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Smith, David G., Karmovskaya, Emma S., Silva, João Paulo Capretz Batista Da (2020): A new congrid eel (Teleostei:Anguilliformes: Congridae) from the Western Pacific with an analysis of its relationships. Zootaxa 4845 (2): 191-210, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4845.2.2

Bathycongrus villosus sp. nov. Figs. 1–3; Tables 1–3 Holotype: MNHN 1997-3795 (236 mm TL, female), Vanuatu, 15 о 36’ S, 167 о 16’ E, depth 182–215 m, beam trawl, 5 October, 1994, station CP 1086, C. R. V. “Alis”, MUSORSTOM 8. Paratypes: USNM 344104 (2 females, 239–296 mm), Albay Gulf, Philippines, 13° 10’ 16” N, 123° 50’ 12” E to 13° 10’ 14”N, 123° 52’ 22 “E, depth 174–190 m, 30-m otter trawl, RV “Fishery Researcher 1”, 22 Sep 1995; USNM 451061 (1 male, 252 mm, stained and partly dissected), same data as USNM 344104. Material for comparison. Bassanago albescens: USNM 365200 (12, 367– 508 mm), 37°24’06”S, 54°39’42”W, depth 187–327 m, 5 May 1975; USNM 404584 (21, 354–605) same data as USNM 365200; USNM 427184 (1, 343, stained and partly dissected), same data as USNM 365200. Conger cinereus Rüppell, in Klunzinger, 1871: CSIRO H 8518-01 (1, 382), Solomon Is., 8° 17’S, 157° 09’E, 9 Jul 1987; USNM 451062 (1, cleared and stained), Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, depth 0–2 m, 5 Sep 1969. Diagnosis. A moderately elongate congrid eel of the subfamily Congrinae, with small hair-like epidermal processes on surface of body and head. Tail moderately attenuate. Dorsal-fin origin behind origin of pectoral fin. Snout slightly projecting beyond lower jaw. Upper labial flange rudimentary. Anterior and posterior nostrils tubular, posterior at mid-eye level. Teeth conical, relatively small, all about the same size, in bands tapering posteriorly on jaws; intermaxillary patch broader than long, teeth slightly exposed when mouth closed, in 3–4 transverse rows; vomerine teeth in an elongate patch, blunt conical, none enlarged, roughly in 4–5 rows anteriorly and 2 rows posteriorly. Total vertebrae 121–126, preanal lateral-line pores 26–27. Lateral-line pores tubular. Head pores small. Description Counts and measurements of individual specimens are provided in Table 1. Values given for holotype, with those of paratypes in parentheses. Measurements as % TL: preanal length 33.9 (35.1–36.1), predorsal length 16.1 (17.6–18.7), head length 14.8 (15.5–16.3), trunk length 19.1 (18.9–20.5), depth at anus 8.1 (5.7–7.1); as % of head length: snout length 22.9 (23.4–23.8), horizontal eye diameter 20.3 (16.5–21.2), postorbital length 56.9 (55.4–59.7), snout to rictus 29.7 (30.8–33.7), gill opening 15.4 (9.4–12.2), interbranchial 28.6 (20.5–28.9), pectoral-fin length 37.1 (32.7–35.1). Meristic characters: preanal lateral-line pores 26 (26–27), supraorbital (SO) pores 3, infraorbital (IO) pores 5, preoperculomandibular (POM) pores 10, supratemporal commissure (STC) 1 pore. Predorsal vertebrae 8 (8–10), preanal vertebrae 28 (29–30), precaudal vertebrae 36 (35–37), total vertebrae 123 (121–126). Pectoral-fin-rays 12 (13), dorsal-fin-rays 284 (268 +, ca 278), preanal dorsal-fin-rays 54 (50–59), anal-fin-rays 217 (205 +, ca 215), caudal-fin rays ca. 4+5. Branchiostegal rays 9 (10). Body moderately elongate, robust, round in cross section anteriorly, tapering and compressed behind anus to tip of caudal region; tip of tail slender but not filiform; anus slightly posterior to anterior third of total length. Dorsal fin begins slightly ahead of midpoint of appressed pectoral fin. Anal fin begins immediately behind anus under the 26 th– 27 th lateral-line pore. Pectoral fin well developed. Gill opening large, upper end slightly below midpoint of pectoral-fin base. Interbranchial nearly twice gill opening. Small villiform transparent epidermal processes over surface of head and body, some of them pigmented by minute melanophores. Myorhabdoi absent, dorsal- and analfin rays segmented. Head well differentiated from trunk, deepest midway between posterior margin of eye and gill opening, its length contained 2.2–2.3 times in preanal and 6.1–6.7 in total length; snout about equal to eye diameter, projecting slightly beyond anterior end of lower jaw; rictus below middle of eye. Upper lip with reduced upturned flange; lower lip thick, with well-developed downturned flange. Anterior nostril a short tube, near tip of snout, directed anteroventrally. Posterior nostril tubular, at mid-eye level. Lateral line not complete, ca.100 small tube-like pores along lower edge of lateral-line canal; 26–27 pores before anus. Head pores relatively small, none greatly enlarged (Fig. 3A). Supraorbital canal with three pores: the first (ethmoidal) small, on ventral side of tip of snout; the second somewhat enlarged and immediately in front of anterior nostril; the third somewhat enlarged and immediately above anterior nostril. Infraorbital canal with five pores: the first immediately behind anterior nostril; the second between anterior and posterior nostrils; the third below posterior nostril; the fourth below anterior part of eye; the fifth behind rictus and below posterior part of eye; no adnasal pore, and no pores behind eye. Preoperculomandibular canal with ten pores, seven in mandibular canal and three behind mandible; the third mandibular pore round and noticeably enlarged. Supratemporal commissure with one medial pore. Teeth rather small, conical, all about the same size (Fig. 3B). Intermaxillary patch slightly broader than long, teeth in three to four transverse rows, slightly separated from maxillary and vomerine teeth, partially excluded from closed mouth. Maxillary and mandibular teeth in bands, wider anteriorly, roughly in five to six rows anteriorly tapering to two rows posteriorly. Vomerine tooth patch longer than broad, reaches to level of posterior nostril; teeth blunt-conical, larger posteriorly, in three to four irregular longitudinal rows. Gas bladder terminates far behind anus. Stomach long, reaching about three-quarters of distance from gill opening to anus. Color in life unknown. Color in preservative yellowish-brown to medium brown. Large, diffuse, darkish spot below lateral line in front of pectoral fin. Body mottled with tiny pointed melanophores. Vertical fins pigmented in posterior caudal part but not edged in black. No traces of larval pigmentation. Peritoneum mostly pale, slightly pigmented on dorsal side; intestine dark; stomach black. Oral cavity pale; branchial cavity largely pale with some scattered melanophores. Size range of specimens 236–296 mm TL. Three of the specimens are females with well-developed ovaries, one is a male. Apparently a small species, probably not greatly exceeding 300 mm TL. Etymology. Referring to the small dermal villi or papillae on the head and body. Remarks. In three of the four specimens, the dorsal-fin origin is over the eighth vertebra. In the other specimen, it is between the ninth and tenth vertebrae.

Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae Sithole, Smith & Gouws n. sp. Common name: Marbled leopard moray Figs. 3, 5; Table 9 Lycodontis undulatus (non Lacepède 1803): Smith 1949: 398 (Fig. 1129, Pl. 100); Smith 1953: 398 (Fig. 1129, Pl. 100); Smith 1962: 439 (Fig. E, Pl. 57); Castle & McCosker 1986: 173 (Fig. 41.24, Pl. 8). Gymnothorax cf. undulatus: King & Fraser 2014: 34, 35 (Fig. unnumbered) Holotype: SAIAB 86307 (624 mm TL), South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Vidal, 28°9.8'S, 32°34.1'E, 6 Jan. 2009, coll. A. Paterson, G. Musson and A. Goetz. Paratypes: SAIAB 206655 (383 mm TL), same as holotype; CSIRO H 8399-01 (304 mm TL), South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Pennington, tide pools in front of the golf course; 30°24'S, 30°42'E, 29 Jul. 1992; AMS I.48960- 001 (665 mm TL), South Africa, Eastern Cape, Coffee Bay, 32°00'S, 29°12'E, 20 Jan. 1976; USNM 330982 (454 mm TL), South Africa, Natal, Aug. 1992. Non-type material: SAIAB 46644 (2: 285–329 mm TL), South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Mbibi, 27°30'S, 32°42'E, 12 Dec. 1988; SAIAB 4990 (2: 325–343 mm TL) South Africa, Eastern Cape, Mtentwana Point, 31°06'S, 30°12'E, 15 Aug. 1958; SAIAB 83082 (710 mm TL) South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Scottburgh 30°00'S, 31°00'E, 05 Jun. 2007; SAIAB 44497 (485 mm TL) South Africa, Eastern Cape, Algoa Bay, 34°00'S, 25°42'E, 01 Jan. 1967; SAIAB 39939 (644 mm TL) South Africa, Eastern Cape, Transkei Presley Bay, 31°54'S, 29°18'E, 01 Sep. 1974; SA- IAB 39959 (667 mm TL) South Africa, Eastern Cape, Hole-In-Hall, 32°00'S, 29°12'E, 27 Jan. 1975; SAIAB 83077 (2: 171–267 mm TL) South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Scottburgh, 30°17'S, 30°46'E and SAIAB 60166 (9: 85–349 mm TL), South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Scottburgh tide pool, 30°18'S 30°48'E, 18 Apr. 1999. Diagnosis. A moray eel with dorsal-fin origin anterior to gill opening, anal-fin origin just behind anus, with mottled and faintly reticulated color pattern on a dark brown background; three long intermaxillary canines in a median row; vomerine teeth small, in a single row; maxillary teeth biserial; vertebral count: 3–5 predorsal, 54–58 preanal, and 134–136 in total. Description. Proportions as % TL: preanal 41.1–50.8, predorsal 8.1–11.5, head length 11.3–15.0, depth at gill opening 4.2–8.4, depth at anus 3.7–6.5. As % head length: snout 15.2–18.5, eye diameter 10.0–11.8 and upper jaw 37.0–47.9. Vertebral: predorsal 3–5 (3), preanal 54–58 (56), total 134–136 (135). Body elongate, depth at gill opening 4.2–8.4 and 3.7–6.5 at anus in % TL; anus anterior to mid-body, preanal length 41.1–50.8 in % TL; head and trunk together shorter than the tail. Dorsal-fin origin anterior to gill opening, predorsal length 8.1–11.5 in % TL; anal-fin origin immediately behind anus; dorsal and anal fins continuous. Head long 11.3–15.0 in % TL, blunt anterior, concave above eye and broad behind the eye. Snout short, 15.2– 18.5 in % HL; upper jaw slightly longer than the lower jaw; anterior nostril tubular on each side of snout tip, posterior nostril round and slightly anterior to the eye. Three supraorbital pores, first pore situated just above the upper lip near tip of snout, second above the first pore and adjacent to the anterior nostril and one between anterior and posterior nostrils. Two branchial pores above and anterior to gill opening. Four infraorbital pores along the upper jaw, first between anterior nostril and anterior margin of the eye, second below anterior margin of the eye, third below the middle of the eye and the fourth below posterior edge of the eye. Five mandibular pores, all anterior to the rictus. No lateral-line pores posterior to the branchial ones. Gill opening slit-like and slightly below mid-body. Teeth slender and sharply pointed (Fig. 3); peripheral inter-maxillary teeth in single row of 6–9 (6) on each side; no intermediate inter-maxillary teeth; median inter-maxillary 2–3 (3), uniserial extremely long and widely spaced; vomerine teeth uniserial and small; inner maxillary teeth 1–4 (1), longer than outer maxillary teeth, anterior ones the largest, decreasing in size posteriorly; outer maxillary 12–16 (14) small teeth, closely spaced. Colour of fresh specimen and in preservation (Fig. 5). Head and body dark brown with mottled and faintly reticulated pattern; mottled coloration on the head extends inside the lower jaw; snout and ventral portion of the lower jaw to the beginning of anal fin paler compared to the rest of the body; dorsal- and anal-fins with dark brown margins. Distribution. Specimens of this species were collected in the Western Indian Ocean along the coast of South Africa from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape, known to a depth of ~ 40 m in rock, intertidal and tide pools and sand bottoms. Etymology. The specific name, elaineheemstrae, is in honour of Mrs Elaine Heemstra (NRF-SAIAB Honorary Research Associate) for her tremendous support in mentoring the first author in fish taxonomy. Comparisons with other species. The dorsal-fin origin anterior to gill opening and anal-fin origin just after anus places this species in the genus Gymnothorax as currently recognized. Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae can be differentiated from other species within the genus in the Western Indian Ocean by its colour pattern and vertebral count. Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae has a mottled and faintly reticulated pattern (Fig. 5), whereas G. undulatus has irregular rectangular blotches separated by large reticulations (Fig. 4). Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae has a similar teeth arrangement to G. chilospilus Bleeker 1864, an Indo-Pacific species which G. undulatus has been confused with. However, G. chilospilus differs from G. elaineheemstrae in having fewer preanal (47–52 vs 54–58) and total vertebrae (120–129 vs 134–136); more peripheral intermaxillary teeth (6–8 vs 4–6) and clearly visible white markings on head (vs no white markings on head). The mottled pattern in G. elaineheemstrae is similar to G. flavimarginatus (Rüppell 1830), but G. elaineheemstrae has a faintly reticulated pattern and lacks the black blotch at the gill opening and the pale margin around posterior tail. Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae also differs from another closely similar species G. pictus (Ahl 1789) by the dorsal-fin origin which is anterior to gill opening (vs exactly above gill opening in G. pictus); uniserial teeth on vomer (vs. biserial); 3–5 (vs 7–11) predorsal and 54–58 (vs 56–62) preanal vertebrae. Remarks. The species retained the common name Marbled leopard moray given by King & Fraser (2014). Genetics. The COI analysis gave an aligned data set of 411 base pairs (bp) in length for 50 sequences. The neighbour-joining tree (Fig. 6) based on COI sequences revealed two distinct clades among specimens formerlyregarded as G. undulatus. Gymnothorax undulatus was made up of three lineages (Clades A, B and C) and was geographically widespread, comprising samples from the Pacific Ocean and several WIO regions. These lineages represented regions that were not distinct in the morphological analysis. Specimens from all these geographic regions had the typical G. undulatus color pattern, i.e. dark brown body with rectangular spots separated by pale reticulum. The second clade comprised Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae and was nested within the morphologically-distinct banded moray G. rueppelliae (McClelland 1844). Gymnothorax elainheemstrae is restricted to South Africa and comprises of specimens that are mottled and less reticulated. The most appropriate nucleotide substitution model for the COI data was determined to be a GTR model (Rodríguez et al. 1990), with proportion of invariable sites (I = 0.638), base frequencies of A = 0.284, C = 0.290, G = 0.157 and T = 0.269, and a rate matrix of R [A↔C] = 1.247, R [A↔ G] = 19.982, R [A↔T] = 3.994, R [C↔G] = 1.790, R [C↔T] = 18.676 and R [G↔T] = 1.000. The ML tree constructed with a loglikelihood (lnL) of -2829.731 (not shown) indicated the genetic distinction of G. undulatus and G. elaineheemstrae, similar to neighbour joining tree. Enforcing the topology to reflect the monophyly of the former G. undulatus (i.e., G. undulatus + G. elaineheemstrae as sister taxa, maintaining all internal relationships) resulted in a log-likelihood of -2840.998; this topology was significantly less likely (∆lnL = 11.266, P Gymnothorax based on COI sequences ranged from 0.073 to 0.267 (Table 10). The lowest genetic distance (0.073) was between the paintspotted moray G. pictus and lipspot moray G. chilospilus, and this was the only genetic distance G. griseus and brown spotted moray G. fuscomaculatus. The genetic distance (K2P) between G. undulatus and G. elaineheemstrae was high at 0.201. The 16S rRNA analysis involved an alignment of 404 nucleotides for 44 sequences, including three sequences of G. undulatus from Japan (Pacific Ocean). The optimal model for this dataset included a model with base frequencies of A = 0.339, C = 0.260, G = 0.196 and T = 0.205, a rate matrix of R [A↔C] = 1.277, R [A↔G] = R [C↔T] = 5.725 and R [A↔ T] = R [C↔G] = R [G↔T] = 1.000, a proportion of invariable sites (I = 0.367) and a gamma distribution of rate variation (α = 0.477). The NJ tree (Fig. 7) recovered a clade of G. undulatus that was widespread, containing samples from the Archipelago, East Africa, Seychelles and Japan, and sister to G. rueppelliae. Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae was distinct and phylogenetically divergent from the G. undulatus clade and was well-supported with 100% bootstrap. The ML tree (lnL = -2490.389; not shown) also revealed G. undulatus and G. elaineheemstrae to form distinct and phylogenetically well-separated clades. As with the COI data, enforcing the topologies to reflect the monophyly of the former G. undulatus (with G. undulatus placed as a sister taxon to G. elaineheemstrae) presented a significantly worse fit to the data (lnL = -2512.244, ∆lnL = 21.855, P G. thyrsoideus and the banded moray G. rueppelliae, and the lowest value (0.003) was between G. griseus and G. thyrsoideus, possibly indicating the misidentification of the former (see Fig. 7). The next lowest value (0.190) was between G. chilospilus and G. flavimarginatus. The genetic distance from the comparison between G. elaineheemstrae and the G. undulatus clades was 0.234. Average divergences of 0.021 to 0.081 separated potential Archipelago, widespread and Japanese (Pacific Ocean) subclades and lineages within the G. undulatus clade (Fig. 7)., Published as part of Sithole, Yonela, Smith, David G., Mwale, Monica & Gouws, Gavin, 2020, A taxonomic revision of Gymnothorax undulatus (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) in the Western Indian Ocean, with description of a new species, pp. 161-181 in Zootaxa 4767 (1) on pages 170-174, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4767.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/3770681, {"references":["Lacepede, B. G. E. (1803) Histoire naturelle des poisons. Vol. 5. Chez F. G. Levrault, Paris, cxi + 414 pp.","Smith, J. L. B. (1949) The Sea fishes of Southern Africa. Central News Agency, LTD, Cape Town, xvi + 550 pp., 100 pls.","Smith, J. LB. (1953) The Sea fishes of Southern Africa. 3 rd Edition. Central News Agency, LTD, Cape Town, 564 pp., 107 pls.","Smith, J. L. B. (1962) The moray eels of the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Ichthyological Bulletin, 23, 421 - 444.","Castle, P. H. J. & McCosker, J. E. (1986) Family Muraenidae. In: Smith, M. M. & Heemstra, P. C. (Eds.), Smiths' Sea Fishes. MacMillan, Johannesburg, pp. 165 - 176.","King, D. & Fraser, V. (2014) The reef guide-fishes, corals, nudibranchs & other invertebrates: East & South coasts of southern Africa. Struik Nature, Cape Town, 360 pp.","Bleeker, P. (1864) Poissons inedits indo-archipelagiques de l'ordre des Murenes. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde, 2, 38 - 54.","Ruppell, W. P. E. S. (1830) Atlas zu der Reise im nordlichen Afrika. Fische des Rothen Meers. Frankfurt am Main (Heinrich Ludwig Bronner), 95 - 141.","Ahl, J. N. (1789) Specimen ichthyologicum de Muraena et Ophichtho, quod venia exp. Fac. Med. Ups. Praeside Carol. Pet. Thunberg, etc. J. Edman, Upsaliae. 1 - 14.","McClelland, J. (1844) Apodal fishes of Bengal. Calcutta Journal of Natural History, 5, 151 - 226.","Rodriguez, F., Oliver, J. F., Marin, A. & Medina, J. R. (1990) The general stochastic model of nucleotide substitution. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 142, 485 - 501. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / S 0022 - 5193 (05) 80104 - 3"]}

