CO129-538-1 Hong Kong University 31-12-1931 - 6-8-1932 — Page 92

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HENRY W. FOWLER

Depth 40; head 13, in trunk, head and trunk shorter than tail. Eye 14, in head, 2 in snout. Mouth cleft 41⁄2 in head, reaches eye. Dorsal begins behind gill openings space more than half head, like anal very low. Pectoral 5 in head. Brownish above, lighter below. Length 545 mm, (Weber and Beaufort).

Hoihow (Celebes). I think Pisoodonophis rubicandus Chen |evident- ly the specific name rubicauda intended is a synonym. It was founded on an example 797 mm.

Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson).

Ophisurus cancrivorus Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, Fishes, 1844-48, p. 97, pl. 50, figs. 6-9. Port Essington.

Ophichthys cancrivorus Sauvage, Bull. Soc. Philomath., Paris, ser. 7, vol. 5, 1881, p. 107 (Swatow).

Ophichthus cancrivorus Rutter, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1897, p. 62 (compiled).

Pisoodonophis cancrivorus Chen, Bull. Biol. Dep. Sun Yat-sen Univ., vol. 1, No. 1, 1929, p. 17, fig. 9 (dentition) (Daipo).

Pisodonophis cancrivora Wu, Contrib. Biol. Lab. Sci. Soc. China, vol. 5, No. 4, 1929, p. 35, fig. 28. (Amoy).

Ophisurus sinensis Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, 1844-48,

p. 98. Canton.

I

Depth 22 to 34: head 8 to 10, 2 to 3 or more in trunk, head and trunk more or less than 11⁄2 in tail. Eye 9% to 12 in head, 14 to 2 in snout. Mouth cleft 3 to 4 in head, reaches hind eye edge or beyond, Dorsal begins over middle of pectoral. Pectoral 22 to 4 in head. Brown, paler below. Dorsal with more or less blackish spot anteriorly. Length to 760 mm.

Daipo, Swatow, Amoy, Canton (Arabia, Madagascar, Mauritius?, East Indies, Philippines*, Japan, Australia, Polynesia).

Pisodonophis oligodon Bleeker.

Pisoodonophis oligodon Bleeker, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk., vol. 2, 1865, P. (57) 59. Amoy.

Depth 45; head 104. Snout 51⁄2 in head, acute. Eye 9 in head. Mouth cleft 32. Dorsal origin 1/5 head length behind gill opening. Pectoral 31⁄2 in head. Greenish brown above with minute dots of gray, below yellowish or silvery. Fins yellowish, dorsal and anal densely dusted gray brown. Length to 327 mm. (Bleeker).

Amoy.

A Synopsis of the Fishes of China

CAECULA Vahr.

129

Caecula Vahl, Skrivt. Naturh. Selsk. Kjöbenhavn, vol. 3, pt. 2, 1794, pp. 2, 149. Type Caecula apterygera Vahl, monotypic.

Body elongate, cylindrical. Head short to moderate. Snout point- ed, projects before mandible. Eye small, before or above middle of mouth cleft. Lips entire, Teeth conical, pointed, uniserial, biserial on vomer, equal in size or vomerine more robust. Front nostril in tube at border of upper lip or at lower face of protruding part of snout, or as slits in low papilla on lower face of protruding part of snout. Gill openings small, close together, ventral, longitudinal, oblique to vertical. No scales. Dorsal origin over or somewhat behind gill openings; dorsal and anal sometimes absent or very low, not confluent, end short space from end of tail. No pectorals.

Small eels of temperate and tropical seas. Some burrow in sand and others enter fresh water.

Caecula quadrata (Richardson), Figure 9.

K.W.F

Figure 9.

Caecula quadrata (Richardson). Sphagebranchus quadratus Richardson, Voy. Sulphur, Fishes, 1844, P. 115, pl. 52, figs. 8-15. China,

(China).

Apterichthys quadratus Richardson, Ichth. China Japan, 1846, p. 315

Ophichthys quadratus Günther, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus., vol. 8, 1870, p. 89 (type).

No fins. Pale brown. Length 162 mm. China,

May 1932.

The Hong Kong Naturalist.

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