A REVIEW OF THE APODAL FISHES OR EELS OF JAPAN,WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NINETEEN NEW SPECIES.
By David Stark Jordan and John Ottkrrktx Snyder,Of tlic Liiand Stanford Junior Vnlvcrxilij.
In the following- papcM- is g-iyen an account of the species of apodalor eel-like lishes known fi-oiu the waters of Japan. The paper is basedon the collection made by the authors in the waters of Japan during-the sunnner of r.?(>0. luider the auspices of the Hopkins SeasideLaboratory, the series of Japanese tishes l)elonging to the LTnitedStates National Museum, and specimens collected by the United StatesFish Commission steamer Alhatross. The collection made by theauthors is in the museum of Leland Stanford Junior Universit}",a series having been also deposited in the United States NationalMuseum. The accompanying drawings are the work of Miss LvdiaM. Hart.Th(^ apodal fishes agree in the eel-like form of the body, the d(\grada-tion of tile skeleton, arid the detei'ioratioti of the rins and thiMV basalsegments.Among the apodal lishes of Japan two orders are recognized; one,Si/riil>r(nicJu<(, has the structure of the mouth characteristic of ordinarytishes; the other, Apodcs^ has the })remaxillaries atro]>hied or lost.Order SVMBRANCHIA.Body eel-shaped; premaxillary, maxillary, and palatine bones welldeveloped and distinct from each other, as in ordinary tishes. Shouldergirdle joined to the skull in typical species (in one famih^, Amplitp-noida'^ distinct from the skull as in the eels). No mesocoracoid;symplectic present or absent; scales minute or wanting; no paired tins;vertical tins rudimentary, reduced to folds of th(^ skin; vent at a greatdistance from the head; gill openings confluent in a single slit; no airbladder; stomach without blind sac or pyloric cteca; ovaries with ovi-ducts; skull solid, the l)ones linuly united; vertebne numerous, theProceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXIII?No. 1239. 837
838 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xsanterior unmodified. Eel-like lishes, widely distributed in warm seasjand in fresh waters. The species are few, l)iit hiohly diversified inlstructure, constituting two su))orders and foui' families. They are'prob:i])l3' r<4ated to the Ap<>de><^ but this is not certain, and in thestiucture of the head they approach more nearly to the true fishes.The}' represent degraded rather than primitive types, and the line oftheir descent is as yet unknown. It is not even certain that the formsgrouped in this order are closelv related, (aw together; (iftocyxioc^gills.) Family I. MONOPTKRID.^. Iri(;e-fieij) eels.Bod}' elongate, naked; tail short, tapering to a point; no barbels;margin of the upper jaw formed by the premaxiilariivs, the maxillarieswell developed, l3'ing behind them and parallel with them; lips thick;palatine teeth small, in a narrow band; gill openings confluent into aventral slit, the mem})ranes united to the isthnms; gill arches three,with the gill-fringes rudimentary, and with moderate slits betweenthem; no accessor}' ])reathing sac; lateral line present; no pectoral orventral fins; dorsal and anal reduced to Ioav folds; ribs present; no airbladder; stomach without ca^cal sac or pyloric appendages. Ovarieswith oviducts. Vertebrae 100 + 88 = 188.Eel-like fishes of the rivers of eastern Asia, everywhere abundant,probably all reducible to one single species.
1. MONOPTERUS Lacepede.3fonop/er?.s Lacepede, Hist. Nat. ]\)iss., II, 1798, p. 139 {jdnniciiiii!^).Fluta HcHNEiDER, Syst. Ichth., 1801, ji. 5(>5 {javitnensis).Ophicardia McChKLLAND, Calcutta Jourii. Nat. Hint., V, p. 191 (phaijriana).Apterigki Basilewsky, Nouv. Mem. Soc;. Nat. INIosc, X, 18.^5, p 247 [me.cogularis).Characters of the genus included al)()vc. (/"''''>?, one; Trrfpor, fin.)
I. MONOPTERUS ALBUS (Zuiew).Murxna alba Zuiew, Nov. Act. Ac. Sci. Petropol, 1793, p. 299, pi. vn, fig. 2.Munoptenis javanois Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Pois.s., II, 1798, p. 139, Java.Monopterus javanensis Scn^EiDER, Syst. Ichth., 1801, p. 565, after Lacepede.
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Can-tor, Malayan Fish, 1850, p. 339, pi. v, figs. 6-8.?Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Mur.1864, p. 118, pi. xLvii, fig. 1, Java, Sumatra, Banka, Bintang, Borneo, Cel-ebes.?GtiNTHER, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 14, Batavia, Borneo, Sarawak,Siam, Formosa, Chusan, Hongkong, Ningpo, North China, Japan, and ofauthors generally.Umhrarichapeitura hrris Lacepepe, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, 1803, p. 658, i)l. xvii,fig. 3.Monopterun lurii^ KicnxRDsos, Voy. Sulphur, Ichth., p. 116, Hongkong.Syinbranchus eurychusina Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. Murajn, XXV, p. 60.Op/uoardmp/iaynana McClelland, Calcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., V, pp. 191, 218,pi. XII, fig. 1 , River Ganges.
N0.1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 839}foriui>tenis ci))creus Richardson, Voyage Sulphur, \>. 117, i>l. i.ii, figs. 1-6 (Excl.wyn.), Chusan, Woonuug.M(moptcrv)< (/) .nDithognathin^ Ku uakdson, Voy. Sulpliur, p. US, pi. lii, tig. 7,Canton.Monopteriix iiKinnoraliit^ Temminck and Sciileokl, Richardson, Ichth. China,1848, p. 815, Chusan.Monoplerwi helvnbis Richardson, Ichth. C-hina, j). 816, Canton.Apterigid .mcrofjulxn-ix Basit,ewsky,Nouv. Mem. 8oc. Nat. Moscow, X, 1855, p. 247,pi. van, fig. 2, Tschili.Aj)(erigia rdgrornarulata Basii.ewsky, Nouv. Mem. Soc. Nat. Moscow, X, p. 248,pi. II, fig. 2, Peking.Apterlglii iiinitdrulata Basilewskv, Nouv. Mem. Soc. Nat. Moscow, X, ]>. 248,Peking.Head 13 in leiio-th, its depth greater than that of body, If in itslength; depth 22 (17 to 26) in length. Jaws heavy, the lower shorter;maxillary 2 in head; teeth small, mostly uniserial. Eye very small,over middle of maxillary, (xill openings inferior, confluent in asemicircular slit. Tail very short, pointed, 2f in rest of l)ody. Dor-sal tin very low, beginning close behind vent. Anal very indistinct,about half length of dorsal; no pectorals. Color in spirits blackisholive, with traces of darker and paler streaks and mottlings; a darkcross-band behind head; in life with yellowish streaks and dashes anddark dots above.Length 1 to 2 feet.Fresh waters and rice ditches of China, Korea, and southward toJava, Borneo, and Siam, north to the Riu Kiu Islands; our specimens,four in iuuii])er. were collected b}" Mr. Tashiro on the island of Oki-nawa, where it is known as Ta-unagi or rice-field eel. The presentdescription is taken from specimen No. 69, in the Imperial Museum atTokyo, from the island of Amami-Oshima in the northern Riu Kiugroup. It is a foot in length. The specimen is recorded as
'"'' M(>r!)i</i?i jandn/cd'"' in Dr. Ishikawa's list, {alhux^ white.)Order APODES.EELS.Teleost fishes with the premaxillaries atrophied or lost, the maxil-laries lateral, and the body anguilliform and destitute of ventral fins.The most striking feature is the absence of the premaxillaries, takenin connection with the elongate form and the little development of thescapular arch, which is not attached to the cranium. Other charactersnot confined to the Apodes are the following: The absence of thesymplectic bone, the reduction of the opercular apparatus and of thepalatopterygoid arch, the absence of ventral fins, the absence of themesocoracoid or pr^coracoid arch, and the reduction or total absenceof the scales. There are no spines in the fins, the gill openings arecomparatively small, and there are no pseudobranchia\ The vertebraeare in large number and none of them ai"e special 1}" modified. The tail
840 PROCEEDTXas OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi..xxiii.is isocercal?that is. with the caiKhil vortobra' rcmaiiiino- jn a straightline to its cxtreiuity, as in the enibrvos of most tish, and in theAnacant/tai/.We begin our discussion of the eels with the forms vvhicii seem near-Iest to the ])rimitive stock fi-om which the members of the oi-oup iiavejdescended. It Is evident that among- the eels the forms of simpleststructure, SpJiagrhrdncJnii'i^ etc., are not in an}' sense primitive^ forms,l)ut th(^ results of long-continued and progressive degeneration, so faras the fins and mouth parts are concerned. The A2)odes are probably ]descended from soft-rayed fishes, and their divergence from typicalforms is, in most respects, a retrogression. (?'-withoLit; Trovg, foot,from the absence of ventral tins.)FAMILIES OF APODES.
a. EnclichicephaU : Gill openin<i;s well (level()i)e(l, leading to large interbraiirhial slits;tongue ])rest'nt; ()])er('leH and hranchial lionew well develoi)ed; sca|mlar archpresent./;. Skin covered with rudinientarj' emhcddcd scales, usually linear in form,arranged in small groups, and placed olirKiudy at right angles to those ofneighboring groups; ])ectorals and vertical lins well developed, tlie latter con-tinent about the tail; lateral line present; pusterior nostril in front of eyes;tongue with its margins free.c. Gill openings well se|)arated; brancliiostegals long, bent u]i\\ards behind.d. Gill openings lateral and vertical; snout conic, the jaws not very heavy;gape longitudinal; lips thick; lower jaw i)rojecting; teeth in cardiformbands on jaws and vomer; eggs minute Anguillid.e. II.fc. (Jill oi)enings inferior, very close together, ap))arently confluent; branchios-tegal rays abbreviated behind; head conical; tongue small; posterior nos-trils in front of eye Svn.aphobranciiid.k. III.hli. Scales wholly wanting; eggs, so far as known, (tf moderate size, much as inordinary lishes.(. Tail not mncli if any shorter than rest of bod>-; heart placed close behindthe gills./. Tip of tail with a mtjre or less distinct lin, the dorsal and anal lins con-fluent around it; the tail sometimes ending in a long filament. Color-ation almost always plain, brownish, blackish, or silvery, the finsoften black-margined.(J. Posterior nostril without tube, situated entirely al)Ove the upper lip.//. Tongue broad, largely free anteriorly and on sides; vomerine teethmoderate.
I. Pectoral fins well developed; body not excessively elongate;lower jaw not i)r()jt'cting; anterior nostril I'emote from eye.LKeTOCKlMIALID.K. IV.////. Tongue narrow, adnate to the floor of the month or only thetil) slightly free; vomerine teeth well developed, sometimesenlarged.j. .laws not attenuate and recurved at tip; gill o})enings well sepa-rated; anterior nostril remote from eye.k. Pectoral fins well developed; skin thick; skeleton firm;snout moderate; tail not ending in a filiform tip.MuR-ENESOCinji:. V.
N0.1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 841kk. Pectoral iins wholly vvantinis;; snout and j;i\vs ituicli ym-duced, the upiKT lonj^er; jaw strai<j;ht; skin Ihin, tiieskeleton weak; tail endinjj in a filiforni tip; gill openingssmall, snhinferior; teeth sharp, suhequal, recurved; along series on the vomer; deep-sea eels, soft in body.NeTTASTOMIDvE. VI.gg. Posterior nostril clo.se to tlie edge of the upper lip; tongue more orless fully adnati' to the floor of the mouth; teet^i subequal.Mykid.e. VII.ff. Tip of tail witlu)ut rays, projecting beyond the dorsal and anal fins,(not filiform) ; posterior nostril on the edge of the upjier lij); anteriornostril near tip of snout, usually in a small tube; tongue usuallyadnate to the floor of the mouth. Coloration frequently variegated.OPHICHTHYIDiE. VIII.ee. Tail nuich shorter than the trunk; heart situated at a great distancebehind the gills; pectorals small or wanting; vertical fins little devel-oped; body slender, cylindrical; gill openings narrow, inferior.MORINGUID/E. IX.an. Colocepluili: Gill openings small, roundish, leading to restricted interbranchialslits; tongue wanting; pectoral fins (typically) wanting; opercles feebly devel-oped; fourtli gill arch modified, strengthened, and sujiporting pharyngealjaws./. Scapular arch obsolete or represented by cartilage; heart not far back; pectoralswanting; skin thick; coloration often variegated MuR^NiDiE. X.Family II. ANGUILLID^E.TRUE EELS.The true eels, or AngulJIlihe^ are characterized by their scaly skin inassociation with a conical head and a t^eneral resemblance to the Oon-ger-'i. The group is thus diagnosed l)y Dr. Gill: "" EnchelycephalousApodals with conical head, well-developed opercular apparatus, lateralmaxillines, cardiform teeth, distinct tongue, vertical lateral branchialaperttires, continuous vertical fins, with the dorsal far from the head,pectorals well developed, scaly skin, and neai'ly perfect branchialskeleton,"'The Angidllidw approach more nearly than most of the other eelsto the type of the true fishes. In one respect, that of the minute ovaand concealed generation, however, they differ widely from these.The single genus of living AnguillidcB is wideW difi'used in temperateand tropical waters. Unlike the other eels the Angu'dUdoi freelyascend the rivers, descending to the sea for purposes of reproduc-tion. One genus, with five or more valid species.
a. Dorsal fin inserted well behind base of pectorals; shoulder girdle well developed;lower jaw projecting \ AnguiUa. 2.
842 PROCEEDIXaS OF THE NATIONAL MVSEVM. voi.xxin.
2. ANGUILLA Shaw.EELS.AnguUla Shaw, General Zoology, IV, 1804, p. 15 {anguilla).Murppna Bleeker, Poey, etc. (taking at? type MnririKi aiH/nilla, the first .speciesmentioneil })y Artedi uikUt Mi(r;fii<t).Body elongate, eonipre.ssed behind, covered with eni))edded scaleswhich are linear in form and placed ohlicjuely, some of them at rightangles to others. Lateral line well developed. Head long, conical,moderately pointed, the rather small eye well forward and over theangle of the mouth. Teeth small. sul)e(iiial, in bands on each jaw anda long patch on the vomer. Tongue five at tip. Lips rather fidl,with a free margin l)ehind, attached by a fi-enum in front. Lowerjaw projecting. Gill openings rather small, slit-like, about aswide as base of pectorals and partly below them. Nostrils superior,well separated, the anterior with a slight tu])e. Vent close in frontof anal. Dorsal inserted at some distance from the head, confluentwith the anal aroiuid the tail. Pectorals well developed. Speciesfound ill most warm seas (the eastern Pacific excepted), ascendingstreams, but mostly spawning in the sea. The eels often move for aconsideral)le distance on land in daiup grass. Waterfalls, dams, andother obstructi(^ns are often passed in this way. It is thought thatthe eel spawns only in the sea, the female dying after having onceproduced ova. The females are larger than the males, paler in color,with smaller eyes and higher hns. Eels are among the most voraciousof fishes. "'On their hunting excursions they overturn alike hugeand small stones, beneath which they find species of shrimp and cray-fish, of which they are excessively fond. Their noses are poked intoever}' imaginable hole in their search for food, to the terror of innu-merable small fishes." The single Japanese species dift'ers veryslighth', if at all, from the American eel Aiu/aHhi cJiri/xi/jxi. {A/u/u-ill((, the eel.)
2. ANGUILLA JAPONICA Schlegel.UNA(iI (EEL); O-UXACtI (GREAT EEL); GOMA-UNA(tI (CARAWAY-SEEDOR SPECKLED EEL).AnguUla japonica Schlegel, Fauna Japoniea, LS47, p. 258, pi. c.xiii, fig. 2, Naga-saki.
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Bleekeu, V'erh. Bot. Gen., XXV, Japan, p. 51.
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Kner, Novara Fische,p. 370.?JoRD.w and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Xat. Mu-s., 1900, p. 348, Yokohama.Muneria pekhiennis B.\sile\vsky, Nouv. M^ni. Soc. Nat. Mose., X, 1855, p, 246,pi. Ill, fig. 2, Pekin.AtiguUld ndgaris, he)igalmt<is, and iiKnirltidiia Isiiikawa, Prel. (\it. Fish, p. 7, 1897,Ilitaka, Tokyo, Hashigo, Zensiio, Sagaini, Awa, Kadzusa.Head about 2i in trunk. ui)per jaw '4h in head, distance from frontof dorsal to vent a little less than head; pectoral, 8 in head; distance
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 843from snout to dorsal, 3i in lenj^th. Dark hroMii or yellowish brownabove, rarely marbled; abruptly paler below; pectoral pale; dorsal,anal, and caudal edued behind with black. Length, '2 to 5 feet.Streams, lakes, and estuaries of Japan, almost everywhere very com-mon; our specimens from Hakodate, Aomori, Same, Matsushima,Sendai, Tokyo, Misaki. Wakanoura, Onuira Bay, Kurume, and Naga-saki.In southern Japan ver^' large examples 4 or 5 feet long are some-times taken. The species is very similar to the American eel{AnguiJht c]irysyp<i Rafines(][ue), diti'ering in a ver}- slightl}" moreanterior dorsal and more blackish edging to the tins behind, mattersof very slight importance. This species is known to fishermen as
"unagi,'' the very large ones as "ounagi," or great eel. The name
'"goma-unagi," or caraway-seed eel, is given to speckled individuals.Family III. SYNAPHOBRANCHID.K.This group consists of deep-sea eels, diflering from the AnguiUldcein having the gill openings externally confluent into a single slit.The following diagnosis is given by Dr. (jill:Enchelycephalous apodals, with conic, pointed head; moderateopercular apparatus, lateral maxillines, cardiform teeth, distincttongue, inferior branchial apertures discharging by a common aper-ture, continuous vertical fins. piM-torals well developt'd, scaly skin,and nearly perfect branchial skeleton.Body eel-shaped, covered with linear, embedded scales placed atright angles, as in AnguUla. Lateral line present. Head long andpointed, the snout produced. Mouth very long, the eye being overthe middle of its cleft. Jaws about equal; teeth small, sharj), in abroad band in each jaw, becoming a single series anteriorly; those ofinner series in upper jaw and of outer series in mandible somewhatenlarged; vomerine teeth in a narrow ])and anteriorly. Gill openingsinferior, horizontal, close together, convergent forward, somewhatconHuent at the surface, ))ut separated In' a considerable isthmuswithin. Branchiostegals peculiarly formed, in moderate number(about 15), attached to the sides of the compressed ceratohyal andepihyal, slender, al)breviated, and moderately bowed, not being curvedup above the operculum. Tongue long, free only at the sides. Nos-trils large, the anterior with a short tube, the posterior before thelower part of the eye. Pectoral well developed; dorsal low, l)egin-ning })ehind vent; anal longer than dorsal, rather high, its raj'S slen-der, })i-anched, not embedded in the skin; vertical tins confluent aroundthe tail. Vent near the anterior fourth of the ])ody. Muscular andosseous s3^stem well developed. Stomach very distensible. Deep-seafishes; two genera, with '? or S species known.