Uropterygius concolor Rüppell 1838 —Unicolor Snakemoray (Figure 42) Uropterygius concolor Rüppell 1838: 83, pl. 20 (fig. 4) (Massawa, Eritrea, Red Sea). Lectotype, SMF 746, designated by Böhlke 1982: 40. — Goren & Dor 1994: 7; Randall & Golani 1995: 871; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 11; Golani & Fricke 2018: 23. Gymnomuraena concolor: Klunzinger 1871: 620. Red Sea material. Egypt : USNM 410630 (1, 89), Sharm el Sheikh, Sharm el Moya. Saudi Arabia: KAUMM 411 [KAU 12-1084] (1, 71), Farasan Archipelago; KAUMM 412 [KAU 12-1086] (1, 189), Al Lith; KAUMM 413 [KAU 12-1089] (1, 108), Al Lith; SMF 35824 [KAU 12-309] (1, 176), Farasan Archipelago; SMF 35825 [KAU 13- 288] (1, 118), Al Wajh; SMF 35826 [KAU 13-346] (1, 178), Al Wajh (marbled); SMF 33615 (1, 153), Al Lith (marbled). Eritrea: HUJ 4939 (1, 191), Dahlak Archipelago; HUJ 15127 (1, 146), Dahlak Archipelago; SMF 746 (1, 218, lectotype of Uropterygius concolor), Massawa; SMF 7422 (1, 188, paralectotype of Uropterygius concolor), Massawa; USNM 235348 (5, 151–195), Melita Bay; USNM 312832 (4, 131–187), Dahlak Archipelago, Delemmi; USNM 312833 (1, 144), Dahlak Archipelago, Harat Island; USNM 397544 (1, 145), Massawa. Description. In TL: preanal length 2.1–2.5, head length 8.1–10, body depth at anus 20–34. In head length: snout length 5.9–9.3, eye diameter 9.1–13, upper-jaw length 2.4–3.6. Pores: LL 1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 107–115, pre-anus 47–50, pre-anal fin 109–118, total 117–124. Body moderate; anus before midlength; gill opening at mid-side. Snout moderate, jaws about equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril above anterior margin of eye. Teeth biserial, conical, smooth, those of intermaxillary and maxillary continuous, the outer series small and numerous, the inner series longer and fewer; the inner maxillary row extends almost to posterior end of jaw. Two median intermaxillary teeth. Dentary teeth biserial, those of inner row larger than those of outer; the inner row extending a half to two-thirds the length of outer row. Vomerine teeth uniserial. Color: medium brown, usually uniform, occasionally with irregular, indistinct pale markings. Head pores white. Conspicuous rows of small, white neuromasts on head and along lateral line. In life branchial cavity in a diffuse dark magenta blotch. Maximum size about 200–250 mm. Distribution and habitat. Occurrence and distribution outside the Red Sea is uncertain. The name has been widely applied to small, brown Uropterygius in the Indo-Pacific, but it is not certain whether all of these represent the same species. Further studies are needed. Specimens were collected from fringing reefs of seaward reef from depths of 3– 15 m. Remarks. There are no obvious differences between the plain-colored and patterned specimens. They are identical in dentition, pore pattern, position of the gill opening, and number of vertebrae, and we presume that they are simply color phases of the same species. The phylogeny (Fig. 48) includes, next to Red Sea specimens collected in this study, specimens originally identified as Uropterygius concolor (here Uropterygius cf. concolor) from the southwestern Indian Ocean (South Africa), the southeastern Indian Ocean (Western Australia) and the South Pacific (Society Islands), which all form well divergent clades and presumably represent a number of different species. Closest of these clades to the Red Sea Uropterygius concolor (with type locality in Massawa, Eritrea) is Uropterygius cf. concolor from the Southwest Indian Ocean (South Africa), with which it is placed in a joint clade with moderately high bootstrap support., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 63-66, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Ruppell, W. P. E. S. (1838) Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehorig. Fische des Rothen Meeres. S. Schmerber, Frankfurt am Main, 148 pp.","Bohlke, E. B. (1982) Vertebral formulae for type specimens of eels (Pisces: Anguilliformes). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 134, 31 - 49.","Goren, M. & Dor, M. (1994) An updated checklist of the fishes of the Red Sea; CLOFRES II. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, XII + 120 pp.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Klunzinger, C. B. (1871) Synopsis der Fische des Rothen Meeres. II. Theil. Verhandlungen der K. - K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 21, 441 - 688. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 1148"]}

Uropterygius micropterus (Bleeker 1852) —Shortfin Snakemoray (Figure 45) Muraena micropterus Bleeker 1852: 298 (Wahai, northern Ceram, Indonesia). Lectotype, BMNH 1867.11.28.326, designated by Böhlke & Smith 2002: 162. Uropterygius micropterus: Randall & Golani 1995: 874; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 11; Golani & Fricke 2018: 24. Red Sea material. Red Sea: HUJ 17559 (1, 220), Gulf of Aqaba. Comparative material. Indonesia: BMNH 1867.11. 28.326 (1, 232, holotype); USNM 312805 (1, 200). Philippines: USNM 289910 (1, 214); USNM 318405 (1, 178). Taiwan: USNM 312855 (1, 239). Mariana Is. : ANSP 71585 (1, 188, holotype of Uropterygius tinkhami Fowler); ANSP 71586 (1, 74, paratype of U. tinkhami); USNM 123942 (1, 189); USNM 132839 (3, 130–164). Samoa: USNM 52284 (2, 168–170). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.3, head length 8.1–9.9, body depth at anus 17–27. In head length: snout length 6.4–8.6, eye diameter 11–18, upper-jaw length 2.7–3.7. Pores: LL 1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 102–110, pre-anus 49–53, pre-anal fin 104–111, total 113–121. Body moderate; anus slightly before midlength. Head moderate, jaws equal. Gill opening at mid-side. Eye moderate, slightly closer to tip of snout than to rictus. