THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
249 
Colours—Superiorly olive green, becoming white along the abdomen. Dorsal greenish with 
a black margin : anal whitish with a dark margin : pectoral yellowish. 
Not rare in the backwater : is eaten by the Natives. 
Habitat—Seas and estuaries of India, and Malaysia. 
Sub-Fam. GTMNOTHORACOIDEI, Bleeker. 
Group MUR^NOPHIBES, Bleeker. 
Genus GYMNOTHORAX, Bloch, 
Mur^enophis, Lacep. 
Mur^ena, Cuvier. 
Sidera, enchelynassa, eurymyctera, enchelycore, limamur^ena, thyrsoidea, (pt.), 
POLYURANODON, et T7ENI0PHIS, Kaup. 
Th^erodontis, strophidon (pt.), et lycodontis, McClelland, 
Body eel-like compressed, its height less than one-thirtieth of its length: the tail and the body of 
nearly equal lengths. Cleft of mouth large, and extending behind the orbits, jaws of nearly equal length : 
the posterior nostril situated above the margin of the orbit. Teeth sharp, conical, or compressed, in from 
one to four rows, those in palatines and mandibuke always pointed and sharp. Pectoral fin absent: a fin 
at the extremity of the tail. The dorsal commences before or above the branchial apertures. Lateral 
line absent, or marked by minute pores. Heart situated near to the branchial apertures which are single, 
linear, and in about the mid-height of the body. Scales absent. 
Gymnothorax TILE. 
MurjEnopiiis tile, Ham. Buck. pp. 18, 363. 
Lycodontis punctata, McClelland , Cal. J. N. LI. v. p. 187. 
Strophidon punctata, McClelland , Cal. J. N. H. v. p. 203, t. 7, f. 3. 
Strophidon maculata, McClelland , Cal. J. X. H. v. p. 203, t. 8, f, 1. 
Lycodontis literata, McClelland , Cal. J. N. H. v. p. 215, t. 7, f. 2. 
MuRiENA tile, Cantor , Catal. p. 331. 
Thyrsoidea tile, Kaup, Catal. Brit. Mus. p. 93, f. 66. 
Gymnothorax tile, Bleeker , Atl. Ich. iv. p. 97, t. 178, f. 1. 
D. 312-325. C.10. A. 154-172. 
Length of head about of total length. Height of head 5 k, of body A"Ad °f dorsal about 
Aj, of anal about Ay of total length. 
Eyes—Diameter from T \,- to Ay of length of head, 2 diameters from end of snout. 
Body elongated and compressed. 
Opening of mouth horizontal. Eyes above the middle of the cleft. Snout rather longer 
than the lower jaw : upper profile of snout horizontal, with a concavity over the eye, and a sudden 
rise on the back of the head and nape. Nostrils, the anterior tubular, the posterior not so. 
There are some well marked open pores along the jaws. 
2 K 