844 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
(I. I>i)rsal fill li)\v, l>e<rinning hphind vent; vomerine feeth in a i*ingle i)ateh; ])ecti)-raln loiiLT, liiutrer than the ratluT slender snnnt SipKtjiliohraiivlmx. ',i.(til. Korsal till he<,niinin>r close hi'hind base of pectorals; vomerine teeth in twojiatches, one liehind the other; ])e{!torals short, not longer than the shortsnont Ifi.^tlohrrnirJnix. 4.3. SYN APHOBRANCHUS Johnson.
Sj/n(i])}iohr(Uichit.^ Jounson, I'roc. Zool. Sdc. jjondoii, ISdL', p. IH!), {hinpii).Dorsal beginning- behind vent. This t^emis contjiins two or threespecies, deep-sea fishes from the Atlantic and Pacific {ffrn^acjn'f^^united; jipayxm, ^iH'^-)
u. Dorsal inserted directly over or very slightly liehind vent (Hfiiii.'<. .'>.(Id. Dorsal inserted liehind vent at a distance etpial to thiee-iifths length of headiracdiiix. 4.add. Dorsal inserte<l liehind xcnt at a distance ('(jual to length of head. . . .yVy/A/v^x/. 5.
3. SYNAPHOBRANCHUS AFP^INIS (Gunther).
SiinapJtohrnncliii.'i djjiiiis ({vsrmiii, Ann. and i\lag. Nat. Hist., XX, 1S77, p. 445,Enoshiina ( niis])rinted Inosima), Jajian.
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Jordan and Snvder, Proc. F. S.Nat. -Mns., 1900, ]). ;^4S (off Tokyo; Allxitro^^ CdU.).Dorsal fin beoiiniing' very close ])ehind vent; liead and trunk. '2'i intail; nia.xillary, 1| in head, not nearly n^aciiino- oiH ojxMiino'; head, '2^in distance from tip of snout to dorsal. 1-k in trunk; snout, 3 in head;eye, 2 in snout; cleft of mouth, 1'^ in head; ])ccl()ral, 2^ in head; itsinsertion nearer snout than anus. I iiiform bluisii brown, with finedots; pores of lateral line pale, about 20 before vent; pectorals pale;vertical fins darker l)ehind. lio-ht-(>do-od anteriorly; inside of mouthblue-black; oill opcuiuos dark. Coasts of Japan and southward tothe Philippines, in 40(i to (iOO fathoms; not rai'e; our numerous speci-mens from Totomi Bay (off' Hamamatsu), station ^T^O, Alhtdro-ss; o\\Tokyo, collection of U. S. P'ish C'onunission steamer AHxitroxs;. andoft' Misaki (collection of Alan Owston). The species is \ci'v close toS. 2)ltt)t(itu>< oi the Atlantic, which Dr. Gimther reg-ards in the Chal-lenger Report as the same species. He g-ives a good figure of a speci-men from south of Tokyo,^ under the name of Synapholnrowhiisj^in-nafufi. The species descriVjed and figured l)y Jordan and Evermann.following Goode and Bean, under the name of St/iKfj^/tohrtme/iNs j/in-natus is evidently difi'erent, having the doi-sal umch farther back.{S. (ijfiitis, related to aS'. pimitii >!.'<.)
4. SYNAPHOBRANCHUS IRACONIS Jordan and Snyder, new species.Dorsal lin beginning far behind \ t*nt at a distanci^ I'cjual to \ thehead's length; ma.xiliary. 1^ fn head; head, 1| in trunk; head andtrunk, 2| in tail; snout, 8^ in head; eye, 2^ in snout; pectoral, long,
' Challenger Report, p. 253, 2>1. lxii, fig. A.
APODAL FISHES OF JA PAX?JORDAN AND SXYDFP. 845
Ijf ill head, its insertion nearer tip of snout than vent, rniforin dulll)rown. One specinion taken in 200 fathoms (h^ptli otl' tiie coast ofMyiako, in Rikuchu (north of Sondai), by Mitonu])u Irako, directorof the Museum of Morioka, and by him presented to the museum ofStanford University. The species is related to Synajthohrdnchus hreiu-
FlG. 1.
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SYNAPHOBKANX'HUS iraconis.
ilarsdUx, Htifured b}' Gunther from the coast of New (Tuin(ni. Theore"jit(M- length of the tail, the larger mouth, larger pectoral, and espe-cially the anterior insertion of the dorsal should separate the presents])ecies.Tyjh'.?No. B465, Lebind Stanford Junior University Museum.Named for Mitonubu Irako.
5. SYNAPHOBRANCHUS JENKINSI Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head, If in trunk; head and trunk, 2| in tail; distance from snoutto front of dorsal, 2f in total length; distance from vent to front ofdorsal equal to head; snout, 3 in head; cleft of mouth. If in head;teeth very small, subequal; eye, 2 in snout; pectoral, 2^ in head.Color brown above, purplish black below, and on head and liningmembranes.This species is allied to S)/)u(2>Ji?>hr<(7ich}is hrevido?'sal/'.s Gunther^ fromthe Philippines, but the insertion of the dorsal is much in front of themiddle of the body, while in the latter species it is much behind.
Fig. 2.?SYNAPHOBRANCHUS JENKINSI.One specimen, 16i inches long (Type No. 4H72T, U.S.N.M.), fromStation 3696, in Sagami Bay, off Enoshima, taken by the U. S. FishCommission steamer Alh/ftro.ss' in 11)01. Doubtless the specimenreferred to Synapliolyranch itx hrevldorsalls from the Hyalonema ground,off Enoshima, belongs to this species.Named for Di*. Oliver Peebles Jenkins, in recognition of his work onthe tishes of Hawaii.
846 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.xxiii.
4. HISTIOBRANCHUS Gill.Hisliulmoichtix (.iihu, Proc. IT. S. Nat. I\Iuf^., 1883, p. 255 {hifenidJis).I'hi.s g-eims i.s clo.se to the preceding, from which it i.s di.stingui.shedby the more anterior iii.sertion of its dorsal. Two species have beendescribed, perhaps identical with each other, (iffriov^ sail, i. e., dor-sal tin; fiftixyxioi^ gills; from the insertion of the dorsal.)
6. HISTIOBRANCHUS BATHYBIUS (Giinther.)StjnapJutlmmchus hnthyhruK Gunthkk, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., XX, 1877, p.445; and in Voy. Challenger, 1887, j). 254, pi. lxii, fig. 1), off Tokyo, NorthPacific, Kerguelen Island.Hisliohnmrhui^ bathyhhis Jordan and Evkkmanx, Fish. N. >I. America, I, 1896,p. 352, Bering Sea.Pectoral tin longer than snout; eye one-half or two-thirds of thelength of snout; head and tnudv i\ in tail; dorsal beginning aboveor imnKHliately behind the pectoral, which is only one-third length ofhead; scales quite rudimentar}', lanceolate, imbedded in the skin;cheeks naked; dorsal and anal hns low, especialh" the former. Uni-formly black. (Giinther.) Northern and western Pacilic in deepwater otif Tokyo, not obtained i)v us; one specimen taken in BeringSea in 1890. (ySrt'6't'g,,deep; (iio?, life.)Family IV. LEPTOCEPHALID^.CONGER EP:L8.This family includes those eels which are scaleless, and have thetongue largely free in front, the })ody moderately elongate, the endof the tail surrounded by a fin, the ])osterior nostril remote from theupper lip and near front of eye, and the pectoral tins well developed.Lower jaw more or less included; teeth on sides forming a cuttingedge; lateral line well developed. All the species are plainly colored,grayish or dusky above, silvery below. Species found in most warmseas, usually at moderate depths. Most of the species undergo ametamorphosis, the yoimg being loosely organized and transparent,band-shaped, and with very small head. The body grows smaller withincrea.sed age, owing to the compacting of the tissues. The two generafound in Japan are not well .separated and should perhaps be reunited.
a. Insertion of dorsal over or behind middle of i)ectoral; tail notably longer tlianrest of body ; mnciferous cavities of sknll small Leptocephahix. 5.aa. Insertion of tlorsal before nuddle of pectoral; snont and mouth smaller; skullmore cavernous./;. Teeth mostly pointed;' tail not half longer than rest of body < 'oiujir/his. 6.
^ Teeth blunt or molar in Congermursena (type Imhenatn).
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JATAX?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 847
5. LEPTOCEPHALUS Scopoli.CONGER EELS.(a) Jjtrrdl forms.
Lej)t(Krj)Ii((iiis Sioi'oLi, Int. Hist. Nat., 1777, ]>. 45o (//yo/'c/.w;).O.rijurits RAKixE.scii'K, Caratteri, 1810, p. 19 {rcnniformia).7/('/yH/r//.s' R.\FiNE8QUE, Inilice d'lttiologia Siciliana, 1810, ji. 62 {pKiictdtfits)
.
Ileinilrlit}i>/t< ConTA, Fauna Napoli, Pesci, 1854 {diaphanu.'i).? Lcp((>c('plMlic]illi>/.'< Bleekkr, Ac-t. Snc. Soi. Ind. Nederl., I, Manado, p. 69 (fiyp-selosoma).1 Diaphanichthijs 1'etehs, Moiiatsber. .\k. W'iss. I>erl., 1864, p. 399 [hrevicaudus)
.
(h) Adult Jnniix.
Ech('hi>f RafinEvSque, C^aratteri, etc., 1810, j). (io (in ]i;itl, includes species of CoH'ger, Ophimnia, and Miirnx; restricted l)y Bleeker to Myrnx).Conger Cuvier Regne Animal, 2d ed., 1829, p. 350 {conger).Ariosoma Swainson, Nat. Hist. Class'n Fishes, I, 1838, p. 220 (no type men-tioned; diagnosis worthless)
.
OpMsoma Swainson, Nat. Hist. Class'n Fishes, H, 1839, j). 334 ((wahi). Sub-stitute for Ariosoma; not Ophisomnx, Swainson, Nat. Hist., Class'n Fishes, II,1839, p. 22"= Munenoide.i, Lacepede.Coiigrm Richardson, Voyage Erebus and Terror, p. 107, 1844 {con.ger).? Gnathopli'tx Kaup, Aale Hamburg. Mus., 1859, p. 7 [heterognathus)
.
Body formed a.s in Anguilla. the skin .scaleles.s. Head depressedabove, anteriorly pointed. Lateral line present. Mouth wide, itscleft extending at least to beloAv middle of eye. Teeth in outer seriesin each jaw equal and close-set, forminjj" a cutting edge; no canines;band of yoinerine teeth short. Tongue anteriorly free. Vertical linswell deyeloped, confluent around the tail; pectoral flns well developed;dorsal beginning close behind pectorals. Gill openings rather large,low. Eyes well dcAcloped. Posterior nostril near eye; anterior neartip of snout, with a short tube. Lower jaw not projecting. Skeletondift'ering in immerous respects from that of Amju'dla. Vertebraeal)out 56 + loo. In most warm seas. This gemis contains the well-known and widely distributed Conger eel and three or four closelyrelated species. The earliest generic name used for members of thegroup is Lepioccphohi^. based on a curious, elongate, transparent, band-like creature with minute head and very small mouth, found in thewaters of Europe, and known as Leptocephahis inm'rissi. This has beenshown by Gill, Gimther, and Facciola to be the young and larval formof LeptocepJidhis conger. A numl)er of the genera and species t)f thesupposed family of Leptocephalidje have been described, but there isno doubt that all of them are larvte?some of eels, as (\)Ng('i\ Omger-iiiurmna^ NeiUmtoina., and O.rij.^tonius^ others of Isospondylous Hshes,as Alhtila, Elops^ Alep>ocep)hahui<., St<miias^ etc' It is thought by Dr.iGiinther, Cat., VIII, p. 136.
848 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiii.
_ , - - - - -
^Giinther that the Leptocephalid forms are probal)ly "' individuals jarrested in the development at a ver}' early period of their life, 3'et 'continuini>- to grow to a certain size, without corresponding- develop- ,raent of their internal organs, and perishing without ha\ing attained flthe charact(M"s of the })erfect animal." Tln^ recent observations of Dr. 1Gilbert on the larvae of Alhula^ J^lojis, and C(m(/n\ however, seem topoint to the conclusion that these curious forms are normal young,and that the individuals grow smallei' in size for a time with increasedage, owing to the increasing c-ompactness of the tissues.Inasmuch as the name Leptocephalus has been associated for morethan a century with larval forms, it is a decided inconvenienci^ to accordto it precedence as a generic name over (^(?i<jer. The strict law of pri-ority, however, demands its retention, and the tendency among syste-matic zoologists is to recognize as f(nv exceptions as may ))e to thisrule. The unfamiliar names O.ri/nnis atid /AV////r^/.s- are l)oth earlierthan (hmjer. {XenToz^ slender; KfifxxXij, head.)The species of this genus are very difficult to determiiu\ Amongthose found in flapan four are mujucstionably valid iin/r!a-'<ti i\ japonl-cus^ nystroiiii, and retrotinctu,'<, but the other three may f)e forms ofjaponicus.
a. Lateral lini' with each pore in the center of a whitish spot, these close set, as wideas the interspaces; about 38 before vent; head above with cross-series of manywhite pores, obscure in the young; adult with a series of round, wide-set whitishspots on each side of back; lower jaw included; pectoral more or less dusky,the dorsal inserted nearly above its tip; dorsal and anal with broad l)lack mar-gni iiniri((sf<'r. 7.aa. Lateral line without pale dots or with them very inc-onspicuous, not so broad asthe interspaces; head with cross-series of conspicuous pores, the pores uncol-ored, like pin pricks; no pale spots on sides of back.b. Dorsal tin beginning over or behind tij) of pectoral; pores before vent about 40;maxillary reaching posterior border of pupil; pectorals chiefly black; dorsaland anal witfi broad l)lack margin.
<. Ileail, 1:] in trunk; head and trunk, 1:| in tail cn'be)nni>^. 8.cr. Head, 1^ in trunk; head and trunk, 1 2 in tail k-iiiHii(aniis. 9.d. Pectorals pale; dorsal and anal with very little black margin or none; headand trunk, 1? in tail jajxiiucK.s. 10.bb. Dorsal tin beginning nearly over middle of i)ectoral; dorsal and anal with broadblack margins.
e. Dorsal and anal each with a broad margin for their whole length. Mouthlarge, the maxillary extending to posterior margin of eye; eye, 65 inhead; jaws subequal; tail twice length of rest of body; 36 whitish poresin advance of vent; no white spots on sides of back; dorsal and analbroadly edged with black; tail not wliite-edged; pectoral pale, the dor-sal beginning al)ove its middle riuk-innnfis. ILn: Mouth moderate, the maxillary not extending l)ey()nd puj)il; pores beforevent about 40; trunk very short, containing iiead 1^ times; lower jaw short;mouth small, the maxillary to below middle of eye, 3 in head. ./(v/.s/roH*/. 12.ft'. Dorsal and anal pale, the posterior portion for about the length of thehead, jet black; pores of lateral line, wide set, about 30 before vent;pores minute; mouth small; j)ectorals jiale rt'lrutinctu.s. 13.
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDEE. 849
7. LEPTOCEPHALUS MYRIASTER (Brevoort).MAANAdO, TRUE CONGER.
Ati;/iilll<i. iiu/riftstcr Kkevoort, U. S. Expd. Janan, 1856, p. 282, pi. xi, tijr. 2, from arough but characteristic drawing made at Hakodate.Lfptncephalus viyrlm^tcr Jordan and 8nydek, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1900, XXIII,p. 347, Tokyo, Hakodate.
<'o)i(j('r viUgarls lfiT\iK\\\\\, Prel. Cat. Fisli., 1897, p. 7, Hakodate, Tokyo.Head, IfV in trunk (If in young); head and trunk, If in tail (if inyoung); lower jaw included; snout blunt, -i in head; eye, 2 in .snout,rather small; mouth moderate, the maxillary rif in head, reaching pos-terior part of pupil; pectoral rounded, 2f in head, the dorsal insertedover its last third or fourth, dorsal and anal rather high.Color dusk}' ])rovvn, paler below; a row of I'ound whitish spots alongside of back, regularly placed, beginning with a median spot at thenape, these spots found in no other species; lateral line very distinct,of a row of close-set white pores, just below the lateral line itself,about 38 of these ])efore the vent; a cross series of 16 to 24 whitishpores on nape, just before the median spot; four series of small poresrunning forwaixl from this; numerous stellate pores, regidarly arrangedabout eye, on snout and on opercle; dorsal and anal each with a l)roadblack median band meeting around the tail; pectoral more or lessdusky in adult, pale in the young.Description from a specimen 23 inches long from Hakodate. Othersfrom Hiroshima, Tokyo, Onomichi, Nagasaki, and elsewhere agree inessential resp<H'ts, the pores on the head indistinct in those under 6inches in length.Coasts of Japan, very al)undant; obtained by us at Mororan, Mat-sushima. Same, Hakodate. Tokyo, Misaki, Hiroshima, Wakanoura,Kobe, Onomichi, Hakata, and Nagasaki. It reaches a length of 2 to4 feet and is much used as food: {fj,vpiog, myriad; afftyjp^ star, fromthe stellate spots, which at once separate this species from othercongers).
