one-third of the length of the head. Eye small, its diameter being 
one-third of the length of the snout in front of it. The upper jaw projects consider- 
ably beyond the lower one. The dorsal commences slightly behind the extremity of 
the pectorals ; it is rather low and is received into a deep groove, as is also the anal. 
Pectorals short, their length being contained five and a half times in that of the head 
in front of the gill-openings. 
Colour yellowish, the upper portion of the fish minutely and densely punctulated 
with black. 
Length 1 foot 1^ inch. 
Open sea, east coast of Africa. Mozambique. 
Family LEPTOCEPHALID.E. 
LEPTOCEPHALUS, L. 
Although we attach names to the specimens collected on the east coast of Africa, we 
do not mean to express ourselves in favour of the views of those who regard the 
Lep t o cep h a l idee as perfect animals. On the contrary, we are inclined to regard them 
as larval forms of some fish. In the present state of our knowledge it is hardly safe to 
refer them to the eels ; it is much more probable that they are larvae of some deep-sea 
fish as yet unknown. 
We think we have recognized the following forms amongst the specimens of this 
collection. 
435. Leptocephalus marginatus. [708.] 
Leptocephalus marginatus, Kaup, Cat. Ap. Fish. p. 152, pi. 19. f. 19. 
East coast of Africa. Coast of India. 