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril above anterior margin of eye. Teeth slender, conical, smooth. Intermaxillary with a peripheral row of small teeth, an intermediate row of 2–3 larger teeth, and 3 large, depressible median teeth. Maxillary teeth in two rows, the outer row small and closely set, the inner row larger and fewer; the two rows continuous with intermaxillary teeth. Dentary teeth biserial, the outer teeth small and numerous, the inner teeth larger and fewer. About 12 vomerine teeth in single row. Color: light brown with irregular dark brown lines on upper two-thirds of head and body, partly interconnected to form a fine reticulum. Maximum size about 250 mm. Distribution and habitat. Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea south to South Africa (Durban), east to the Line Islands, Phoenix Islands, and Samoa Islands. Reported from rubble areas of intertidal reef flats, tide pools, and shallow reefs to a depth of 10 m. Remarks. Randall & Golani (1995) reported the single record from the Red Sea based on a specimen from the Gulf of Aqaba. No obvious geographic variation is evident. Mitochondrial COI barcodes were retrieved for four specimens from BOLD (none of them from the Red Sea), and as they showed no substantial variation only one of them (FTWS419-09 from Taiwan) was included in the phylogeny (Fig. 48). Specimens in this clade, originally identified as Strophidon sathete (a species of the subfamily Muraeninae), were re-assigned herein as Uropterygius micropterus (see also Huang et al. 2019). The species forms part of a moderately well supported clade with lineages under the name U. macrocephalus (see remarks for U. macrocephalus)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 69-70, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Bleeker, P. (1852) Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van de Moluksche Eilanden. Visschen van Amboina en Ceram. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie, 3, 229 - 309.","Bohlke, E. B. & Smith, D. G. (2002) Type catalogue of Indo-Pacific Muraenidae. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 152, 89 - 172. https: // doi. org / 10.1635 / 0097 - 3157 (2002) 152 [0089: TCOIPM] 2.0. CO; 2","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Huang, W. - C., Chen, H. - M. & Liao, T. - Y. (2019) Revalidation of a moray eel, Gymnothorax mucifer Snyder, 1904 (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), with a revised distribution. Zootaxa, 4559 (1), 151 - 165. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4559.1.6"]}

Gymnothorax margaritophorus Bleeker. Indonesia: BMNH 1867.11.28.268 (1, 207, holotype). Samoa: USNM 51713 (1, 253, holotype of Gymnothorax talofa Jordan & Starks). French Polynesia, Moorea: MNHN 2008-0437 (1, 72); MNHN 2008-0438 (1, 72); MNHN 2008-0439 (1, 63); MNHN 2008-0442 (1, 290); MNHN 2008-0443 (1, 290); MNHN 2008-0444 (1, 219); MNHN 2008-0446 (1, 57). Gambier Is.: USNM 401788 [GAM-412] (1, 457). Manua’e (Scilly) I.: USNM 435145 [SCIL-256] (1, 168)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 42, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576

Gymnothorax favagineus Bloch & Schneider 1801 —Honeycomb Moray (Figure 14) Gymnothorax favagineus Bloch & Schneider 1801: 525, pl. 105 (Tranquebar, India). Holotype (unique), ZMB 7782 (stuffed).— Randall 1994: 260; Randall & Golani 1995: 858; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 21. Red Sea material. None. Comparative material. Taiwan: USNM 312734 (1, 303); USNM 312736 (2, 182–278). Australia: USNM 176690 (2, ca 600–614); USNM 312733 (1, 304); USNM 312735 (1, 290). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.2, predorsal length 9.4–11, head length 7.6–8.8, body depth at anus 19–24. In head length: snout length 5.1–6.7, eye diameter 9.4–11, upper-jaw length 2.5–3.0. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 5–6, preanal 61–64, total 139–148. Body moderately elongate, anus slightly before midlength, dorsal-fin origin before gill opening. Jaws moderate, of equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril in a low tube, over or just in front of anterior edge of eye. Teeth smooth, conical to narrowly triangular; intermaxillary teeth in a single peripheral series of about 4 on each side, 2 or 3 median teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial, 2–3 larger inner teeth and about 1 1–15 smaller outer teeth. Dentary with 2 or 3 large teeth anteriorly followed by about 11–14 smaller teeth, the larger teeth sometimes distinctly medial to smaller teeth. Vomerine teeth uniserial in young, biserial in adults. Color: body and head white covered with numerous, polygonal, black spots separated by narrow interspaces often forming a honeycomb-like pattern. Spots larger and more widely separated in young. Maximum size at least 2 m. Distribution and habitat. Widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from the southern Red Sea south to South Africa, east to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Occurs on coral and rocky reefs from depths of 1–50 m; feeds on fishes and octopuses. Remarks. The record from the Red Sea is based on a photograph taken at Hanish Island off Yemen (Randall 1994). The three specimens examined from Taiwan have fewer vertebrae (139–141) than the four specimens from Australia (146–148). This species has been confused with other dark-spotted species such as Gymnothorax isingteena (Richardson) and G. melanospilus (Bleeker). The species was not collected during the present study, and no tissue samples or COI sequence data for G. favagineus specimens from the Red Sea are available at present. The one sequence of Gymnothorax favagineus included in the phylogenetic analysis (Fig. 48) and other near identical sequences from the southwestern Indian Ocean that are deposited in BOLD (not included in the present analysis) do not differ markedly from sequences from specimens collected in distant parts of the distribution area of the species (e.g. Taiwan, Indonesia and Western Australia) indicating low levels of intra-specific genetic differentiation (not shown in the present phylogeny, Fig. 48). The closest phylogenetic relationship, although only weakly supported by bootstrapped analyses, is with Gymnothorax formosus Bleeker (represented by a specimen from the Society Islands in the present analysis, see Fig. 48)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 26-27, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Bloch, M. E. & Schneider, J. G. (1801) M. E. Blochii […] Systema ichthyologiae iconibus CX illustratum. Post obitum auctoris opus inchoatum absolvit, correxit, interpolavit Jo. Gottlob Schneider, Saxo, LX + 584 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 5750","Randall, J. E. (1994) Twenty-two new records of fishes from the Red Sea. Fauna of Saudia Arabia, 14, 259 - 275.