8. LEPTOCEPHALUS EREBENNUS Jordan and Snyder, new species.DAINANANACiO (FORMOSA CONGER); KANAKIUIANAGO (CRAB-EATINGCONGER).
.^ Co;(f/('r '?/;/(( r/.s St'HLEGEL, Fauna Japouica, 1847, p. 259, Nagasaki; not of European waters.Head, 1^ in trunk; head and trunk, 1^ in tail; lower jaw not veryshort; snout moderate, 4 in head; eye. If in snout; mouth rather large,the maxillarj^ 2f in head, extending to opposite posterior border ofpupil; pectoral rounded, 3 in head; dorsal inserted over its tip; distancefrom gill opening' to front of dorsal, 2f in head, dorsal and anal high.Color almost black, the sides marbled, the belly mottled dusky;Proc. N. M. vol. xxiii -54
850 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSFAJM. vol.xxiii.dorsal and anal blackish, with a jet-black margin; lateral line blackish,with a row of whitish dots, like pin pricks, its whole length; about 38before vent; cross-series of pores on nape not evident; pectoral duskywith a whitish edge behind and below: no white spots on back; nowhite on tail.Described from a specimen 19^ inches long, obtained at Misaki.Type No. iS4:Q<6^ Leland Stanford Junior University Museunj.We refer to this species a large specimen also from Mi'saki, havingthe dorsal inserted farther backward. Head, 1| in trunk; head andtrunk, 1^ in tail; cleft of mouth extending to just beyond pupil, 2f inhead; snout, 3f in head; eye, 1| in snout; pectoral, 3 in head, thedorsal beginning well behind its tip; distance from front of dorsal togill opening, If in head.Color black; fins all blackish, the dorsal and anal broadly edgedwith black.Another specimen 2 feet 7 inches long, from Misaki.
Fig. 3.?LEPTOCEPHAI.rs KREBESSfS.Still another specimen, doubtless of the same species, differs equallyin measurements:Head If in trunk: head and trunk If in tail; lower jaw not muchshortened; snout rather sharp, 4i in head; eye If in snout; mouthrather large, the maxillary 2^ in head, extending nearly to opposite])osteri<)r boi-der of eye; pectoral pointed, 3^ in head; dorsal insertedv(>ry slightly behind its tip; distance from gill opening to front ofdoi'sal If in head; dorsal and anal moderate.Color \'erv dark, almost black; lateral line, a continuous sti'cak, withniinut(>. whitish, wide-set pores, like pin pricks, about 45 before vent;no pale spots; cross series of pores on back of head very miiuite;pectorals black, with a pale edge below: dorsal and anal dusky, witha broad black margin; no white on tail.This specimen, taken at Misaki, is 14 inches long. This species isknown to fishermen as Kanakiukumgo or Dal)uin<ina</o. It is nearestLrptoccphahis conger, the common Conger eel of the Atlantic, butdiffers in some regards. In LeptocephaJux congrr (specimen 1880, Stan-ford Museum, fi'om Beaufort, North Carolina) there is a distinct crossstreak of line pale pores across occiput; there are 42 pores before vent;
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAX AND SNYDER. 851the maxillary is 3 in head; head and trunk 1| in tail; dorsal and analpale at base, with hroad black niarg-in; lateral line with the pores pale,the line itself a pale streak; dorsal inserted over tip of pectoral. Wehave found in Japan no Conger corresponding to the Atlantic species,thoug-h this one conies nearest it. {e'pe/Sevvos^ very l)lack?as Erebus.)We refer with some doubt to this species, a small eel, 5 inches long,from Wakanoura. Head If in trunk; head and trunk If in tail; maxil-lary extending to posterior border of eye, 2^ in head; snout 8f in head;lower jaw not nuich shorter; pectoral 2^ in head; dorsal inserted overposterior third of pectoral; 42 pores before vent; lateral line forminga continuous streak. Coloi- light olive; pores of lateral line large,pale, but without white dots; sides with some })lack dots; dorsal withthe black margin obsolete except posteriorly w^here it is narrow; analshowing traces of a dark edge posteriorly; tip of tail white; pectoralspale; pores on top of head not evident.
g. LEPTOCEPHALUS KIUSIUANUS Jordan and Snyder, new species.kur(>ana(t<) (bla(;iv conger).Head 1^ in trunk; head and trunk H hi tail; lower jaw rather short;snout shortish, li in head; eye If in snout; cleft of mouth moderate,the maxillary 3 in head, extending to posterior margin of eye; pec-toral pointed, 3i in head; dorsal inserted over end of second third ofpectoral; insertion of dorsal to gill opening, 4^ in head; dorsal andanal rather high.Color dark brown, the dorsal and anal 1>roadly edged with black; tipof tail with a slight white margin. Pectoral dusky, w^tli a pale edge.Lateral line conspicuous, with small pale pores, 38 before vent; nowhite spots anywhere. Pores on head inconspicuous.One specimen, type No. 6467, Leland Stanford Junior UniversityMuseum, 2^ feet long, from Hakata, province of Chikuzen, in Kiusiu.It differs strongly from any other species we have seen in the relativeshortness of the trunk. The dorsal is inserted anteriorh^, but not sofar forward as in Z. nystro//tl, which has also the trunk short. Lepto-ceijliakm marginatum {=n<)ordzickl^ Bleeker) from Polynesia, has highertins and slenderer body.lo. LEPTOCEPHALUS JAPONICUS ' Bleeker.Conner jajyo?*"('M6' Bleekek, Enum. Espeoe Ic. Poiss. Japon, 1874, p. 82, Japan.This species, according to Bleeker, is characterized b}^ its dentition,its convex anterior profile, by the relative length of its head and trunk,
1 LEPTOCEPHALUS HETEROGNATHUS (Bleeker.)Closely allied to this genus is a young Conger in very bad condition received byDr. Bleeker from Nagasaki. According to Giinther, the typical example belongsto Congermuriena and is very closely allied to the New Zealand sjjecies, C. habcnata,having a similar dentition ( like that of Comjrellus, except that the teeth are blunt)
.
852 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiii.1)y tlu' length of its pertoriils. and tlio size of its gill openings. Max-illiirv I'eiU'hing to o})posite posterior part of pupil; head -J} in trunk;S in total length; head and trunk 1-^ in tail (from ligure); peetorals2|^ in head, reaching past front of dorsal; gill openings l)roader thanl>ase of peetoral.C'oloi- mottled dusky above, paler hclow; tins yellowish, the blackmargin of dorsal obsolete {on the figure); pectorals pale. (Bleeker.)One specimen r^H^Jnmi. long, said to be from Japan, apparently distin-guished by its pale dorsal tins and anal. Not seen by us.This species is also very close to the one figured by Bleeker fromEast Indian examples as the true Conger {LeptocepJiaJus c(niger^= Con-ger vulgaris)^ l)ut the j^oung examples have the tail shorter than inBleeker's figure, doubtless a matter of age. The European Congerseems, however, to be difterent from any Japanese Conger we haveseen. It is possible that furthtn- research will show i\\iiijaj)onlcus isthe you?ig and erehennus the adult of the same species.
II. LEPTOCEPHALUS RIUKIUANUS Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head '1 in trunk; head and trunk together half length of tail; mouthlarger than in related species, the jaws subequal, the maxillary 2^ inhead, extending to opposite })osterior margin of eye; snout ratherpointed, 4i in head; eye large, 1^ in snout, about 6^ in head; pectorals3i in head; dorsal inserted about over middle of pectoral.Color dusky above, paler l)elow; a series of small faint white poresalong the lateral line, these smaller, farther apart, and less distant than
Fig. -1.?LEPTofEPiiAi.rs inrKH'ANT.s.in Lcpt(>ccphaUi><. myruLstci^ and becoming obsolete behind; al)out 36of these before the vent; dorsal and anal each with a ])road black mar-gin which surrounds the tip of the tail, pectoral })ale; a dai'k streakthrough snout, extending obli(piely doAvnward and backward beloweye; nuchal pores small, feAV in a cross series.
It may, i)erhapw, "be recognized by the great length of its tail; body :^ 2 inches;tail, ?,\ inches," which is aVjout the usual relation in LcptoceplKtla,'^.The species was not seen by us. There is nothing in the published account to sep-arate it from a young Leptoccphalus, for example, L. japonlcnx, which has little darkedging to its dorsal, (f'repog, different; yvdOoi^, jaw.)Miirophw h('tero(jna(hnx Bi.keker, Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Nedrl. V, Japan, \>. 9, pi. iii,fig. 1, Nagasaki.(huithophis Jicterognathu.H Kaii", Aale Hamburg. Mns., 1859, p. 7 (after Bleeker).{Congermitnena) hetero(jnatlvm GIjnther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 42, samespecimen.
NO.T230. APODAL FTSHES' OF JAPAX?JORDAX AXT) SXYDEH. 853One specimen 13^ inches long-. Type No. 04:68, Leland StanfordJunior l^niversit}" Museuni. obtained b}^ Capt. Alan Owston atYaej^ama, Ishigaki Islands, in the southern Riukiu group. Thisspecies is near to Z. erehennus, but has the backward insertion of thedorsal characteric of L. v[i><troiiii. It is, however, clearly distinctfrom T.. in/sfr<tiii!. and 0(|ually diftoreut from L. 'inyriasfcr.
12. LEPTOCEPHALUS NYSTROMI Jordan and Snyder, new species.Conger margiiiatus (tunther, Shore Finhen, Challenger, 1880, }>. 7H, Inland Seaof Japan.
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Nystkom, Kong. Sven. Vet. Ak., XIII, 1887, j>. 47, Nagasaki;not of Valenciennes.? IsHiKAWA, Prel. Cat. 1897, p. 7, Riukiu Islands.Head 1^ in trunk; head and trunk 1| in tail; mouth small, the max-illary extending about to middle of ej^e, 3 in head; lower jaw muchshorter than upper; snout blunt, somewhat cavernous, 3^ in head; eye1^ in snout, smaller in adidt; pectorals 3 in head; dorsal inserted overmiddle of pectoral or a little before; distance from gill opening todorsal, 8 in head; dorsal and anal not especially elevated.Color very pale, brownish above, whitish below; dorsal and anal
Flli. 5.?LEPTOCEPHAI.rS NYSTROMI.with a broad l)lack margin surrounding the tail; pectoral pale orslightly dusky at base; lateral line a conspicuous ridge with about 3.5pores before ^'(Mlt; these a little paler than body; nuchal pores notevident.Southern Japan, north to Kobe, here described from the type. No.Q4:'d*d^ Leland Stanford Junior University Museum, taken at Nagasaki.The species has been confounded with L. inarg'matuH of Polynesia,with which it agrees in the insertion of the dorsal. L. riKtrghuitus hasthe pectoral l>lack at tip and the doi'sal tin higher. (Named for EdwardNystrom, of the University of Upsala, in recognition of his excellentwork on the fishes of Nagasaki.)
13. LEPTOCEPHALUS RETROTINCTUS Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head 1^ in trunk; head and truidv \\ in tail; lower jaw short; snoutrather blunt, -i in head; eye 1\ in snout; mt)uth small, the maxillaryextending to opposite posterior part of eye, 2f in head; pectoralpointed, 3^ in head; the dorsal inserted rather in front of its middle;distance from gill opening to dorsal about 8 in head; dorsal and anal
854 PROCEEDINGS; OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.xxiii.rather low. Lateral line a broad furrow with a ridge, no conspioiiouspale pores or pin pricks, the pores wide set and indistinct, about 30before vent; cross series of poi'es at nape, very minute, scarcely visi-ble. Color verjj^ pale brown, somewhat silvery, the sides abruptlypaler; pectoral pale; dorsal and anal pale except for a distance fromtip of tail al)()ute(iual to length of head, in which l)oth hnsare entirelyl)lack: tip of tail ])laek, edged with pale in one specimen.
? ... iiTir"''-'"
Fig. ().?Leptocephai.t's RETROTiNc-Trs.Two specimens, each 1 1 to 1:^ inches long, found in the market atTok^^o. T3'pe No. (UT<>, Leland Stanford Junior University museum.The peculiar coloration of the dorsal and anal furnishes a distinctivecharacter, as also the character of the lateral line. (7?^/yv>-, behind:tiru'tus^ dyed.) 6. CONGRELLUS Ogilby.Congrelbis Ogilby, iu Jordan ami Evermann, Fislies X. M. America, III, 1898,p. 2801 {haled rim),Dorsal fin inserted more anteriorly than in Zejjtocephalm, over thegill opening or anterior part of pectoral; head with muciferous cavi-ties, more or less conspicuous; mouth rather small; teeth all pointed;body more robust than in Lrj)f<M-ejf/i((ht.s, the tail not much if an}- longerthan rest of body, its tip white in Japanese species; dorsal and analedg;ed with black. The genus is not very different from Lepfocrp/ta/us^the species 'Jiiegastoiitus being almost exactly intermediate. (Diminu-tive of Coirgei\ the Conger eel.
a. Mouth large, the maxillary extending much beyond pupil; 2\ in head; pectorals?>\ in head; nape with a distinct ci-oss 8erie3 of al)out 4 pores; dorsal and analwithout dark margin; end of tail l)lack, with a hroad jjale border; pectoralstlu.sky metjantoyn us. 14.nil. Mouth moderate, the maxillary extemling to opjiosite posterior part of pupil;about tU in head; dorsal and anal each with a hroad black margin; tip of tailwhite; ])ectorals pale ((tnago) or dark (meeki) anugo. 15.
14. CONGRELLUS MEGASTOMUS ( Gunther).OKIANAGO; ()Y? SHORE COXOER.Cfmgromunviut inegastonut Gunthek, Shore Fishes Challenger, 1880, j). 73,Enoshima, from Japanese fishing boats, specimens 11 to 19 inches long.Head 2 in trunk; head and trunk 2| in total; If in tail; snout rathershort and blimt, 8f in head; lower jaw sliorter than upper; eye H i"snout; mouth small, the maxillary 2s in liead, extending to oppositeposteiior part of eye; pectoral, short, rounded, 8^ in head; dorsal
NO, T2;?i. , 1 pODA L PTSHES OF JA PA X?.TORD. IX AXD SXYDEn. 8 5 5in.sorted a little before middle of pectoral; dorsal and anal moderate.Color pah> olivaeeous; a series of minute whitish pores along lateralline, much smaller and less distinct than in Zrptocejjhalics myriaster,4:7 of them in front of vent; a few similar but larger pores on head,about 4 arranged in cross-series on the nape, these less numerousthan in Z. inyrijider; snout with large pores; no pale dots above lat-eral line; pectoral largely l)lackish; dorsal and anal without blackmargin; tip of tail with dorsal and anal fins for a space about two-fifthslength of head abruptly black, with a broad white margin.
Fig. 7.?CoNfiKEi.r.rs megastomus.Shores of Japan in rather deep water. Known from Sagami andTotomi bays. Here described from two examples, each about a footlong; the one, dredged b}' the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer AJha-tross off Hamamatsu (Totomi) in 34 fathoms, station 3730; the other,taken with a long line (dabonawa) off' Misaki, by Kumakichi Aoki, andpresented to us by Professor Mitsukuri. The peculiar coloration ofthe tail at once separates it from the other Congers. In its technicalcharacters it is almost as near LeptocejpJialus as Conrirellux. {niyaglarge; ffro/ua^ mouth.)15. CONGRELLUS ANAGO (Schlegel).ANACIO.Conger <mago Schlegei,, Fauna Japonica, 184(i, ji. 2o9, pi. cvrri, fig. 1, Nagasaki.
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Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. Japan, \). 52.Congromuraiia a)iago GttNTHER, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 42, Jajjan, Aniboyna.GttNTHER, Shore Fish. Challenger, 1880, p. 73, Yokohama.
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Tsiiikawa, T*rel.Cat., 1897, p. 6, Tokyo.? ? Opli'isouia anagohlfs Bleeker, Atl. Mur., p. 27, Singapore, Celebes, Batjan,Aniboyna, Banda (distinguished from C. anagu by the smaller eye, st interform, smaller head, and narrower border of the fins, the anal and tip of tailwithout black; probably a different species).C'ongrellusrnceki, Jordan and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIII, 1900, y). 347,pi. XI, Tokyo, based on a large example with black pectoral; several suchexamples were taken by us in Tokyo Bay and at Wakanoura. Excei)t forthe dark color of the jiectorals no difference can be detected. The insertionof the dorsal is sul)ject to considerable variation.Head If in trunk; head and trunk IjV to l^V i'^ total; form robust;snout short, bluntish, 5 in head; eye very large, about as long assnout; cleft of mouth reaching about to posterior part of pupil, 3| inhead. Teeth less closely set than in Leptoeephalux^ all pointed.
