975 
Family RATABOURIDAE 
Body elongate, cylindrical. Head moderate or small. 
Snout rather short. Eye small or abscure. Mouth cleft reach 
-es below or behind eye. Teeth pointed, conic, recurved, uni- 
serial in faws and on vomer. Tongue not free. Hind nostrils 
as subtubulate opening near middle of front border of eye and 
front nostrils tubular near snout end. Gill openings narrow, 
inferior or partly Inferior slits. Heart some distance behind 
gills. First branchial opening in pharynx wide, following 
narrow slits. Body scaleless. Dorsal and anal confined to 
tail, confluent with caudal, rather low or reduced to low fold 
which furnished with rays only terminally. Pectorals short, 
vestigeal.or absent. 
Small eels of brackish or salt water, living near shores, 
* 
on reefs or in estuaries. They are usually found buried in 
sand, mud or gravel of the bottom. Indo Pacific. 