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Enchelycore bayeri (Schultz 1953) —Bayer’s Moray (Figure 5) Gymnothorax bayeri Schultz in Schultz et al. 1953: 124, figs. 23f, 26 (Lagoon coral head at Kieschiechi I., Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Is., western Pacific, 20 ft [6.1 m]), holotype USNM 141608. Enchelycore bayeri: Randall & Golani 1995: 852; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 9; Golani & Fricke 2018: 20. Red Sea material. Egypt : HUJ 5845 (1, 525), Ras Muhammad; HUJ 15051 (1, 550), Gulf of Aqaba; USNM 312200 (5, 163–700), Strait of Jubal. Sudan: USNM 397541(1, 172), Shaab Suedi. Saudi Arabia: BPBM 30642 (2, 238– 344), Jeddah; KAUMM 391 [KAU 12-1058] (1, 305), Al Lith; SMF 35805 [KAU 13-679] (1, 197), Jeddah, Obhur. Comparative material. Taiwan: USNM 312203 (1, 288). Philippines: USNM 293364 (1, 250); USNM 293365 (1, 493); USNM 293370 (1, 447); USNM 293423 (1, 260). Indonesia: USNM 312201 (1, 515). Fiji: USNM 242079 (1, 231). Marshall Is. : USNM 141608 (1, 393, holotype). French Polynesia, Moorea: MNHN 2008-0451 (1, 157); MNHN 2008-0452 (1, 99); USNM 392231 (1, 95). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.3–2.6, predorsal length 6.0–8.3, head length 7.0–7.7, body depth at anus 20–34. In head length: snout length 4.5–5.1, eye diameter 10–20, upper-jaw length 2.3–2.7. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 9–11, preanal 50–53, total 146–152. Head and body moderately elongate; anus slightly before midlength; dorsal fin low, its origin above gill opening. Jaws very slender, strongly arched, mouth not closing completely, leaving a prominent elliptical gap between jaw tips and rictus. Eye well developed, at about midpoint of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular, small, not reaching edge of lip when depressed; posterior nostril elliptical with raised rim, located anterior to eye except in very small specimens. Teeth long, smooth, and sharply pointed. Intermaxillary with a peripheral series of about four large canines on each side separated by much smaller teeth, the latter forming a row slightly outside the large teeth; 3 median teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial, with about four large inner teeth and ca. 25–30 smaller outer teeth, some of these larger than others. Dentary teeth biserial anteriorly, uniserial posteriorly; inner teeth much larger, converging on outer row at about midpoint of jaw; outer teeth smaller, more numerous, somewhat variable in size. Vomerine teeth biserial, short and bluntly pointed, becoming uniserial posteriorly. Color: uniform brown, fins with greenish yellow or yellow edge. Throat in an indistinct dark violet blotch. Head pores narrowly dark edged. Maximum size about 600–700 mm. Distribution and habitat. Across the Indo-West Pacific from the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea to French Polynesia; absent from Hawaiian Islands. Primarily on coral reefs in relatively shallow water, known from depth of 3– 38 m. Very secretive and may be seen occasionally on reefs with rich coral growth. Remarks. This is a very distinctive eel, with its narrow, highly arched jaws and the posterior nostril located distinctly before the eye. It shows little variation over its range. Six Red Sea specimens have 146–151 vertebrae, the holotype from the Marshall Islands has 148, and three specimens from Moorea in the Society Islands have 149–152. Randall & Golani (1995) reported the first Red Sea record from several localities. According to the COI-based phylogeny there is no marked evolutionary divergence among specimens of this species from the Red Sea to the South Pacific. Interestingly, there was no obvious close association with other species of the genus included in the phylogeny. Enchelycore schismatorhynchus as well as E. ramosa (Griffin) and E. pardalis (Temminck & Schlegel) were also associated with different clades of moray species (mostly from the genus Gymnothorax)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Schultz, L. P., Herald, E. S., Lachner, E. A., Welander, A. D. & Woods, L. P. (1953) Fishes of the Marshall and Marianas islands. Vol. I. Families from Asymmetrontidae through Siganidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 202, i-xxxii + 1 - 685. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 17831","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Gymnothorax baranesi Smith, Brokovich & Einbinder 2008 —Barane’s Moray (Figure 9) Gymnothorax baranesi Smith, Brokovich & Einbinder 2008: 63, figs. 1–4 (Off Eilat, Israel). Holotype, HUJ 18976.— Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 20. Gymnothorax sp.: Khalaf & Disi 1997: 40. Red Sea material. Israel: HUJ 18976 (1, 857, holotype), Eilat; HUJ 18975 (1, 762, paratype), Eilat; USNM 388603 (1, 828, paratype), Eilat. Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.1, predorsal length 7.9–8.1, head length 6.6–7.5, body depth at anus 14–19. In head length: snout length 4.8–5.7, eye diameter 11–13, upper -jaw length 2.5–2.6. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 6–7, preanal 52–55, total 137–142. Body moderate, anus near midlength; dorsal fin begins before gill opening. Head and jaws moderate, jaws not closing completely. Eye moderate in size, over middle of upper jaw. Gill opening midlateral.Anterior nostril tubular, short, not reaching edge of lip when depressed; posterior nostril elliptical, without raised rim, over anterior part of eye. Teeth sharp, conical to triangular, smooth. Intermaxillary with a peripheral series of 5–7 teeth on each side and 1–3 long, slender, median teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial or uniserial, the inner row with two long depressible teeth and the outer row with 14–17 smaller, triangular, retrorse teeth, continuous with peripheral intermaxillary teeth. Dentary teeth uniserial, larger anteriorly, conical to triangular. Vomer with 3–12 small teeth, in a single staggered row. Color: brown, covered with moderate-size pale spots in approximately three rows, largest around midbody, the spots rosette-like anteriorly, irregularly rounded near end of tail; spots much smaller on head, inconspicuous or absent on snout and lower jaw; spots extending onto fins; tubular anterior nostril dark brown or black; gill opening darker than surrounding area; a narrow dark blotch at angle of jaw. Maximum size at least 800–900 mm. Distribution and habitat. Apparently endemic to the Red Sea, in relatively deep water, approximately 200 m, all known records from the Gulf of Aqaba. Remarks. This species resembles Gymnothorax pharaonis n. sp. (see below) in its color pattern, but in the latter species the markings on the tail are more irregular in shape and tend to be drawn out into oblique streaks dorsally and ventrally. In addition, G. pharaonis has fewer vertebrae (122–128 vs. 137–142) and lives in shallower water. The teeth in G. baranesi are sexually dimorphic, the males having larger and fewer teeth and lacking the inner maxillary teeth. Gymnothorax baranesi was not collected during the present study and no COI sequence information was available for this species, so it could not be included in the phylogenetic analysis carried out in this study., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 19-20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Smith, D. G., Brokovich, E. & Einbinder, S. (2008) Gymnothorax baranesi, a new moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from the Red Sea. Zootaxa, 1678, 63 - 68. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 1678.1.4","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Khalaf, M. A. & Disi, A. M. (1997) Fishes of the Gulf of Aqaba. Marine Science Station Aqaba, Jordan, 252 pp."]}

Gymnothorax pindae Smith 1962 —Pinda Moray (Figure 32) Gymnothorax pindae Smith 1962: 430, pl. 55 (fig. D) (Pinda, Mozambique). Holotype (unique), SAIAB 105.— Randall & Golani 1995: 865; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 22. Red Sea material. Red Sea : USNM 191669 (1, 251). Egypt: USNM 312698 (4, 145–210), El Himeira, Gulf of Aqaba. Saudi Arabia: KAUMM 405 [KAU 12-1088] (1, 127), Al Lith; KAUMM 406 [KAU 13-489] (1, 222), Al Wajh; KAUMM 407 [KAU 13-596] (1, 104), Duba; KAUMM 408 (KAU 14-993), (1, 162), Al Lith; KAUMM 414 [KAU 13-692] (1, 103), Jeddah, Obhur; SMF 35169 (1, 340), Duba; SMF 35398 [KAU 13-352] (1, 323), Al Wajh; SMF 35818 [KAU 12-1027] (1, 210), Al Lith; SMF 35819 [KAU 13-447] (1, 304), Al Wajh; SMF 35820 [KAU 13- 595] (1, 198), Duba; SMF 35827 [KAU 13-693] (1, 252), Jeddah, Obhur. Comparative material. Mauritius : USNM 312725 (1, 99). Philippines: USNM 315563 (1, 144). Vanuatu: USNM 363336 (2, 50–146); USNM 363689 (1, 258). French Polynesia, Mururoa: USNM 408155 (1, 153). Manua’e (Scilly) I.: USNM 435224 [SCIL-335] (1, 114). Hawaii: BPBM 37447 (1, 285). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.2–2.5, predorsal length 6.6–11, head length 6.5–8.3, body depth at anus 15–24. In head length: snout length 4.1–6.8, eye diameter 6.8–11, upper-jaw length 2.2–3.2. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 5–6 (1 specimen with 10), preanal 42–44, total 118–123. Body moderately stout; anus before midlength; dorsal-fin origin before gill opening. Dorsal and anal fins high, dorsal fin height up to half body depth. Snout relatively short and tapering, jaws of equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril long and tubular, reaching edge of lip when depressed; posterior nostril above anterior margin of eye. Intermaxillary teeth in a single peripheral series, 6–7 on each side, triangular, increasing in size posteriorly; 1–3 median teeth, long, conical. Maxillary teeth uniserial in larger specimens, biserial in smaller specimens, which have a few large inner teeth anteriorly. Dentary with 1–3 larger inner teeth anteriorly, an outer row of smaller teeth, decreasing in size posteriorly. Larger teeth anteriorly in jaws serrate. Vomerine teeth uniserial or slightly staggered, small and inconspicuous. Color: medium to dark brown, becoming nearly black posteriorly on tail and fins, with an indistinct marbled pattern of lighter brown separated by obscure darker interspaces on body and basally in the dorsal fin; often obscure horizontal lines on branchial area and anterior body. Anterior nostril dark brown. Iris yellow, margin of eye darker brown, wider posteriorly. Maximum size about 400 mm. Distribution and habitat. Throughout the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and east coast of Africa to the Society Islands and Hawaiian Islands. Usually found in shallow lagoon reefs and from fringing reefs in depth range 2– 43 m. Remarks. This species has been confused in the past with other plain brown morays. Schultz (1953: 113) misidentified it as Gymnothorax moluccensis and G. monochrous (see Randall & McCosker 1975: 17–18). Randall & Golani (1995: 865) reported vertebral counts of 130–135 for three specimens from Midway, but these specimens (presumably SIO 68-498 as reported by Randall & McCosker 1975: 17) are most probably Gymnothorax atolli (Pietschmann), a species that was not recognized until later. Böhlke & Randall (2000: 249) reported the range of vertebral counts as 110–124, but we have examined specimens from all corners of the Indo-Pacific and found no confirmed counts lower than 118. We suspect that the figure of 110 is either an error or based on a damaged specimen. There appears to be a considerable high level of intraspecific genetic variation. Two of the Red Sea specimens collected in this study (KAUMM 414 and SMF 34818) fall apart from the others on the COI phylogeny (Fig. 48). The majority of sequences derived from Red Sea specimens, however, fall into a subclade with specimens from the South Pacific (New Caledonia and Society Islands). The divergence between the two genetic subgroups is as prominent as that among sub-groups in G. javanicus (see above), but as in that case, we can find no morphological characters that separate them, and we cannot explain the significance of the observed genetic divergence. No closely related species can be identified from the present phylogeny for G. pindae (Fig. 48)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 49, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Smith, J. L. B. (1962) The moray eels of the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Ichthyological Bulletin, Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, 23, 421 - 444.