856 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiii.Pectoral 2| in liead, the dorsal ])eginning variously from above its haseto nearly OA(n" its middle. Sixty pores before the A-ent, the poressmaller than in Zejftocej/halics.Body light or dark brownish, the head sometimes dotted; usuallytwo dark shades behind e3'es; pores of lateral line inconspicuous;cross-series of pores on nape not evident; pectoral tin pale or Aariouslyblackish {/jieA'/'). sometimes entirely ])lack, usualh' pale, especially inthe young; tip of tail always white; vertical fins with a )n-oad blackmargin. Length 1 to 2 feet.Coasts of Japan and southward, very common and much used asfood. It varies somewhat in color. Our specimens from Tokyo.Misaki, Kobe, Wakanoura, and Nagasaki, Several large specimens
F[0. 8.?CONT.REI.I.rS ANAGO.from Tokio and Wakanoura have the pectorals black and correspondto (^(?igrellu8 ineeki^ but no other distinctive characters can be madeout. Congrellus oneeki is probably only a highly colored adult.{Anago^ the Japanese name; possibly from ima, hole; go, clilld orcreature.) Family A'. TVITR.l^^NESOCrD.E,Scaleless anguilloid eels, with the posterior nostril not lal)ial, thetongue largely adnate, the jaws not excessively elongate, the tailof moderate length, the end of the tail surrounded l)y the caudal tin,and the pectoral fins well developed; gill openings rather wide; jawsof moderate length; vomer well armed. None of these charactersappear to have in themselves great importance, but, according to Dr.Gill, in the genus Murcenesox,, the only genus in which the osteologyis well known, the characters are such as fully to justify ftunily dis-tinction. Dr. Gill gives the following diagnosis of MurienesocidavEnchelycephalous Apodals with the tongue not free, the branchiostegal membraneconnecting tlie(ij)])o^<ite .?iiles below, the e])ii)haryngeals reihiced to one ]iair, and thehypopharyngeal.s linguiforin and encroaching on the fourth liranchial arcli.The species of this family are not very numerous, and a large pro-portion are American. In general appeai'ance and habits they approachthe Congers. All are plainly coIoihhI and some descend to rather deepwater.
Nn.i239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 857
II. Teeth in jaws in several series, those of one series enlarged and compressed, longcanines in front; vomer with several long series of teeth, the middle one ofvery large canines; snout moderate; dorsal beginning above gill opening.Murseneso.r. 7.aa. Teeth in the jaws in three series, those of the median series containing long,wide-set canines; vomer with very small teeth; i)ectoral and vertical fins welldeveloped, the dorsal inserted over the gill opening; snout very long, pointed;tail shdrtci- than rest of l)ody Oxycoiiger. 8.7. MUR/ENESOX McClelland.Murienesox McCLELLAND,C'alcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., IV, 1843, p. 408 (tricuspidatn).Ci/noponticns Costa, Fauna Napoli, Pesci., 1850, pi. xxviii {fero.v= savanna).Brachycomjer Bleeker, Nederl. Tidsskr., Dierkunde, II, 1865, p. 236 {savanna).(?ongreso.v Q\\.h, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus., 1890, p. 234 {talabon).Body robust. Dorsal and anal fins well developed, the dorsal begin-ning- nearly above gill opening. Mouth large; teeth in jaws in severalseries, those of one series enlarged and depressed, forming long caninesill front; vomer with several long series of teeth, the middle one ofstrong canines. This genus contains numerous species of hirge, conger-like eels, some of which are found in all warm seas. They are remark-able for the sti^ong armature of the vomer. {Mnrcerui; Esox^ pike.)i6. MURiENESOX CINEREUS (Forsk^l).HAMO.Mureena cinerea or tota cinerea Forskal, Descr. Anim., 1775, pp. X, 22, Red Sea.Mursenesox cinereus Gdnther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 46, Vizagapatam, Cal-cutta, Philippines, Singapore, Amoy, Formosa, Japan, Australia.
?
Nvstrom,K. Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., 1877, p. 46, Nagasaki.Muriena arabica Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 1801, p. 488, after Forskal.Murmna haqio Hamilton-Buchanan, Fish Ganges, XXIV, 1822, p. 364; (iangesRiver.J/'//rarn^so.t; ftag^io Peters, Wiegm. Archiv., 1855, p. 270.
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Kacp, Apodes, 1856, p.116, pi. XIV, fig. 73.
?
Bleeker, Atlas. Ichth, Mumeu., p. 24, pi. xxvi, fig. 2,Java, Pinang, Bintang, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, Philippines.OpMsurus I'oslraius Quoy and (jaimard, Voy. Uranie, 1846, p. 242, pi. li, fig. 1.Conger longirosiris Bennett, Life of Raffles, 1830, p. 692.Conger oxyrhynchus Eydocx and Soulevet, Voyage Bonite, I, \). 203, pi. ix, fig. 2.JAHrff'?ieso.f /r/r?.spicfrtto McClelland, Journ. Nat. Hist., IV, 1844, p. 409, ])1. xiv,fig. 1, 1844, River Ganges.Coiigrus tricuspidatiis Richardson, Voy. Suljihur, Fish., 1846, \k 105, ])1. li, fig. 2,and elsewhere.
^f7tr,r)leso.r hamiltonl McClelland, Journ. Nat. Hist., V, 1844, p|). 182, 210, pi. viii,fig. 3, River Ganges.Mursenesox bengalensis McClelland, Journ. Nat. Hist., Y, 1844, pp. 182, 210.Conger hanio Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss, 1846, p. 262, pi. cxiv, fig. 2, Naga-saki.
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Brevoort, Exped. Japan, p. 282, 1856, Shimoda.Congrus protervus HiCHAKTisoT^i, Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fish., 1846, p. 110.Congrus angustidens Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fish., 1846, ]^. 110;China.Congras brerifusjn.'^ Richardson, Voy. Erelnis and Terror, Fish., 1846, ji. 110;locality unknown.Congers singapureiisis Bleeker, Verb. Bat. (Jen. Mur., XXV, p. 21, Singapore.Mursenesox singapuvensis Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Mur., p. 25, pi. vii, fig. 2.
858 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAT. MUSEVM.Snout long, rather pointed; vomerine teeth eompressed, with a ])asallobe in front and behind; teeth in the inner series of mandible similarto those on the vomer, but smaller and rarely with basal lobes; teethof the outer series rudimentary, not bent outward. Dorsal insertedclose l)ehind ])ase of ptM-toral. Ashy-oray, sides silvery; dorsal andanal with a broad black margin; pectorals pale, or sufl'used with duskyon the under side.Length 4 to > feet. A very large eel, with \ery strong teeth, widelydistril)uted in the East Indies and north to Japan. We folloAv Dr.(xiinther in identifying th?? Japanese haiiio. with J/, eijiereiis, of thelied Sea, finding no grounds on which to suspect difference. Ournumerous specimens are from Tokyo, Misaki, Tsuruga, Wakanoura,Onomichi. Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. It is nnich used as food andknown l)y the nam(> of hunio {('im-rcux, asliy).
8. OXYCONGER Bleeker.
0.r(/roH|7<'c Bleekek, Atlas, Ichtli. Munt'ii. 18(57, p. 1^) {Ifptoi/iiatlnis).Body compressed; snout nnich produced; teeth in each jaw in aboutthree series; the median series containing long, slendei* canines, wide-set, some of them straight, some of them curved; vomer with seriesof very small teeth. Pectorals slender, well developed. Dorsalinserted over gill opening. Nostrils without tubes, the posterior infront of the eye, at some distance from it. Japan. (oCvg, sharp;C"/l(/r/'.) 17. OXYCONGER LEPTOGNATHUS Bleeker.
('(tiiijf'r fi'/ilo(/iiiilliiis Ui.KKKKK, Act. Soc. liKlii-Xedrl., Ill; .lapan, IV, p. 27, Naga-saki.Oxyconger leptognatJni>< ( H'TNTnEK, ('at. Fishes, VIII, p. 49, 1870; same si)e<'iinen.Head 2,\, in truidv; tail shorter than rest of ))ody, about one-tifthlonger than trunk; cleft of mouth 1^ i'l head; about 12 canines on
Fig. 9.?OXYCONGER I.F.I'TOGNATlirS.each side in each jaw; snout very sharp, 2^ in head; (\ve 3| in snout;pectoral 4^ in head. Olivaceous, sides silvery, dorsal and anal eachwith a broad black margin; pectoral i)ale; tip of tail white with ablack edging. Coasts of Japan, two sjx'ciuKMis known, the original
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 859type from Nagasaki; the second, here described, about 14 inches long,from the market of Tokyo, taken outside of Tokyo Bay. off Awa orMisaki. (AfTrrog, slender; yvados^ jfiw.)Family VI. NETTAST()MTI).F>.Eels without pectoral tins, the tongue not free, the posterior nostrilbefore the ej^e, the gill openings small, separate, su})inferior, the ventremote from the head, the tail ending in a slender tip, the vertical finsmoderately developed; and the jaws produced, slender and straight,the upper the longer, 1)oth as well as the vomer armed with l>ands ofclose-set slender teeth. The species are allied to the MurmneiiocidoB^but are weaker fishes, of the deep sea, with fragile bodies, the skinsom?^times charged with })lack pigment.
a. Nostrils valvular on the upper surface of the head; the posterior above anterioranijle of eye; tail tapering to a ])oint; snout without tleshy projeetion at ti]>.NettastoiiKi. 9aa. Xosti'ils lateral, tlie posterior slit-like, in fiont of eye CJilopsis. 109. NETTASTOMA Rafinesque.Xftldslomii Rafinksqie, ('aratteri, etc., ISIO [inclanurum).Characters of the genus included a))ove. {vrfrra^ duck; o'ro/<?,mouth.) 18. NETTASTOMA PARVICEPS Giinther.NeUastoma parviceps (jvhthkr, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., XX, 1887, \). 446, south ofYedo (Tokyo); Rept. Challenger Fishes, 1887, p. 253, pi. lxiii, tig. A, samesjiecinien.Head small, its length 2|^ in distance from gill-opening to vent.Dorsal fin inserted in advance of gill-opening. In other respects simi-lar to N^ettastoriKi iiielanuruin of the Mediterranean. (Giinther.)The figure shows a row of 5 or large pores across occiput; snout2| in head; head and trunk shorter than tail, which ends in a slenderpoint; 45 pores in lateral line before vent; cleft of mouth a little morethan half head, extending to just beyond eye; eye 4 in head. Colornot very dark, apparently some edging to the fins behind.One specimen known, taken liy the Challoujii' south of Tokvo atstation 232, in 845 fathoms; length, 26i inches; not seen by us.{Panms^ small; eep!<, head.)lO. CHLOPSIS Rafinesque.Chlopsis Rafinesque, Indice Ittiol. Sicil., 1810, p. 58 {hicolor.)Sanrenchelys I'eters, Berliner Monatsber., 1864, p. .397 {cancrivorti-Jncolor.)This genus sufliciently characterized above differs from JVettastamain the position of the nostrils, the posterior being in front of theeye, as usual in congroid fishes. Deep water. (j^^'^V, twig; oipig^appearance.)
860 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
19. CHLOPSIS F'lERASFER Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head 14 in trunk; head and trunk :^j''? in tnil; snout j)r(>duced,with a slight Heshy tip, 2^ in head; eye 8| in snout; <deft of mouth 1extending- to posterior edge of pupil; teeth sharp, slender, rather
;close-set; dorsal insei-ted l)ehind gill-opening at a distance a littlegreater than length of eye; a niucou.s tube, behind occi})ut across neckj,!without distinct pores; lateral line a continuous tul)e. with 29 largeslit-like pores l)efore vent. Depth of body 4^ in head, tail taperingto a moderate point, Avithout filament at tip. Color light olivaceous,with silvery sheen on sides of head; posterior part of dorsal and anal !in the type for a distance al)out two-thirds length of head jet black as
?^Ji<7^v>55^
Fig. 10.
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Chi.oi'.sis fierasfer.though dipped in ink; rest of fins pale; another specimen withoutblack on tail; a ))lack dot at base of each dorsal and anal ray, that onanal sending a narrow streak up each ray.Two specimens, the type 18^ inches long. No. 0471, StanfordUniversity Museum, taken at Wakanoura, in Kii, Japan; a female withripe eggs; the other 14^ inches long (No. -I:!?728. V . S. Nat. Mus.), takenalso at Wakanoura. The two specimens ditier a little, especially in thecolor of the tail, but are evidently not of distinct species. The snoutof the smaller one measures 2| in head. {Fii-raxfcr. a tish of similarcolor; from (f)iep6g^ sleek.)Family VII. :MYRTD.E.End of tail surrounded by the ct)niluent vertical fins; the posteriornostril is in, or very near, the upper lip; the teeth small, and the tongueis more or less fully adnate to the floor of the moutii. The species areusually of small size and plain colors, more or less worm-like in f(jrni.and inhabit .sandy coasts in tropical seas. They are intermediate incharacter between tiie (fj>/ilchthi/!(l<i' and the Jruraeiirsoeidw. Theosteology has not yet Ix^en carefully studied, })ut they will proba])lybe found to IxMUost m^arly related to the latter family. Indeed, the
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 861Muraenesocidce, N3ttastomid(E, and Myridm are all ver}' close to theLeptoct'phalidrp and niig-ht be reunited with the latter, as in Bleeker'sarrangement.
a. Pectorals present; dorsal beginning near the gill opening Myru><. 11
.
ofl. Pectorals wanting; dorsal low, beginning well behind gill opening.
1 1. MYRUS Kaup.
Mijruii K.vui', Apodes, ISoH, p. ol (nu/ni.s).Bodv slender; nostrils close to maroiu of upper li}), the anteriortul)ular, the posterior lobed. Pectoral well developed; dorsal begin-ning behind gill opening; caudal rays very short. Teeth subequal inbands. Species few, of the Mediterranean Sea and Japan, ij^vpog^an ancient name in Aristotle of some eel.)20. MYRUS UROPTERUS (Schlegel).Conger uropterus Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss., 1847, p. 261, Nagasaki.Ophisiirm- uropterus Bleeker, Act. Soc. Nederl., Ill; Japan, IV, p. 28; V, pi. i,fig. 1, Nagasaki.Mi/rus uropterus GIjnthek, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 50, from a specimen sent byDr. Bleeker.?Nystrom, K. Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., 1887, p. 46.Nagasaki.Tail twice as long as trunk without head; cleft of mouth to hindmargin of eye; dorsal tin beginning over end of pectoral; front marginof eye uuich nearer end of maxillary than tip of snout. Colorationplain })rowni.sh. (Gimther.) Nagasaki; not seen In- us; probablyrare. {<f>vpa^ tail; TtTepov, tin.)12. MUR^ENICHTHYS Bleeker.Murmdchthijs Bleeker, Verhand. Batavia, Gen. Murten., XX^', 1853, }>. 71{gymnoptnus)
.
Slender worm-shaped eels, without pectoral lins, and with bothnostrils on the margin of the upper lip. Dorsal and anal very low,beginning far behind gill opening and meeting around the tail; gillopening small; teeth small. East Indies and Japan, [jxvpcxiva^moray; ix^vz\ tish.)
a. Dorsal fin inserted before vent.h. Dorsal fin inserted more than a liead's length before vent, at a point nearer gillopening than vent; form robust, snout blunt, flattish; top of head with largepores, fins well developed on tail owstuni. 21.hi). Dorsal fin inserted less than a head's length in advance of vent; form slender.
c. Snout short, blunt, 10 in head, not longer than eye; insertion of dorsal three-tenths of the head's length before vent; head 2* in trunk liatta-. 22.aa. Dorsal fin inserted behind vent; snout long, sharp, 5i in head, much longer thaneye; insertion of dorsal three-fourths head's length before vent; head 3| intrunk noki. 23.
862 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi.xxni,
21. MURAENICHTHYS OWSTONI Jordan and Snyder, new species.Body iiiodei'iitely rohust, cylindrical, the depth H in head; head 2fin trunk; head and trunk 1| in tail; eye 2 in snout; snout rather obtuse,flattish a))ove, 5^ in head; cleft of mouth 3 in head, extending welll)eyondeye; teeth mostly hiserial; gill opening smaller than e^^e. Dor-sal inserted nearer gill opening than vent at a distance equal to 1|times length of head in front of vent; dorsal and anal well developedon tail, the highest ra\'s two-thirds length of snout, much higher than
Fig. U.?MURAENICHTHYS OWSTONI.
those on back. Lateral line running high, continuous, about 45 poresbefore \ent, little curved above throat; top of head with about 9 poresregularly arranged.Color uniform chestnut r)r()wii, darker alxn'c and scarcely dotted;belly and tins paler, but of similar shade.Here describt'd from a specimen, U inches long, obtained by Mr.Alan Owston. at Yaeyama Island, one of the Ishigaki group in thesouthern pai't of the Riukiu Archipelago in Japan. Type No. (5472,Leland Stanford Junior Unixersity Museum; a smaller specimen wastaken at the same time.This species is c^lose to 3fttrac/iie/it/ii/s Duu'ropterii^ from Amboynaand Solor, l)ut has stouter bod}', larger tins, and the dorsal inserted alittle farther forward.Named for Mr. Alan Owston, of Yokohama, a well-known Englishnaturalist and collector, discoverer of the species.
22. MURAENICHTHYS HATTy^ Jordan and Snyder, new species.Body elongate, siibcylindrical, the depth 4 in head; head 2| in trunk;head and trunk Xh in tail; (\ye 2 in snout; snout short, blunt, 7^ in head;
Fl(i. 12.?MURAKNKHTHYS HATT.K.
cleft of mouth 4 in head, extending far behind 63^9; dorsal inserted infront of vent at a distance etpial to three-tenths length of head. Lat-eral line little curved at throat, with .54 pores before vent. Colorbrownish, with tine dots above; vertical tins dusky behind.
N0.123;). APODAL FISHES OF JAPAy?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 863One specimen 13 inches long, from a rock pool at Wakanoura, No.6473, Leland Stanford Junior Musoiun.Named for Dr. S. Hatta, of the Imperial University, of Tokyo, inrecognition of his excellent paper on the Lampre3^s of Japan.
