. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. FAMILY MURAENIDAE—SCHULTZ 117 side of tip of snout, without a modified tip, tubes just long enough to extend to edge of upper lip when depressed; posterior nasal openings oval, becoming more elongate in adults, with a slightly raised rim, edge of latter becoming fringed or crenulate in adults, rear edge a little in front of a vertical line through front of eye; pores around head with crenulate edges in adults; body somewhat compressed, robust in adults; gill opening near middle of side, slightly above level of mouth; arrangement of teeth as
. Bulletin - United States National Museum. Science. FAMILY MURAENIDAE—SCHULTZ 117 side of tip of snout, without a modified tip, tubes just long enough to extend to edge of upper lip when depressed; posterior nasal openings oval, becoming more elongate in adults, with a slightly raised rim, edge of latter becoming fringed or crenulate in adults, rear edge a little in front of a vertical line through front of eye; pores around head with crenulate edges in adults; body somewhat compressed, robust in adults; gill opening near middle of side, slightly above level of mouth; arrangement of teeth as shown in the figure; teeth canine- like, so long that mouth cannot be completely closed; tips of both jaws curved toward each other, so that both toothed edges are a little con- cave, the lower jaw notably so. Color in alcohol.—Light brown with a slightly speckled appearance; region of head behind eye to gill openings paler brown, lower jaw very. Figure 24.—Holotype of Gymnothorax bikiniensis, new species ( No. 141575), from Bikini Atoll. (Drawing by Dorothea B. Schultz.) light brown; edges of median fins very light brown posteriorly; an- terior tubular nostrils and rim of posterior ones blackish; pores around upper jaw and on snout edged with dark brown or blackish; inside of mouth light brown; gill opening sometimes slightly dark brownish on edges; corner of mouth dark brownish. Ecology.—This brownish eel, inhabiting crevices in the surge chan- nels or coral growths, seemed to prefer the rugged, wave-swept ocean reefs. Remarks.—G. bikiniensis may be recognized from all other moray eels of the Indo-Pacific region by its dental pattern, its plain brownish coloration, and the large, oval-shaped posterior nasal openings situated in front of the front margin of the eye. A species much like G. bikiniensis is G. umbrosus Poey from Cuba, but the latter diflfers in having the large canines of lower jaw confined to the front third of the toothed area as in G. schismat
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