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HENRY W. FOWLER
g. Spots larger than interspaces, not
smaller than those on body.
favaginea.
f. No dark spots, body finely reticulated or marbled everywhere lighter or very fine white or yellow lines.
Lycodontis picta (Ahl).
pseudothysoidea.
Muraena picta Ahl, Specimen Ichth. Muraena et Ophich., Thunberg, 1789, p. 8, pl. right figure. East India.
Gymnothorax pictus Chen, Bull, Biol. Dep. Sun Yat-sen Univ., vol. 1, No. 1, 1929, p. 32, fig. 17 (dentition) (Parcel Islands [Duncan Island].
Depth 134 to 201⁄2; head 4 to 8, 2 1/5 to 2 7/10 in trunk; head and trunk equal to longer than tail. Eye 10 to 12 in head, 1 to 21⁄2 in snout. Mouth cleft 2% to 3% in head. Yellow, with round blackish spots size of eye in 3 or 4 longitudinal rows; spots sometimes with yellow centers; with age increase in size as also light center while periphery becomes irregular; still later broken up so finally colour brownish gray above and whitish below, covered with exceedingly numerous very small spots, while abdomen gen. erally whitish covered with few round or irregular spots. Length to 1,400
mm.
Parcel Islands (Arabia, East Africa, Natal, Madagascar, India, East Indies, Philippines, Riu Kiu, Australia, Melanesia*, Micronesia*, Polynesia' Hawaii*).
Possibly Muraena cerinonigra Richardson (Ichth. China Japan, 1846, p. 314, Canton) based on a drawing, the subject of which is 197 mm., may have been intended for the young of this species:
General colour light wax yellow with greenish tints and many blackish spots.
Row of larger, round and nearly equidistant spots along middle of body and on top of back and margins of tail spots assume form of very short oblique bars. Throat and belly tinged with carmine. Upper jaw obtuse and projects slightly beyond lower. Nostrils not represented as tubular.
Lycodontis thyrsoidea (Richardson),
Hwa chuy (Flowery chub), Ta chuy (Flowered chuy).
Muraena thyrsoidea Richardson, Voy. Sulphur, Fishes, 1844, p. III (not pl. 49, fig. 1). China Seas, Canton; Icth. China Japan, 1846, p. 314 (Canton). Günther, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus., vol. 8, 1870, p. 113 (type of Muraena thyrsoidea, not figure).
Gymnothorax thyrsoideus Chen, Bull. Biol. Dep. Sun Yat-sen Univ., vol. 1, No. 1, 1929, p. 37 (on Weber).
Depth 15 4/5 to 21; head 9 to 12, 3 in trunk; head and trunk 1 3/5 to 134 in tail. Eye 10 to 11, 134 to 1 4/5 in snout.
Mouth cleft 2 3/5 to 3 1/5 in head. Brown, dotted minutely or specked with darker brown and white, less on head. Length to 650 mm.
A Synopsis of the Fishes of China
137
China Seas, Canton (Arabia, Rodriguez, Seychelles, Andamans, Burma, Pinang, East Indies, West Australia, Melanesia*, Micronesia*, Polynesia*).
Lycodontis reticularis (Bloch). Figure 12.
Figure 12. Lycodontis reticularis (Bloch).
H.W.F.
Gymnothorax reticularis Bloch, Naturges. Ausland. Fische, vol. 9, 1795, p. 85, pl. 416. Tranquebar.
Gymnothorax reticularix Wu, Contrib. Biol. Lab. Sci. Soc. China, vol. 5, No. 4, 1929, p. 38, fig. 32 (head (Amoy).
Muraena reticularis Günther, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus., vol. 8, 1870, p. 105 (China Seas).
Priodonophis reticularis Chen, Bull. Biol. Dep. Sun Yat-sen Univ., vol. 1, No. 1, 1929, p. 39 (compiled).
Priodonophis minor Bleeker, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk., vol. 2, 1865, P. 57 (Amoy).
Depth 23; head 7 to 8 1/5, 21/5 to 24/5 in trunk; tail longer than head and trunk. Eye 104 to 11 in head, 1 to 11⁄2 in snout. Mouth cleft 3 to 31⁄2 in head. Yellowish or brownish white, with 15 to 22 dark cross bands formed of variable brown spots, mostly black on belly where very distinct. Upper parts with bands closely covered with dark brown spots, Length over 550 mm.
Hong Kong*, Amoy (India, Borneo, Formosa, Japan, Polynesia). Known by some of the upper teeth finely serrated,
Lycodontis flavomarginata (Ruppell).
Muraena flavomarginata Ruppell, Atlas Reis. Nordl. Afrika, Fische, 1828, 119 pl. 30, fig. 3. Red Sea.
May 1937.
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
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