23. MUR^NICHTHYS AOKI Jordan and Snyder, new species.Body elongate, worm-shaped, the depth 4 in head; head 3f in trunk;head and trunk 1| in tail; eye 2^ in snout; snout rather long and sharp,5^ in head; cleft of mouth 3| in head, extending somewhat l)ehindeye; dorsal tin rudimentaiy, inserted behind vent at a distance equalto about 2 times length of snout. Lateral line curved upward overthe throat. Color brownish, with dark dots; sides silvery; tins plain.This species is close to Murwnicht/n/s hattm^ but has a shorter
Fig. 13.?Mue^nichthys aoki.head, longer, sharper snout, and the dorsal beginning farther forward.The type spechnen No. 6474, Stanford LTniversity Museum, 7i incheslong, is from a rock-pool at Misaki. It may prove indistinguishablefrom J/. ]iottit\ but the ditferences seem far too great for the limitsof one species.Named for Kumakichi Aoki, tisherman, assistant to Dr. Mitsukuriin the Marine Laobratory at Misaki, and one of the best collectors inJapan. Family VIII. OPHICHTHYID^.SNAKE EELS.This family includes those true eels which are scaleless, and havethe end of the tail projecting beyond the dorsal and anal fins, andwithout the rudiment of a caudal tin. Anterior nostrils placed in theupper lip, opening downward; gill openings not coniluent; tonguemore or less fulh" adnate to the iloor of the mouth. The species are,for the most part, moderate or small in size, and they are very abun-dant in the tropical seas, especially about the coral reefs. The eggs arenumerous, of moderate size, similar to those of ordinary iishes. Spe-cies numerous, especially in the Tropics. Many of the species aresingularly colored, the bands or spots heightening the analogy betweenthem and the serpents.
a. Body without evident fins anywhere except a sUght ridge along back ; teetli allsmall, conical; gill openings close together, subinferior, converging forward;anterior nostril tubular; tongue scarcely free iu front; mouth small.Sphagebruuclms. 13.
1864 PROCEEDINGS OF THE XATTOXAL ^f^SEr^r. vol.xxiii. '
aa. Body witli di-stinct dorsal and anal tins.h. Pectoral wanting; dorsal liigh, beginning on nape Cnlln-lifh/s. 14.bli. Pectoi'al j)resent. jc. Vomerine teeth none; teeth i)ointed JAiiiminix. 15.cr. Vomerine teeth present.(/. Teeth blunt, mostly granular or molar; pectoral tins present, small.('. Dorsal rather high, inserted on the head before gill opening; anal n(jtnearl J' reaching tip of tail Chlevuntes. 1 6. iee. Dorsal beginning behind gill opening Pixondonophis. 17.dd. Teeth all pointed, none of them molar; pectoral tins well developed,much longer than eye; gill openings usually lateral, sometimes subin->llferior./. Snout moderate or short, less than one-fourth head, the jaws not jiro-duced into a slender l)eak.y. Lips not fringed with conspicuous barbels./(. Teeth subequal, with no elongate canines on jaws or vomer.
;/. Teeth in sides of upper jaw in several series forming broad bands; ijaws long; lips without papilla. . Xyrian. 18.)/. Teeth in sides of upper jaw in one or two series. 1j. Dorsal tin inserted over gill opening or nearly so; trunk very Mlong MicrodonophiK. 19.jj. Dorsal tin inserted well behind base of pectoralOphichthiix. 20.Ml Teeth uneiiual, some of them long canines, either on vomer oron sides of one or both jaws; mouth large, the snout slK)rt, andthe eyes more or less superior MystriopJux. 21.g(j. Lips with a conspicuous fringe of barbels; canines present on jawsand vomer; jaws rather long, the lower projecting; head depressed;eyes superior; tail shorter than rest of ho(\y . .Brdcliy^^ornoplih. 22.ff. Snout long, the jaws prorluced in a slender beak; canine teeth strong;dorsal fin inserted well behind pectorals Oxystomus. 23.
13. SPHAGEBRANCHUS Bloch.Sphagebranchus Block, Ichthyologia, LX, 1795, p. 88 {rodr((tus).Cxcilia Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 1800, p. 135 {branderiana = ciecus) (not ofLinnaeus, a genus of Batrachia).Apterichthys De la Roche, Ann. Mus., XIII, 1809, p. 325 {circus).Branderius Rafinesque, Analyse de la Natur, 1815, p. 93 (substitute for Cvcilia).Very .small eels without tins, a slight fold, apparently rayles.s, rep-resenting the dorsal; snout much projecting; teeth small, mostlyuniserial; gill openings inferior, converging. Smallest and simplestin structure of the Oph'icMhiii<la\ the species little known and scantih'^represented in collections. {a<j)aS, throat; ftpayx^^, gili^-)
24. SPHAGEBRANCHUS MOSERI Jordan and Snyder, new species.Eyes well developed; head 5| in trunk: head and trunk i^ in tail;snout sharj), nuich projecting, its length 5 in head; eye 2 in snout;cleft of mouth 3i in head; gill slits about as long as eye, convergingforward; lateral line distiiict from vent backward, A very slight fold
N.,. 1J39. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 865
along- back, indicating the place of the dorsal fin; no evident fin rays.Color, light olive, finely dotted; body with broad, very faint darkshades, scarcely visible, alternate with paler areas; head mottled withdarker.One specimen. 6 inches long, type No. 49728, United States NationalMuseum, dredged by the U. S. Fish Commission steamer AJhatross atstation 3700, in Suruga Bay, off Namazu, in 100 fathoms.
'/x in.Fig. 14.?Sphagebranchus moseri.Named for Jefferson Franklin Moser, lieutenant-commander. U. S. N.,in honor of the valued services to ichthyology rendered by him ascommander of the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Alhatro.^!<.14. CALLECHELYS Kaup.CaUeclu'hj? Kaup, Apodes, 1S5H, j). 28 ((jiuchenoti).Pectoral fins wanting; body elongate, compressed; dorsal fin insertedon the head, in advance of the gill opening; tail much shorter thanrest of body. Otherwise close to Ophichthus. (/ctvAlo?, Ijeautv;i'yxs^vg., eel.)
25. CALLECHELYS MELANOT^ENIA Bleeker.Cullechelys vielanotanvi Bleeker, Atla;^, Ichthyol. ^Iur;en., 1864, ]>. H(5, ])1. xi.ix,fig. 2, Amboyna.OpJdchthi/s mehinotxiwi CiuNTiiEK, Cat. Fish., VIII, p. 87, Aiuboyiia, samespecimen.Head 11| in trunk; head and trunk lii times length of tail; bodyvery slender, the depth 2| in head; snout pointed, much produced;cleft of mouth narrow, extending behind eye; teeth pointed, uniserial;those in front above, strong, recurved, in two rows; gill openingsinferior, slightly convergent. No pectoral fin. Dorsal rather high,l)eginning above angle of mouth. Color whitish with a broad, well-defined, jet black band along upper part of side, forming about half ofdepth of body ; head whitish, marbled with dusky ; dorsal fin white witha broad black edge; anal white.A very hand.some eel, recorded b}' Dr. Bleeker from Amboyna; asingle specimen 19i inches long collected by Capt. Alan Owston atYaeyama, Ishigaki Island, Southern Riu Kiu group, and presented toStanford University. {fxsXa^^ black; raivia^ ribbon.)Proc. N. M. vol. xxiii 55
8r>6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi..xxiii.
IS. LEIURANUS Bleeker.I^rivrittms Blekkkk, Verli. Bat. (nMi. Munt'ii., XXV, [>. 06 {Idcc/icdii = ncini-ci)uiii-'^).Stethoplem^ Bi.ekkek, Verh. Bat. (Ten. .Miinfu., XXV, p. oO {riniiiit'iix = sejiii-rhirtua)
.
Body cvHndriciil, inoath .small; below the sharp projectino- snout;teeth pointed, of moderate size, biserial above, uniserial below: noteeth on vomer; eye small; pectoral small; dorsal and anal low. theformer ])eg'inning' nearlj^ above gill opening.Small eels, having the bright colors of Ohlevd.sfes, Init in technicalrespects nearer Ojj/dcht/ms, distinguished by the absence of vomerineteeth. {Xeiog, smooth; ovpavog^ sky, the roof of the mouth.)
26. LEIURANUS SEMICINCTUS ( Lay and Bennett ).Opiiisw-us Kemtcinctus Lay and Bexnetf, Beecliey's Voyage, Blossom, 1839, j). 86,
'pi. XX, fig. 4. Collected by Mr. Lay, on Oahu; 24 dark cross bands.Liurcuniti semicinctus Gv:^THE-R, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 54, Fiji, China.Oj>}iiminis (or Sphagebranchus) rimlneus Richardson, Voy. Sulphur, p. 107, ]^\. lii,fig. 16-20, China. Coll. Edw. Belcher (young, with 33 dark liands).Opiiimrus vimineus HicHAUDsos, Ichth. China, 1846, p. 314.Stethopterus vhniiieus Bleeker, Verh. Bat. Gen. Mura?n., XX\', p. 36.Leiurnnua InrepediiBhEEKER, Verh. Bat. Gen. Munen., XXV, p. 36.Lehii-diivx niluhrinus Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 2.
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Bleeker, Atlas, Ichth. MunuMi.,p. 42, ]il. i\', fig. 1, and of authors (by confusion with Chlevastes colnhriiuis)
.
Head 6| in trunk; head and trunk one-seventh longer than tail; depth3^ in head; cleft of mouth short, extending a little bej^ond e3'e; dorsalinserted a little posterior to base of pectoral, which is nearly threetimes the length of the small eye; dorsal and anal extending to neartip of tail. Whitish brown with 24 (24 to 35) broad blackish or darkbrown bands, much wider than the interspaces, ))ut growing narrowerbelow, most of them not meeting on the belly anteriorly, those on thetail meeting below more or less perfectly in the large specimen, butnot in the two smaller ones. In this regard and in the width of thebands there is considerable variation; lirst two bands on head, narrow;tip of snout and tip of tail white.Kast Indies, not very common. Our three specimens, the largestITi inches long, collected at Yaeyama, Ishigaki Islands, in the southernRiuKiu Archipelago. It was found in company with Chlevastes colu-hi'iinix, a species to which it bears a remarkal)le resem])lance, the chiefdifference in color being that the dark cross-l)ands in Lchn'((/inf< mostlyfail to meet across the belly. If any advantage could be supposed toaccrue to either of these harle(iuins. this would be regarded as a strikingcase of mimicry. {Se//d-hii\i; cmctm-handed.)
I
No.i23y. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 8(57
16. CHLEVASTES Jordan and Snyder, new genus.
Clih'rasies Jordan and Snyder, new genus {colvbrimts).Anal tin ending far before end of dorsal on the tail. Teeth mostlyblunt, o-ranular or molar; pectoral tins rudimentary; dorsal beg-inning-before gill opening, on the nape. Colors variegated.One species in the tropical seas. This genus is ver}^ close to Myrieh-t/ii/s {? Ojyhisurus Bleeker, not of Lacepede), differing in the disap-pearance of the anal tin far before the tip of the tail, {x^svaffryg^a harlequin.) 27. CHLEVASTES COLUBRINUS (Boddaert).Murxna colubrina Bodd.ert, Pallas, Neue Nord. Beytr., II, 17<S1, p. 56, pi. 11,fig. 3, Amboyna.Gymnothorax coZntram.'* Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 1801, p. 529, copied.Oplmurus coluhrinus Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fishes, p. 100.Opichthys coluhr'mm Gunther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 81, Borneo, Fiji.Murmia ammlata Ahl, De Mur^na et Ophichtho, 1789, p. 8, pi. i, fig. 1, EastIndies.Murxna fasdata Ahl, De Murpena et Ophichtho, 1789, p. 9.Opkisurus fasciatus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 1803, p. 686.
?
Richardson,Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fishes, p. 100.
?
Bleeker, Atlas Ichth., Munen.,p. 6-1, pi. XXI, fig. 1.
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Kner, Novara Fische, p. 379.Pisoodonophis fasciahis Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 23.Ophisurus alternans Quay and Gaimard, Voy. Uranie, I, p. 243, pi. xlv, fig. 2.Ophisurus fasciatus var. latifasciatus, oculatus, and semicinctus Bleeker, AtlasIchth., Murfen., p. 64.Head 7i in length of trunk; head and trunk 1^^ in tail; depth 2f inhead; snout short, pointed, much projecting; cleft of mouth -1 in head,slightly extending beyond eye. ?3-6 yer}" small. Pectoral tin reducedto a slight rudiment; dorsal inserted on top of head, at a point nearersnout than gill opening; dorsal ending not far from tip of tail; end ofanal two heads' lengths before tip of tail; teeth small, mostly biserial.Body brownish white, paler below, with 29 jet black rings, about aswide as the interspaces extending on the tins; tip of snout and tip oftail white; rings just as distinct on belly as on back, but with occa-sional irregularities.According to Bleeker and Gunther, there is also a variety {fasci-atas) with the interspaces ornamented with ocellate spots, and othervarieties are said to differ in the relative length of light and darkrings, the latter occasionall}" not covering the belly.East Indies. Our three specimens typical in color, collected byCapt. Alan Owston, at Yaeyama, Ishigaki Islands, southern Riu Kiu.The largest is 16i inches long.The close resemblance of this species to Lduranus. semicinctus of thesame waters has been often noted. {Coluber^ a spotted snake.)
8<i8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE XATIOXAL MUSEUM. vul.xxih.17. PISOODONOPHIS Kaup.Pisoudoiiopliix Kalp, Apodal Fishes, 1856, p. 17 (horo).Pisodontophix, amended spelling.Eels with the blunt teeth of myrlchilujx and the backward dorsaland well-developed pectoral of Opli)chtliH><. Speciets slender, plainlycolored, mostly of the East Indies, (^r/croj, pea; o6ov>z, tooth; o^iz^snake.
)
28. PISOODONOPHIS ZOPHISTIUS Jordan and Snyder, new species,Head o in trunk; head and body ig in tail. Body slender cylin-drical; its depth 3i in head. Mouth moderate; its cleft 3^ in head;snout sharp 5 in head; eye 9 in head; teeth small, all rounded orgranular in narrow bands; pectoral sharp ?>\ in head; dorsal insertedjust before its middle; dorsal fin rather high, distinctly elevated onthe black patch in front, low on the tail, which is sharp at tip.Color blackish above, paler below, with vague pale blotches on side;head with dark lengthwise wrinkles; lower jaw with six black poreson each side and three behind rictus; sides and top of head also with
Fig. 15.
?
Pisoodonophis zoi'iusTirs.black pores regularly arranged; snout with dark markings; dorsalwith a large jet-black blotch in front; the fin posteriorly dusky, witha broad i)lack edge; anal pale, with a blackish edge; pectoral black,narrowh' edged with pale.One specimen received from Asakusa Aquarium in Tokyo, takenoutside the Bay of Tokyo, near Misaki. Type No. 6475, Loland Stan-ford Junior University Museum. Its length is 21 inches.This species is evidenth" very close to Plmodonophis canerivfn'Ufi, asdescribed by (xiinther, Blceker, and Richardson. In all the numerousfigui'es of the latter species the pores behind the rictus characteristicof 1\ zop/ustius are not represented, and none of Bleeker's figuresshow the black blotch and peculiar form of the anterior part of thedorsal. (C6(f)og^ dusky: iffrlov, dorsal.)18. XYRIAS Jordan and Snyder, new genus.
Xiiri<is JoKUAN and Sxyder, new geuns (rendftun).This genus ditiers from Ojjkichthus in having the lateral teeth in theupper jaw in a l)road band of a])out four series; lower teeth larger,
N0.1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JOBDAN AND SNYDER. 8(U)mosth' ill one row; front teeth somewhat enlarged. From Oirrhhnu-raena, with which it agrees in this regard, it differs in kicking alto-gether the fringe of line cirri or barbels along the edge of the upperlip characteristic of the latter genus. The teeth are all pointed, sub-equal, the pectoral is well developed, and the dorsal tin begins wellbehind its tip. {Svpiag^ a shaveling, from the unfringed lips.)
29. XYRIAS REVULSUS Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head 3f in trunk; head and trunk a little longer than tail; depth -iin head; snout short, 6| in head; eye 2|^ in snout; cleft of mouth verylong, extending far behind e3'e, 2^V in head; teeth in upper jaw inabout four rows on each side, equal in size; lower teeth larger, closeset, mostl}' in one row; vomerine teeth moderate; front teeth of upperjaw enlarged; pectoral small, in head; dorsal inserted behind gillopening at a distance 2f in head.
^.a-^rv"
-, J'-Tn/T-^s^ i.;?a,.???^'*;,'s?^s^7T^
Fig. 16.
?
Xyrias revui^sus.Color light brown, l>luish-whitc below, upper parts everywhereclosely freckled Avith tine irregular ])rown spots, rarely confluent andof various forms, rather narrower than the interspaces; these spotsdarker on head and much more closely set; similar spots on chin; tinsall whitish; ])ectoral a little spotted.One very fine specimen 35 inches long (No. O-iTG Lelancl StanfordJunior Museum) was ol)tained at the Asakusa Aquarium, having lieentaken near Misaki. The species is very distinct from anything elseknown to us. {Hevnhx/^, smooth-shaven, twice plucked; from thesmooth lips.) 19. MICRODONOPHIS Kaup.Mkrodonopliis Kaup, Apodal Fishes, 1856, p. 6, {(lUipiiuilx)
.
This genus is distinguished from OpMclithus by the anterior inser-tion of the dorsal, which is placed over the gill opening; pectoralsmall; trunk very long; teeth pointed, subequal, all uniserial. EastIndies. (yuz/cpoV, small; odovz^ tooth; o^z?, snake.)
870 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NA TIOXAL MUSEUM.
30. MICRODONOPHIS ERABO Jordan and Snyder, new species.MON(iAROGHI.Head 4f to 5 in trunk; head and trunk a little shorter than tail;body rather slender, the depth 2f in head; snout blunt, triangular,depressed, 4f in head; aye small, 2^ in snout, the front of the eyeslightly nearer tip of snout than angle of mouth, the cleft of themouth extending well l)eyond eye, 2^ in head; gill opening small;pectoral small, 4i in head; teeth subequal, not very sharp, in a singlerow above and below, the row sometimes somewhat irregular orpartly divided into two; vomerine teeth in one row; nasal teeth 3on each side; no conspicuous pores on head. Dorsal moderate,inserted just a little before gill opening; lateral line conspicuous.Color brownish olive, white below; l>ody with large, round. ])r()wnspots of varying sizes, one large one often alternating with two smallones, the uppermost on the median line; largest spots about one-tifthhead; spots on head much smaller, crowded, reducing the pale color to
Fm. 17.?MlCRODONHPHIS kr.\bo.
reticulations; lower jaw and throat spotted; pectoral with live or sixsmall spots, these faint in the smaller specimens; dorsal with oblong-spots and markings, like those on ))ody; anal plain white.The species is allied to OpMchthus j^olyophthalmHi^ and with itbelongs to Kaup's genus or subgenus 2ncrodori(>2)h!i^^ characterized ])ythe anterior portion of the dorsal and the uniserial teeth.Three specimens from Misaki, the longest 24 inches in length, typeNo. 6477, Leland Stanford Junior Universit}" Museum, the others 22iand 21, received from the Asakusa Aquarium in Tokyo, through thecourtesy of Professor Kishinouye, of the Imperial Fisheries Bureau.It is known as 2lon(jarocJi i to the tishermen.Still another specimen (No. 81, Imperial Museum) was presentedto us by Professor Ishikawa. It is from an unknown localit^^ but wenoted its identity with No. 79, in the .same list, known to be fromBoshu (Awa), at the mouth of Tokyo Bay. Two others, also froman unknown locality, supposably Misaki and No. 4733, ImperialUniversity Museum, were presented by Professor Mitsukuri. Stillanother, said to be from Okina\va, was received from YonekichiKomeyama, a dealer in natural history specimens. The spotting ofthe bodj" and pectoral tins differs considerably in these examples, but
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAX?JORDAN AXD SNYDER. 87 1
all agree in the general coloration, the very long trunk, the forwardinsertion of the pectorals, and the uni.serial teeth. {Fraho or Erahonnagi^ the name of the venomou.s .sea snake, Platuras fasciatus^ of thebays of South Japan.)20. OPHICHTHUS Ahl.Opliichthas Ahl, De Muniena et Ophichtho, 1789 {opiiia).Opldsurus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 1800, p. 98 {oplm).Couf/r?s Kafinesque, Caratteri, etc., 1810, p. 62 {maculaUm).Ophisurus Swainsox, Nat. Hist. Classn. Anim., II, 1839, p. 334 {picUin-nKicnhttnx).(Not of Lacepede.
)
C'eritruropMs Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 2 (spadiceus).Pcccilocephahis Kaup, Apodes, p. 5 {bvnapartei).dxciloplm Kaup, Apodes, p. 6 (compar).HerpetoicJttlujs Kaup, Apodes, p. 7 {ornatissiimis).Elapsopiii!!! Kaup, Apodes, ji. 9 {versicolor).Muraenopsis Kaup, Apodes, p. 11 {ocdlatnx). (The name wronirly accredited toLe Sueur.
)
Scytalophis Kaup, Ajjodes, p. 13 (inagniocuHx).LeptorhinojMs Kaup, Apodes, p. 14 {goinesii).Cryptopterus Kaup, Aale Hamburg, 1859 {pundiceps).Uranichthys Poey, Repertorio, II, 1867, p. 256 {havannensis)
.
Oxyodontlchthys Poey, Anales Soc. Nat. Hist. Esp., 1880, p. 254 {macrurus)
.
Oj)Iiicltf]iys Bueeker, Giinther, and of recent authors generally (corrected sjiell-ing)
.
This genu.s contains all the Ophichthyoid eels which have sharpteeth, no marked canines, well-developed pectoral tins, and the dorsalinserted behind the head. The species are very numerous in tropicalseas, and man}' attempts have been made to split the group into .smallergenera. Notwithstanding the great differences when extremes arecompared, these small genera can not be well defined. The genericname, Ophisurus^ often used for other groups, was an exact synonymof Opldchthus. {o4>i5, snake; ^X^^s", tish; hence more correctly writ-ten O^fh (C'Ji tJiys.
)
'I. Centrtrrvphis Kaup. Teeth above in a single, sometimes irregular series; lowerteeth uniserial.h. Color not uniform light brown; nape with a l)roa<l l)lackish l)ai', edged ))eforeand behind with pale; dorsal and anal with a me<lian dusk\' stripe; dorsalinserted above end of pectoral ccphalozona. 31.lib. Color uniform light brown; no bands on head; dorsal and anal pale, edged withwhite.
r. Dorsal fin inserted behind pectoral at a distance from gill opening nearly halfhead; dorsal and anal elevated on tail urolopltus. 32.re. Dorsal fin inserted over middle of pectoral at a distance from gill openingless than one-fifth head; fins not elevated on the tail umkuifa-. 33.au. Hcrpetoichthys Kaup. Teeth above distinctly biserial; coloration uniform lightbrown, the fins pale.(/. Body rather stout, the dei)th 2..^ in head; lower teetli uniserial; dorsalinserted over tip of pectoral tsuclddn'. 34.dd. Body very slender, the dentli rarely one-fourth the head; lower teethbiserial; dorsal inserted well behind jicctoral stenopU-ruK. 35.
872 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NA TIOXAL MUSE l\V. vol. x x i n .
31. OPHICHTHUS CEPHALOZONA Bleeker.('fiitruropJus spadircKx Kaii', Apode^^, 1856 lig. 1, (not (lew-ription; nr)t of llicli-ardson).Mitraenopsis laarginata Bleeker, Ned. Tydskr. Dierk., I, p. 179 (not of Petert-).OphicJiiJn/s cephahzona Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Muraen., 1864, p. 49, pi. xii, fig. 2(Singapore, Amboyna).
?
Kner, NovaraFische, p. 377.
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Gunther, Cat. Fish.,VTII, p. 69, Amboyna, Cape York, Australia, Celm, Philippine Island--^,Japan.Head 4 in trunk; head and trunk about as long as tail; mouth mod-erate, extending slighth' beyond eye; snout pointed, the upper jawmuch projecting; eye moderate, 2 in snout, situated in anterioi' thirdof head; posterior nostril in advance of 63^6; anterior with a ])roadtube. Premaxillary teeth stout, in an irregular group; these togetherwith a pair in front of lower jaw stronger than the others, which arepointed, tixed. uniserial. Pectoral a little more than one-fourth ofhead. Dorsal inserted above end of pectoral.Body purplish brown; nape with a very broad cross band of deepblack. l)roadly edged with white in front and behind. Dorsal andanal tricolor, brownish at Iwise, black and white along the margin.(Gunther.) Pectoral dark. Three distinct pores ])ehind rictus: snoutand lower jaw with large pores.East Indies, widely distril)uted. a specimen in the British Museumcollected b}" Mr. Jamrach in ''Japan.'' This ])elongs to a variety orperhaps distinct species, having the nuchal band less distinct, the l)odyand tins marked with irregular dark-brown l)lotches and the dorsaltin without pale edge. {K?(f)aXi}, head; Ccjvt/^ band.)32 OPHICHTHUS UROLOPHUS (Schlegel).('(?iger urolophua ^chlkgel, Fauna .laponica, Poiss., 1847, p. 260, pi. cxiv, fig. 1(Nagasaki.)OphichtJiiis uroloplnis (tuntiier. Cat. Fish., VIII, p. 73, after Schlegel.
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Ny.strom,K. vSvensk, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1887, }). 46, Nagasaki.Head 8 in trunk; cleft of mouth 3 in head; e3^e 1^ m snout; teethuniserial in both jaws, those above in front somcAvhat irregular.Pectoral well developed, the dorsal l)eginning behind its tip, its distancefrom the gill opening al)out 2| in head; vertical fins somewhat elevatedat the tail.Color uniform light brown; oblong ])rownish spots on head andnape above; tins pale, with a white margin. (Schlegel.)Nagasaki, described from a large specimen. Hgured by Schlegel;not .seen bv subseciuent writers imless our (J. ((std'Hsw is the same,which s(>ems very unlikelv. {ot)(jd, tail; Ao'^o?, crest.)33. OPHICHTHUS ASAKUS/E Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head 2f in trunk; head and tnuik \\ in tail; body veiT robust, thedepth at gill opening 2^ in head; mouth rather small, its cleft 2| inhead; extending well l)eyond eye; snout slu)rt. ]>luiil. depressed a])Ove,
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 8735i in head; eye moderate 1^ in snout; front of eye about equidistant))et\veen tip of snout and angle of mouth; teeth stout, short and rathersharp, subequal, in one irregular row aboye, the lower apparent!}'uniserial; pectoral roundish, 4|^ in head; dorsal inserted over middle ofpectoral; distance from insertion of dorsal forward to g-iH opening (S inhead; the lin rather high, not elevated at the tail, the lin there lowerthan anteriorly; tail bluntish; pores in lateral line very small; headwith longitudinal wrinkles.
OPHICHTHl'S ASAKUS.K.Color uniform olive brown, the belly paler, no dark streaks orpoints on head; dorsal and anal tins pale, the edge whitish.One specimen -I'l^ inches long, type No. 6478, Leland Stanford JuniorUniversitv Museum, obtained from the Asakusa Aquarium in Tokyo,taken outside the Ba}^ of Tokj^o, near Misaki. The pale edge of thedorsal and anal are characteristic of the species. It is closely relatedto the species called urolophus by Schlegel, but in that species thedorsal is inserted well behind the pectoral at a distance behind the gillopening 2^ in head according to SchlegeTs tigure. Our specimenmoreover shows no sign of the elevation of the dorsal and anal on thetail, which suggested the name firoloplnix.34. OPHICHTHUS TSUCHIDiE Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head 2f in trunk; head and trunk 1^ in tail. Body robust, thedepth at gill opening 2^ in head. Mouth rather large, its cleft 2^ in
FUi. rj.?OPHICHTHUS TSrCHID,*;.head, the front of eye midway between tip of snout and angle ofmouth; maxillary extending well beyond e3^e. Snout short, blunt,depressed above, 5| in head; eve large, \\ in snout. Teeth all sharp,subequal, those in upper jaw in two distinct series, those below
874 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiii.
ani.seriul. Pectorial rather pointed. 3 in hetid. Dorsal inserted over tipof peetoral. the tin rather low. not elevated at the tail, distance fromgill opening to fi'ont of dorsal, 2^ in head; tail l)luntish; pores inlateral line evident; skin of head wrinkled. Color uniform olive })rown,made darker ])y dark points, belly paler: dorsal and anal })ale. eaehwith whitish ])orderOne specimen, a foot long, from Misaki, No. 6479, Leland StanfordJunior University Museum, named for Mr, Tsuehida. asssistant to Dr.Mitsukuri in the seaside laboratory of the Imperial Universitv atMisaki. 35. OPHICHTHUS STENOPTERUS Cope.
O/iJnrJilJiiis Mcnvjiterua Cope, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc, 1871, p. 482, Japan.Tail nearly twice length of head and trunk. Teeth in two rows ineach jaw; vomerine teeth mostly in two series; eye 2 in snout, pectoral5 in head; dorsal beginning behind it at a point l^ times length of tin.Dorsal and anal very low, each a mere fold in front. Brown a])ove,white below; anal and dorsal white. Body very slender, much as inO. laivhrleoldes Bleeker. The depth in lumhrieoldtx is less than one-fourth the head, but its tins are much higher than in O. atenojytei'ux.{0Tey()g, narrow; Trrepov. tin.) Two specimen said to be from Japan.
2,1. MYSTRIOPHIS Kaup.'MyMrinphix Kauj), Apode.s, I80B, j). 10 (roxt^lluius).Large eels, allied to OphicldJiu^^^ but distinguished l)y the presenceof large canines on the jaws and vomer. Snout short, expanded at tip.suggesting the muzzle of a crocodile. Coloration plain, {fxvarpiov^a spoon, from the form of the snout in J/i I'DHtdhdim; o^iz^ snake.)36. MYSTRIOPHIS PORPHYREUS ^Schlegel.)Ophisnrus jiorp]iijreH>i Sciilegel, Fauna Japonica, Poi^^.s., 1847, p. 26b, pi. cxvi, Jig.1, Nagasaki.Mysirlo2}}ii>i porplti/niis Kwp, Ajxxles, 185t), ]>. 10, after Schlegel.Ophichthya rosfcllatiof Gunther, in part, not of Riohanlson. (Specimen fromJapan, purchased from Herr Frank.
)
Head 3 in trunk; head and trunk a very little shorter than tail.Cleft of mouth 2^ in head; snout short, broad, flattened, slightly con-tracted behind its tip, like the snout of the crocodile, t^ in head; eye 2in snout. Teeth pointed, fixed, yevj unequal; those in front canine.Vomerine teeth very large, in one row", 4 or 5 in number; teeth inupper jaws in two very distinct rows, those of the outer row far apartand larger; lower jaw with a single row of large canines. Verticalfins moderate; pectoral rounded, 6 in head. Gill openings wide, closetogether. Dorsal beginning far ])ehind pectoral, the distance behindgill opening two-thirds, of length of head.
' The American species hitherto referred to this genus have the vomerine teethsmall and the snout narrowed. To these the name Crotalopsix Kaup [Echiopsk Kaup)shoulil l>e applied. The species are spotted with l)lack.
N0.1289. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AXD SNYDER. 875Purplish brown, streaky, paler below; head with some dark dotsand wrinkles; pores on head not conspicuous. Pectoral pale; dorsall)rownish, with the edge I>lack; anal a little paler.Coast of southern Japan, rather rare, here descril)ed from two speci-mens 3^ to -t feet in length, taken at Wakanoura. Dr. Gunther iden-tities the species with ^fydrtophis rosfdlatus from Senegal, but in theJapanese species the head is shorter, and the lower teeth are uniserial.This species is one of the largest of the Ophichthyoid eels. {7top(j)vpeo^^purplish.) 22. BRACHYSOMOPHIS Kaup.Brachysomo2)hifi Kavp, Apodej^, 1856, p. 9 (horrtdu-'i.)? Achirophichthys Bleeker, Poissons Ined. Murenes, Xe<l. Tijdschr. Dierk., II,p. 42 {typus=crocodilinus young).This genus differs from MystriopJiis chiefly in the presence of a con-spicuous fringe of papillae on the lips. The vomerine teeth arecanine. Species East Indian, doubtfully recorded from Japan.[jSpaxvg^ short: ffcof-ia, body; o^i?, snake.)37. BRACHYSOMOPHIS CROCODILINUS (Bennett).Ophisurus crocodilinus Besseti, Proc. Zoijl. Soc. Lond., 1833, p. 32, Mauritiu;^.BrachysomopMs Jwrridus Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 9, fig. 6, Otaheite.
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Bleeker,Verb. Med. Ak. Amst., 1868, II, p. 303.f Achiwj)hlc]tthy>i typus Bleeker, Ned. Tijdi^ehr. Dierk., Y^. 42, Celebes.Oj)h ichthys crocodilinus GtJyrrnER, Cat., VII, 1870, p. 64, Galapagos, Japan.Bntchysomophis crocodilinus Jordan and Davis, Apodal Fishes, 1892, j). 636.
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Jordan and Evermann, Fish. N. M. America, after Giinther.Teeth unequal in size; maxillar}' teeth in a doulile row, those of theinner row stronger and less numerous than the outer; vomer andmandibular teeth uniserial, large canine teeth; head 3 in trunk;snout extremely short and rather flattened, scarcely twice as long aseye, which is small and situated in the anterior ninth of the length ofthe head; vertical rins moderateh" well developed; distance betweenthe origin of dorsal fln and gill opening 2i in head; pectoral small;bod}' longer than tail. Upper parts brownish, minutely dotted withdarker; a series of black pores along the lateral line, sometimes awhitish line across the occiput (Giinther). East Indies, a specimenrecorded by Giinther from the Galapagos, and also recorded by Giin-ther, with equal doubt, from Japan. (CrocodnNn/.s, like a crocodile.)23. OXYSTOMUS Rafinesque.Oxystomus Rafinesque, Caratteri di Alnini (Teneri, 1810, p. 62 (]ti/(din>ts=.'<erpf'ns;j'onng)
.
Ophisiirus Risso, Europe Merid., 1826, pp. Ill, 206 {!^crp('ns, not of Rafinesque).Leptognathus Swainson, Xatur. Hist. Classn. Fish., II, 1839, p. 234 {oxyrliynclms?serpens)
.
Leptorliynchiis 8mith, Illustr. Fishes S. Afr., 1840 {airpenslf;).This genus is allied to Oplucldhus^ differing in the long and slenderjaws, similar to those of Oxyconger^ Chlojjsis^ and NettaHtoina. The
876 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxih.
canine teeth are strong, as in Jft/st/'ojf/n'.s. and tlie tail is niueh longerthan the vest of the hodv. Pectorals well developed, the dorsalinserted well hchind them. Teeth sharp. (oSiy?. sharp: ffTo/xa,mouth.) 38. OXYSTOMUS MACRORHYNCHUS Sleeker.UMIHEBI (SEA SNAKK) : DAINAXHEBI (FORMOSA SNAKE).OpJnsurus serpens Schlegel, Fauna .Ta])onica, Poiss., 1847, p. 264, Nagasaki (notMunena serpens Linn?us)
.
Ophichthys serpens GrxxHEK, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1S70, jt. 65, specimen from .Tajtan.
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IsHiKAWA, Prel. Cat., 1897, p. 6, Tokyo.Ophimrus inacrorhynrlms Bleekek, Yerh. Bat. Gen. Mursen., XXV, 18.52, ji. 28^Japan.
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Brevoort, Exped. Japan, 1856, p. 283, Shimoda.Head 4 in trunk: head and trunk If in tail; depth of bod}' 3i inhead: snout sharp 8f in head (-t in large example); e3"e large, 3 insnout, nearer angle of mouth than tip of snout: cleft of mouth 1| inhead; teeth pointed, fixed, unequal, those above biserial on posteriorpart of jaw, those below uniserial; teeth of front of jaw and on vomercanine: upper jaw with a row of large pores: gill openings wide;pectoral 5 in head ((! in large example); the dorsal beginning behindtip of pectoral a distance about equal to length of pectoral.Color brownish, sides and below silver}'; pectoral brownish.Coasts of Japan, not rare; two specimens received b}' us, the longestfrom Onasagawa. through Yonekichi Komeyama, 32 inches long; theother from Tokyo Bay. presented l)y Dr. Ishikawa; still another, over4 feet long, is from Misaki. It is known as Umlliehi or Daiiuinhehi.The species is very close to O.njsfouiiis ser]>eni< (Linna?us) of Europe,with which Dr. Gunther identities it. It seems to differ somewhat inmeasurements. The pectoral tin is a little larger, and the head shorterin relation to the trunk. At least, the two species should not ])eunited without full comparison of specimens, though the publishedaccounts of ''>. .sy>/^>('//.v indicate no difference of importance. {/-taKpos,long: pvyx'^^^^ snout.)Family IX. MORIXGUID.E.Body cylindrical, more or less slender, the tail much shorter thanrest of body, usually bhmtish. with a tin at the top. Posterior nostrilsin front of the small eye; mouth small; teeth small, uniserial; gillopenings rather narrow, inferior. Heart placed far behind the gills.Pectorals small or wanting; dor.sal ffn low, mostly conffned to the tail.Sniall eels of the ti'opical seas, often ver}- slender or worm-like, andnoted for the extreme shortness of the tail. The genera are closelyrelated and two of them {2Iorlngua = Raitahoura = ^tUhlscus andApldhdlmtchthys) are found in the West Indies as well as in the East.
a. Pectoral tin wanting or reduced to a slight scale-like appendage; vertical tins dis-tinct only on the tail, not interrupted in the middle AplitJialmichthys. 24.
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN-JORDAN AND SNYDER. 87724. APHTHALMICHTHYS Kaup.
AphthalinicJithi/.'^ Kaup, Apode^^, 1856, p. 105 (j<mmicus).This genus differs from Jlorhif/wi in the little development of thetins. The pectorals are wanting or very nearly so, and the dorsal andanal form low ridges developed as tin only at the end of the tail. Eyevery small; lower jaw proieeting. (?". privative; o<f>fta\f.io5. eye;Q'^yg, fish.)
?. Body modemtelv nlen.ler, tl.e depth 3 to 4 in head, 40 to 45 in entire length.abhrevintus. 39.
aa. Body excen^^ively slender, the deptii 3^ to 4 in head, 75 to 100 in entire length.Java I'llcus. 40.
39. APHTHALMICHTHYS ABBREVIATUS Bleeker.{phthabnichthy.<< ubbrerkUus Bleeker, Ned. Tyds. Dierks. I, about 1860, p. 163,Java, etc.; Atlas Ichth. Muraen., 1864, p. 17, ph i, tig. 1, Java, Batii, Cele-bes, Ternate, Amboyna, Timor.Moringiui abbreviata GIjxther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 92.Head T in tniidv, Hi in total; tail 3| in total length; depth of bodyli in head, al)out 45 in total length; cleft of mouth 5 in head; dorsalfin beginning three heads' lengths from tip of tail; the anal a littlefarther forward; fin rays on tip of tail as long as eye and snout. Pec-toral visible, but scarcely larger than eye. Color light brown.East Indies, generally conunon, here described from a specimen Hiinches long, taken by Capt. Alan Owston at Yaeyama, in the southernRiukiu Islands. It agrees in the main with Bleeker's figure, but hasrather better developed fins. {AhhreviaUi.% shortened.)40. APHTHALMICHTHYS JAVANICUS Kaup.[phthalmlrhtln/.^ jarauinis Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 105, Java.?Bleekek, Xed.Tydsskr. Dierk., I, p. 164; Atlas Ichth. Munen., 1864, p. 16, pi. ii, tig. 2.Java, Celebes, Cerani, Timor.3/oWH^uajamnicaGtJXTHER, Cat. Fish., YIII, 1870, p. 92, :\Ioluccas, Fiji, Japan.Depth of body 75 to 100 times in length; head 15 to '2'2 times inl)ody; vertical fins reduced to a fringe at end of tail. No pectorals,lirownish. paler below. (Bleeker.)East Indies, recorded by Giinther from Japan, doubtless the Riu-kiu Islands. Size larger than in A. ahh-evUitm, the body nuich moreslender. _ ^^^ ^^Family X. MUR^NID.E.MORAYS.The Munenldm represent the most degenerate type of eels so far asthe skeleton is concerned, and they are doubtless the farthest removedfrom the more typical fishes from which the eels have descended. Theessential characters of the family are thus stated by Dr. Gill:Colocephalous Apodals witli conic head, fully developed operi'ular apparatus, longand wide ethmoid, posterior maxillines, pauciserial teeth, roundish, lateral branchial
878 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi..xxin.
apertures, diversiform vertical tins, pectoral tins (typically) suppressed, scalelessskin, restricted interbranchial slits, and very imperfect l?ranchial skeleton, with thefourth branchial arch modified, strengthened, and sujjporting pharyngeal jaws.The Moniys may ))e readily distinguished from the other eels ])ytheir small round o-iil openings and by the absence of pectorals. Thebody and fins are covered by a thick, leathery skin, the occipital regionis elevated through the development of the strong muscles which movethe lower jaw, and the jaws are usually narrow and armed with knife-like or else molar teeth. The Morays inhabit tropical and subtropicalwaters, being especially abundant in crevices about coral reefs. Manyof the species reach a large size, and all are voracious and pugnacious.The coloration is usually strongly marked, the color cells being highlyspecialized. The genera 10 or 12; species 120. The JLavmidw with-out fins are the simplest in structure, but their characters are those ofdegradation, and they are farther removed from the primitive stockthan such genera as Jfmwfia.
a. ^'ertical fins well developed, the dorsal beginning on the head.b. Posterior nostrils as well as the anterior with a long tube Miir:rna. 25.hb. Posterior nostrils circular, without tube.c. Teeth all or nearly all sharp, the longer ones depressible canines.d. Body stout, the depth more than one-third length of heatl, the tail aboutas long as rest of Ijody; vomerine teeth, if present, canine-like.r. Depressible canine teeth few (1 to 10 in number, all told).(ri/mnolhorax. 2(\ee. Depressi))]e canines very numerous, about 30 in number, all told; teethbiserial; mouth large, not closing completely jEmasia. 27.(Id. Body very slender, the depth less than one-third of head; tail longer thanrest of body ; mouth smal 1 S'lrouh idon. 28.cc. Teeth mostly obtuse, molar-like; posterior nostrils without tube; mouthsmall ; dorsal beginning before gill opening Echidna. 29.aa. Vertical fins reduced to a rudiment on end of tail; teeth pointed; posterior nos-tril without tul>e; cleft of mouth not half head; snout moderate, about halflength of gape Uropteryyim. 30.2S. MUR^^NA (Artedi) Linnasus.MORAYS.MnrniKi Artedi, Gen. Pise, 1738, p. 23 (in part; includes all eels).Murumn Lixx.Ers, X, 1758, p. 243 {helena, etc.; includes all eels).Mur.riiophiK L.^cepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, 1803, p. 630 {helena, etc.).limaniiincna Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 95 {guttata).This genus as now restricted contains numerous species found in thetropical seas, distinguished from all the rest of the family havingdeveloped fins by the presence of barbels on the po.sterior as well asthe anterior nostrils. The teeth are all sharp and the dorsal fin beginson the head, {^vpaiva (Moniy), ancient name of Mnnena helena ofEurope.)
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 879
41. MUR^NA PARDALIS Schlegel.Miir.rna pardalis Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss., 1847, p. 268, pi. 119, Naga-saki.
?
Bleeker, Act. Soc: Indo-Nederl., Japan, VI, p. 280, Japan; Nat.Tydsskr. Ned. Ind., XVI, p. 206.?Gunther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, ]>. 99,Mauritius.Gymnothorax jiardalis Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Murani., 1SH4, }>. 86, pi. xxv, fig. 1;pi. XXVI, fig. 2, Japan, Cocos, Java.Head 2^ in trunk; tail a little longer than rest of )>ody; body ver}-robust, the depth If in head; snout pointed, narrow, 3f in head; pos-terior nostrils with very long tubes, 2 in snout, twice as long as ante-rior, which are shorter than eye; e}^ moderate, 2i in snout, a littlenearer angle of mouth than tip of snout; mouth ver_v large, not clos-ing conipletely, its cleft 2^ in head; canines strong; teeth in each jawbiserial in the young, becoming uniserial in the adult; about 10 canineson each side in lower jaw, besides smaller teeth; 2 depressible fangson vomer.Dark brown, clouded or vaguely barred with darker, the dark form-ing reticulations around pale areas; everywhere covered with numer-ous small round yellowish or whitish ocelli ringed with darker, theselargest on the lower parts, and on head and ))elly; in the yoimg whitewith dark cross bands, the white [breaking up into spots with age,sometimes partly confluent; lower jaw with light and dark cross])ars;no pale edgings to the tins.East Indies, north to Japan, not rare. Our specimens, three innumber, are from AVakanoura, the largest 25 inches long.This species may be at once known from all other Japanese Moraj^sby the four l)arbels on the snout. The spots on the ))ody, white withblack rings, are also diti'erent from any other. (TtdpdaXis, leopard.)26. GYMNOTHORAX Bloch.Gymnotliorax Blocr, IchthyoL, IX, 1795, i?. 8n (reticularis).l,//co(/on<i8 McClelland, Calcutta Journ. Nat. Hist., V, 1844, p. l7o {literntd ^^tile).TliRi'odontis McClelland, Calcutta Jonrn. Nat. Hist., V, 1844, \>. 174 {niicnlatd =tesselata).
'? SideraKxvp, Apodes, 1856, }). 70 (pfrifferi) (vomerine teeth globular).Eurymyctera Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 72 (crudelis).Polyuranodon Kxvp, Apodes, 1856, p. 96 {tuhli= j>olyur(modon).Timiophis Kaup, Aale Hamburg INIus., Nachtrage, 1859, p. 10 (westphali^funebris).Priodonophi.s Kavv, Aaleniihnliche Fische Hamburg. Museum, 1859, p. 22 ( oc^Z-laius).Neomuricna Girard, U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv.. Fishes, 1859, p. 76 {viyroiiiiirr/i-nata-ocellatus).Pi^eudumursena JOHSSON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1860, ji. 167 {inadeirenxiK).This genus, as here understood, comprises the great bulk of theMurmnidai^ including all the species with sharp teeth, the vomer witha few depressible canines, the number of depressible teeth in the mouthless than ten; the body stout and not greatly elongate; the anterior
880 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxih.'
nostrils onh^ tubular, and the dorsal tin ])eginnlno- on the head. Thelarge canines, varying- much in number, are usually depressiblo. TheMorays of this genus are ever^^where abundant in the tropical seas,where some of them reach a great size. They are the most active andvoracious of the eels, often showing much pugnacit\ Most of themlive in shallow water about rocks or reefs, (yv^vog^ naked; Bojpa^^chest, from the absence of pectoral fins. The name Gyhtnothorax^ basedon a Japanese Moray of this genus, must take the place of Lycoflout!.^.)
a. (iy)nnothoraa:: Teeth of jaws uniserial; mouth closing completely.h. General color uniform purplish; dorsal and anal each with a broad white mar-gin; dorsal fin high; jaws with large pores aU)Oinargh}iil(i. 42.hh. General color not uniform, the body nmch spotted or banded,
r. Body mottled or spotted, without distinct dark cross bands.d. Body with spots or blotches, of varying forms, some or all of tliem palerthan the ground color.
e. Anal fin with a distinct white margin; light and dark markings arrangedto form irregular diffuse cross ])ands; head 2 to 2^ in trunk .. /;/cZoAo. 43.ee. Anal fin without distinct white margin; head 2* in trunk; body with(lark lines and many whitish spots, some of them ring like.mit'roszewskii. 44.dd. Body with roundish black spots darker than the ground color, the spotson head similar; head 2^ in trunk; tail longer than rest of body.reevem. 45.cc. Body pale brown with about 20 broad dark bands, most distinct on belly;head and back finely spotted; mouth small retiruhn-is. 46.42. GYMNOTHORAX ALBIMARGINATUS (Schlegel).11 Mtirxna hepatica RIippell, Atlas Fische, p. 120, Red Sea.
?
Guxthek, Cat.Fish., 1870, p. 122, Amboyna.Mursena (ilbintarginata Schle'gel, Fauna Japonica, 1847, ]). 267, i>\. cxviii,Nagasaki.C-h/mnothorax alh'nimrghiaiui^ Bleekek, Atlas Ichth. ]\Iur;en., p. 107, i)l. xxxvii,fig. 2; pi. XL, fig. 3, Amboyna.Head 3f in trunk; tail nearly or quite as long as rest of ))ody ; teethuniserial, the canines scarcely enlarged; mouth closing completely;snout thick, of moderate length; eye small, 2^ in snout, nearer toangle of mouth than tip of snout; cleft of mouth about 2f in head;gill opening scarcely wider than eye; length of anterior nasal tubesless than vertical diameter of eye. Dorsal tin ver}' high, beginningin advance of gill opening, the posterior ravs higher than body below;jaws with large whitish pores, about 3 above and 5 below on eachside.Color uniform purplish brown, paler l)elow; dorsal and anal eachwith a broad whitish margin. (Schlegel; Giinther.)East Indies, north to Kiusiu, not seen bj^ us. Dr Giinther identifiesthe species with (ryiiinothonix hepaticuH (Riippell), an earlier namedspeciey from the lied Sea. But as Bleeker observes, this identity isnot yet proved, and Dr. Day records neither of them from India,{Al/jus, white; /nan/lnatm, edged.)
N0.1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 881
43. GYMNOTHORAX KIDAKO (Schlegel).KIDAKO; KICHIGAIUNAGI; UTSUBO.MnrKim kidako Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss., 1846, \). 266, pi. cxvii, Naga-saki.
?
Brevoort, Exped. Japan, 1856, p. 283, Shimoda.
?
Nystrom, K.Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., 1887, p. 46, Nagasaki.Mtirxna similis Richardsox, Voy. Erebus and Terror, 1847, \>. 83, Ja])aii.
?
Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 63.Murxna nuhila Gunther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 117, Japan (not of Richard-son).?IsHiKAWA, Prel. Cat., 1897, p. 5, Saganii.Head 2 to 2^ in trunk; 6^ in total length; head and trunk a littleshorter than tail. Skin smooth; eleft of mouth large, 2^ in head;mouth closing- completely; teeth rather broad, all in single series,without basal lobes; mandible with about 16 teeth on each side; vomerwith one row of depressible teeth; nasal tube rather shorter than eye,which is nearly 2 in snout; snout 5 in head, compressed and some-what produced; e3^e a little nearer tip of snout than angle of mouth;gill opening not so wide as eye.Color dark brown or black, everyw^here blotched or spotted Mithwhite or yellowish, the white or 3^ellowish closely mixed with thedark ground color, both light and dark colors confluent in irregulartransverse bands. In some specimens light colors prevail, in othersthe dark; gill opening dark; angle of mouth black without w^hite spotbefore it; no white pores on lower jaw; belly colored like sides, butthe white markings more conspicuous; dorsal beginning well in frontof gill opening, colored like the body with dark brown and whitemottlings; no marginal stripe; anal black, with a very distinct whitemargin, chin and throat with traces of dark streaks.Coasts of Japan, general!}' connnon, varying much in shade anddegree of mottling from almost gray to almost black. It may l)e,however, always distinguished bj- the white stripe along the blackanal. Our specimens, ten in number, are from Tokyo, Misaki, andWakanoura. This species is placed by Dr. Gunther in the synonymyof Mnrama niihRis^ from the East Indies, but that species has a blackmargin to the dorsal, as well as the anal. The specimen describedabove (Misaki) is 24i inches long.As Richardson, in his account of the eels of the "Voyage of theEi'ehns and Terror''^ acknowledges the receipt of Schlegel's account ofthe eels of the "Fauna Japonica," we must consider that Schlegel'sname I'Idaho has priority over Richardson's name similis for thecommon Japanese Moray. {Kidako, the common Japanese name.)Proc. N. M. vol. xxiii 56
882 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.xxiii.
44. GYMNOTHORAX MIEROSZEWSKII ( Steindachner)
.
Mura'na iitieroszen'skii Steindachner, Rei.se Sr. IMaj. Schiff Aurora, 1898, ]^. 222,Kobe.Head 2| in trunk; head and trunk as long as tail; .snout If in head;cleft of mouth 2^; greatest depth of body li in head; eye 2i insnout; mouth not closing; the cleft long, the teeth pointed, with thepoints turned backward, all one-rowed, about 13 on each side in eachjaw; no teeth on vomer; anterior nasal tube half eye; posterior nostrilwithout tube; gill opening as large as eye.Body with the skin wrinkled, color light and dark Ijrownish violet,covered with innumerable crossing lines of violet Ijrovvn and close-set, ditfuse. roundish spots of brownish white, occasionally ring-like;black furrows between angle of mouth and gill opening; region of gillopening, angle of mouth, and lower margin of eye diffusely blackish;front of head above and below dark grayish-violet; tail darker thanrest of body; spots on tail smaller, closer-set and better defined, thereticulate lines less distinct. (Steindachner.)Described from a specimen So cm. long, obtained at Kobe l)yDr. C. Ritter von Mieroszewski, surgeon of the Austrian frigateAurora^ for whom the species was named.
45. GYMNOTHORAX REEVESI (Richardson).Muricna reevesi Richardson, Voyage Sulphur, 1848, p. 109, pi. xlix, fig. 2, on aChinese drawing made for John Reeves, of Canton.
?
Gunther, Cat. Fish.,VIII, 1870, p. 107, "Japan."Head 2^ in trunk; tail longer than rest of body; cleft of mouthwide, 2^ to 2i in head; snout compressed, rather short; eye moderate,more than half snout, nearer tip of snout than angle of mouth. Ante-rior nasal tubes short; gill opening not wider than eye; mouth closingcompletely; canines moderate, few in numl^er; teeth uniserial. with-out basal lobes, a))out 17 on each side of mandilile.Color dark brown, with several series of indistinct black roundspots, longitudinally arranged and al)out as large as eye; head withspots similar in size and form to those of body; tins without palemargin. (Gunther.)Coasts of China, not seen by us, recorded by Gunther from Japan,(collection Jamrach), proba])Iy from the Kiukiu Islands. (Named forJohn Reeves, of Canton.)
46. GYMNOTHORAX RETICULARIS Bloch.Gi/mnothora.v reticularis Bloch, Ausliindisclie Fisehe, IX, 1795, p. 85, pi. ccccxvi,Indian Ocean.
?
Schneider, Syst. Ichth., ISOl, p. 528 (copied).Murx7iophis reticularis Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, 1803, p. 628 (co])ied).Murieua reticularis GtJNTHER, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 105, China Sea, Japan.
?
Ishikawa, Prel. Cat., 1897, p. 5, Tokio.
NO. i-'39. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAX AND SX 1'DER. 883Muriena reticulata Richardson, Voyage Erebus and Terror, 1847, p. 82, Sea ofBorneo.
?
Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 60, fig. xi.ix.Munrna minor Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss., 1846, p. 2(iy, pi. cxv, rig. 2,Nagasaki.J'riudoiiophis ruinur Bleekek, Verh. Bat. Gen., XXVI, ji. 12;!.
?
Kxek, NovaraFische, p. 382.Head '2^ in trunk; 7^ in total length; head and trunk a little .shorterthan tail; snout .short, blunt, 8 in head; nasal tube very short, abouthalf eye, which is 1^ in snout; mouth closing completely; cleft ofmouth 8i in head; teeth one-rowed, their points turned backward, theedges of some slightly serrated, about 14 on each side of mandible; alarge depress!ble canine on vomer; the other teeth all or nearly alliixed; gill opening scarcely as large as eye, the dorsal beginning wellbefore it; dorsal rather high.Yellowish or whitish l)rown, with 15 to 22 dark cross bands madeup of different brown spots, these mostly turning into ))lack on thebelly, where they are ver}' distinct; thej" are also more distinct on thedorsal tin; upper parts everywhere on bands and between them closeh'covered with dark-brown spots of different sizes; lower jaw with crossbands of .spots. There is considerable variation in the ground colorand in the clearness of the l)ands and spots. The bands are very dis-tinct on the ventral line. In life the pale markings haA'e a pinkishshade.Of this small mora3% we have five specimens, the largest 22^ incheslong, from Wakanoura, and one from Misaki.It can be confounded with no other species in Japanese waters, asno other has dark bands distinct on the belh^ [Reticularis, netted.)27. v^MASIA Jordan and Snyder, new genus.
^masid Jordan and Snyder, new genus {lichenosa).This genus differs from Gyinnotlionij' in the large mouth and verynumerous depressible fang-like canines, there being about 30 of thesein all on jaws and vomer. Teeth in both jaws biserial, mouth notclosing completely. Doubtless .some of the species hitherto referredto (ryuinothoi'ax belong to this genus, but none of them known tous have such an array of bristling teeth as the type of J']masia.{ai}.uxaia^ a hedge, frojn the bri.stling teeth.)
47. iEMASIA LICHENOSA Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head '1\ in trunk, 7 in total length; head and trunk a little shorterthan tail; body robust, the depth about half head; mouth very large,the jaws not closing completely; cleft of mouth 21 in head; teeth ver}"shar}), mostly set vertically, the long .slender canines in inner series ofboth jaws and on vomer depressible; teeth on both jaws and A'omerbiserial, the teeth on vomer largest; about 18 large teeth on each sideof lower jaw; about 30 depressible canines in all within the mouth;
884 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. VOL. XXIII.iiasiil tubes iiiucli shorter than eye; snout sharp, 4^ in head; eye 2i insnout, nearer to angle of mouth than to its tip; gill opening about a.slarge as t>ve. dorsal lieginning somewhat before it.Color very dark brown, almost hlaek. everywhere l)l()teh(Hl withlight gray, like spots of lichen; three row.s of larger spots on eachside. t)esides many smaller ones, all very irregular in form; smallerspots of similar character on head: s])ots of body larger toward head;on belly the ground coloi" is reduced to irregular reticulations; dorsaland anal tins colored like the body without light or dark edgings; noblack at angle of mouth or around gill opening. This species isstrongly distinguished by its dentition, there ))eing about ?>{) large
Fig. 20.?.K.MAsiA lichknksa.depressible teeth or fangs in its mouth. The absence of pale edge tothe anal separates it at sight from (Tiinrnothorax l-ldal'o^ which itresembles in color, although its pale markings take the form of lichen-like blotches rather than irregular crossbars.Of this interesting species two specimens, each al)Out 22 incheslong, were obtained, the one at Wakanoura, the other at Misaki. Onthe specimen from Wakanoura, the pale spots are smaller and lessconspicuous than on the other.Type No. 6480, Leland Stanford -Funior University Museuui. Local-ity, Wakanoura. {Lichenosus, covered with lichens.)28. STROPHIDON McClelland.Slropludon McClelland, Calcutta .Tourn. Nat. Hi.st., V, 1S44, p. 1S7 (h>u(j}c(ni<l(tln=X(ltJu'tf).IWudechidii't Bleeker, Atlas Ichth., Mtira-n., 1864, i>. lOH, ]>!. viii (no ilt'scn])-tion; changed to Strophidon in text).This genus contains morays distinguished b}- the extreme length andslenderness of the body and the great number of the tin rays (D. 628,A. 355 in S. hrummerl). The species of Gymnothovcw have D. 250 to400, A. 150 to 280. The tail is not twice as long as rest of body. Thesnout is small, and the dorsal l)egins well forward of the gill openingon the head. Species few. ((Trpo^//. twist; od(w^, tooth.)
N0.12O9. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN-JORDAN AND SNYDER. 885
48. STROPHIDON BRUMMERI Bleeker.Mursena brummeri Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind., XVII, p. 137, Timor.StropMdon or Pseudechidna hrummeri Bleeker, Atlas Ichth., Mureen., p. 109, pi.xviii, iig. 1, Timor, Ceram.Mnrama hrunnneri GvyrnER, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 128, Timor.Body and tail very slender, the head o'i in trunk, the tail one-thirdlonger than rest of body. Cleft of mouth 3i in head; teeth in singlerows; mouth closing completely. Dorsal rather high, inserted at endof second third of length of head, more than half as high as body.Uniform rather light brown; the head with numerous dark dots,especially on the jaws; the tins with white margin.East Indies, here described from a specimen 23i inches long, takenIn- Gapt. Alan Owston, at low tide, at Yaeyama, Ishigaki Islands,Southern Kiukiu. (A personal name.)29. ECHIDNA Foster.Echidna Foster, Enchiridion, 1778, p. 31 [variegata).Gymnomunma LxcEPEDB, Hist. Nat. Poiss., V, 1803, p. 648 (doUata).Oymnopsis Rafinesque, Analyse de la Natur, 1815, p. 93 {dollata).Megndera Rafinesque, Analyse de la Natnr, 1815, p. 93 {variegata).3/o??r/i RicHAEDSOX, Voy. Erebus and Terror, 1846, p. 79 {oplm= r,chuloi<a).Prenlophh Kaup, Apodes, 1856, p. 98 {catenalm).This o-enus is distinguished from Gyninothora.e by its l:)lunt teeth.The moSth is small and the body little elongate. The name Evh'uhiawas applied to this group of morays long Ijefore its use by Cuvier fora genus of Australian Monotremes. {h^Sva, fjz?. viper.)49. ECHIDNA KISHINOUYEI Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head 3i in trunk; head and trunk \\ in tail; body rather deep, thedepth 19 in length; cleft of mouth 2| in head; teeth above in one^I^^^,^^^|^^^^^-'^;j?i^y^:--^^^^
i7gs-:^=#.ic.i^4t
feSs^aSi^i
il.?ECHH.ixNA KISHINOUYEI.
series in front, in two or three series behind; the posterior teethsmaller and l>lunt; lower teeth mostly imiserial; mouth closing com-pletely; eye small; snout short, blunt, about V in head; dorsal high,
886 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiii.beginning well before gill opening at end of second third of head;lower jaw with a few large pores.Light brown, everywhere closel}' marbled with dark brown, aboveand below, the dark streaks confluent; head largely dark brown; gillopening a little darker.One specimen 12i inches long, Type No. 6481, Leland StanfordJunior University Museum, taken at Okinawa, in the northern RiuKin by Yonekichi Komeyama. The species is nQxn-er Ech/dn<i ddicatulaKaup, but both trunk and tail are proportionateh" longer. The dorsalin E. aniUyodon is inserted farther back.It is named for Professor Kishinouye, of the Imperial FisheriesBureau, in recognition of his deep interest in the tish fauna of Japan.SO. UROPTERYGIUS Ruppell.
IcJitliyopJiis Lesson, Voyage de la Coquille, II, 1830, p. 120 {puutlti'riitti.<=iii<ir)iii>ra-tus; not of Fitzinger, 1829, a genus of Reptiles).Uropteryghts HtJppEhh, Neue Wirbelthiere, Fische, 1838, p. 83 {concolor).Gymvomnr.rna Gunther, Cat. Fish., VIII, 1870, p. 133 (not of Lacepede, whichis Echidna).Scutica Jordan and Evermann, Fish N. ]\I. America, I., 1896, p. 403 {rn'cturus)
.
This genus contains those mora3^s which have the fins altogetherwanting or developed only at the tip of the tail; the teeth are small,pointed, subequal, the mouth of moderate size, and the anterior nos-trils only provided with a tube. The typical species have the tailabout as long as the rest of the body, but the single Japanese speciesagrees with the related genus ('iKinnomunena in the extreme short-ness of the tail. The typical species have tubes on the anterior nos-trils only. These, by some error, were indicated by Jordan and Ever-mann as forming a distinct subgenus, Sci/tiea, but Scutica is an exactsj^nonym of UropteTyghiH. The species having tubes on the posteriornostrils should have been set apart from the others. For this group,the type ))eing Icldl^yophix. tlgt'lnuif Lesson, we ma\' suggest the newgeneric n^me, Scndicaria. Mur(Enohlenmi., used for this group byKaup, is not available, as its orignal type was a 2fy.r!ne. {ovpa. tail;7tT?pvyioy, a little tin.)
50. UROPTERYGIUS OKINAVJJE Jordan and Snyder, new species.Head S| in trunk, l;^*^ in total length; depth '2 in head; tail veryshort, 2j\ in rest of body; snout very blunt, not depressed, 6 in head;cleft of mouth 2f in head; lower jaw slightly projecting; eye verysmall, 3 in snout; anterior nostrils with a slight tube, shorter than e\"e;posterior nostril with a low rim, placed over front of eye; mouth clos-ing completely; teeth numerous, sharp, in two rows in each jaw, andon vomer; canines of vomer and of inner series of jaws depressi))le;about 20 teeth on each side of mandible; no conspicuous pores on head,
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAN?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 887except 2 or 3 on anterior part of edge of upper jaw; no trace of finsexcept a very slight fold on top of tail.Color uniform cinnamon brown above and ])elow; a darker .stiadeabout gill opening.One specimen in excellent condition. No. 6482, Leland StanfordJunior University Museum, from Okinawa, in the northern Riu Kiu,
Fig. 22. Uropteeygius okixaw.e.
collected bv Yonekichi Komeyama, of Tok^^o. It is distinguished fromother species of the genus by the very long body and very short tail.From other Japanese morays, the absence of tins on the back at onceseparates it. RECAPITULATION.Order SYMBRANCHIA.Family I. Moxopteridj,.
1. Monopterus Lacepede.
1. albus (Zuiew). Okinawa, Amami-Oj^hema.Order APODES.Suborder ENCHELYCEPHALI.Family II. Axguillid.k.
2. AnguiUa Shaw.
2. jitponlca Sohlegel. Hako<late, Aomori, Same, ^latsiishima, Sendai, Tokyo,Misaki, Wakanoura, Omura Bay, Kurume, Nagasaki.Family III. Synaphobraxchid.e.
3. Si/naphohruncJtii.'< Johnson.3. affinis (Giinther). Totomi Bay, Tokyo, Misaki.4. iraconis Jordan and Snyder. Myiako.5. jenkinsi Jordan and Snyder. Eno.shima.
4. Histiobranchus Gill.
6. bathyhius ((xiinther). Not taken by ns.
I888 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.Family IV. Leptocephalid.e.
5. Leptocephalus Scopoli.
7. iayriaj<fer (Brevoort). Hakodate, Mororan, INlatsushima, Same, Tokyo,Misaki, Hakata, Hiroshima, Wakanoura, Kolje, Onomichi, Nagasaki.8. erehennus Jordan and Snyder. Misaki, Wakanoura.9. kiusiuanus Jordan and Snyder. Hakata.10. japonicus Blacker. -Not seen.(a) heterognathus Bleeker. Not seen.11. ?"m^ra(?ra.? Jordan and Snyder. Yaeyama, Ishigaki Islands.12. nystromi Jordan and Snyder. Nagasaki.13. retrot'mctus Jordan and Snyder. Tok3'0.6. < '<?ir/reJhis Ogilby.14. 7negastoim(s (Giinther). Misaki, Totomi.15. anago (Schlegel). Tokyo, Misaki, Kobe, Wakanoura, Nagasaki.Family V. MuR^XESociDiE.
7. Mnnvnexo.r McClelland.16. cinereus (Forskal). Tokyo, Misaki, Tsuruga, Wakanoura, Onomichi, Hiro-shima, Nagasaki.
8. Oxijconger Bleeker.17. lepiognathus Bleeker. Awa.Family VI. Netta-stomid^.9. Netta.stoiiia Rafinesque.18. jxirvicepit Giinther. Not seen Ijy us.10. ('Iilopsis Rafinesque.19. p'erattfn- Jordan and Snyder. Wakanoura.Family VII. Myrid^e.11. Mi/rns Kaup.20. uropteruft (Schlegel). Not seen by us.12. Murxnichthys Bleeker.21. o?'.s^o**i Jordan and Snyder. Yaeyama, Riukiu.22. Itattiv Jordan and Snyder. AVakanoura.23. aokl Jordan and Snyder. INIisaki.Family VIII. Ophichthvid.e.13. Sphagehrmichns Bloch.24. moseri Jordan and Snyder. Suruga Bay.14. Calleclulyx Kaup.
'2r>. niehiiiolniiid Bleeker. Yaeyama.15. Leltiranns Bleeker.26. semicinctus (Lay and Bennett). Yaeyama.
NO. 1239. APODAL FISHES OF JAPAX?JORDAN AND SNYDER. 889Family YIII. OPHicHTHYni.K?^Continued.
l(i. ('Jileninlt'S Jordan and Snyder.27. cohihriinia (Roddaert). Yaeyama.
17. PisoodnitiijtJiis Kanj).2S. zopJti.'<lliis JnvdcUi an< I Snyder. ]Misaki.
IS. Xj/rl((!< Jordan and Snyder.29. ri'ntl.'iii.'i Jordan and Snyder. Misaki.
19. Micri)<l<)niij)}iix Kanj).
oO. c/vf^o Jordan and Snyder. ^Misaki, Awa, Okinawa.
20. OphJfhllnix Aid.31. cpphalozona Bleeker. Not seen.o2. nroloplnm (Schlegel). Not seen.33. amkuss: Jordan and Snyder. Misaki.34. tsiichkhv Jordan and Snyder. \Iisaki.35. stenoptervs Cope. Not .seen.21. Mi/slri?j,his Kiu\\>.
3(5. ^>o/7>/(//jr?.'^ (Schlegel ). Wakanoiu-a.22. llrachi/miiiojiJiis Kanji.37. rrnrodoliiins (Bennett). Not seen.
23. Oxi/Moniii.^ Rafines(jne.38. nKicrnrJii/iicliiix B\efki-r. ^ML-i^aki, Onasagawa, Tokyo.Family IX. Moringuid.^:.
24. ApJitJiitlmichtlri/s Kaup.39. ((hl)reriahis Bleeker. Yaevama.40. /(iranicnx Kaup. Not seen.Suborder COLOCEPHALI.Family X. ]\IrK.F.NiD.E.25. Mn)-;vn<( Linnjeu^;.
41. j?n-d((//.s St'hlegel. Wakanonra.26. (h/uinotJiora.i- I'>locli.42. (dbimarguiatus (Schlegel). Not seen.43. kidako (Schlegel). Tokyo; Misaki, Wakanonra.44. mieroszewskii (Steindachner). Not seen.45. r^^rm (Richardson) . Not seen.46. ly'ticulariii Bloch. Wakanonra; ]Misaki.
890 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. VOL. XXIII. ?Family X. Mur.exid.e?Continued.27. .Etiinxia Jiirilan and Snyder.47. Iklii'nuxa Jurdan and Snyder. Wakannnra; ^lisaki.28. Slruphidou Mc-Clellan<l.48. hrummeri Bleeker. Yaeyama.29. Echidna F(jrster.49. kisliiitoui/i'i Jordan and Snyder. Okinawa.30. Uropterygius Riipiiell.50. okimnrx Jordan and Snvder. Okinawa.
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