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Schultz, L. P., Herald, E. S., Lachner, E. A., Welander, A. D. & Woods, L. P. (1953) Fishes of the Marshall and Marianas islands. Vol. I. Families from Asymmetrontidae through Siganidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 202, i-xxxii + 1 - 685. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 17831","Randall, J. E. & McCosker, J. E. (1975) The eels of Easter Island with a description of a new moray. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Contributions in Science, 264, 1 - 32.","Bohlke, E. B. & Randall, J. E. (2000) A review of the moray eels (Angulliformes [sic]: Muraenidae) of the Hawaiian Islands, with descriptions of two new species. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 150, 203 - 278."]}

Uropterygius polyspilus (Regan 1909) —Largespotted Snakemoray (Figure 47) Gymnomuraena polyspila Regan 1909: 438 (Tahiti, Society Is.). Holotype (unique), BMNH 1909.12.14.23. Uropterygius polyspilus: Marshall 1952: 224; Dor 1984: 30; Goren & Dor 1994: 7; Randall & Golani 1995: 876; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 11; Golani & Fricke 2018: 24. Red Sea material. Israel : USNM 312859 (1, 495), Eilat. Comparative material. Seychelles : USNM 264162 (1, 410). Guam: USNM 312858 (1, 542). Samoa: USNM 115910 (2, 140–175). Johnston I.: USNM 26823 (1, 441). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.1, head length 10–11, body depth at anus 24–32. In head length: snout length 6.0–8.1, eye diameter 10–15, upper-jaw length 3.1–4.2. Pores: LL 1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 120–128, pre-anus 60–65, pre-anal fin 122–128, total 127–136. Body moderate; anus near midlength. Snout moderate, jaws about equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Gill opening at mid-side. Anterior and posterior nostrils tubular; posterior nostril tubular, above middle of eye. Teeth slender, conical, smooth. Intermaxillary teeth in five rows across, peripheral teeth small, intermediate and median teeth larger; 3–4 median teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial; outer teeth small and closely spaced, continuous with peripheral intermaxillary teeth; inner teeth long and depressible, continuous with intermediate intermaxillary teeth, inner row extends about as far back as outer row. Dentary teeth biserial, the outer small and closely spaced, the inner larger and fewer. Vomerine teeth uniserial. Color: tan to white, with rounded dark brown spots; spots on head smaller than those on body; nostrils white. Maximum size at least 780 mm. Distribution and habitat. Widespread but known from scattered localities; in the Indian Ocean including the Red Sea, Zanzibar, Comoro Islands, Seychelles, and Chagos Archipelago; in the western Pacific from Australia (Great Barrier Reef), Vietnam, the Philippines, Caroline Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Johnston Island, Samoa Islands, Line Islands, and Society Islands. Most records from reef flats but reported from coral reefs at depth of 18 m. Remarks. The first Red Sea record is based on a specimen of 202 mm in length from Sanafir Island at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba (Marshall 1952). One individual was photographed by J.E. Randall off Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. May easily be confused in the field with Scuticaria tigrina, which has a similar color pattern, but it differs in having the anus at midlength of body, preanal length 2.0– 2.1 in TL (vs. anus much closer to tail in S. tigrina, 1.3–1.6 in TL), fewer vertebrae (127–136 vs. 166–170), and having more scattered spots on body and a large spot on postorbital head between eye and gill opening below level of eye (vs. body with combination of large and small spots, and large spot on postorbital head between eye and gill opening at level of eye). No tissue samples or COI sequences are available for analyzing the phylogenetic relationships of this species., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 71, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Regan, C. T. (1909) Descriptions of new marine fishes from Australia and the Pacific. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 8, 4 (23), 438 - 440. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222930908692695","Marshall, N. B. (1952) The ' Manihine' expedition to the Gulf of Aqaba 1948 - 1949. IX. Fishes. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology, 1 (8), 221 - 252.","Dor, M. (1984) CLOFRES, Checklist of the Fishes of the Red Sea. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, 437 pp.","Goren, M. & Dor, M. (1994) An updated checklist of the fishes of the Red Sea; CLOFRES II. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, XII + 120 pp.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Gymnothorax undulatus (Lacepède 1803) —Undulated Moray (Figure 38) Muraenophis undulata Lacepède (ex Commerson) 1803: 629, 642, pl. 19 (fig. 2) (No locality). Holotype (unique), whereabouts unknown. ? Muraena undulata: Klunzinger 1871: 615 (Quseir, Egypt). ? Gymnothorax meleagris (non Shaw & Nodder): Fowler & Steinitz 1956: 270 (Eilat). Gymnothorax undulatus: Randall & Golani 1995: 868 (in part: Pl. 2F); Debelius 1998: 13; Lieske & Myers 2004: 36; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 23. Red Sea material. Red Sea : USNM 47604 (1, 490). Egypt: USNM 312603 (1, 674), Gulf of Aqaba, Marsa Muqabila. Saudi Arabia: USNM 147430 (1, 500), Gubat Ashra. Eritrea: USNM 312608 (1, 357), Dahlak Archipelago, Delemmi. Comparative material. Arabian Gulf : BPBM 29469 (1, 693); BPBM 33383 (1, 760); BPBM 33384 (2, 432– 533). Mauritius: BPBM 20132 (1, 207). Chagos Archipelago: USNM 312615 (5, 263–407). Madagascar: MNHN B.2426 (1, 400); MNHN B.2432 (1, 317); MNHN B.2728 (1, 434); MNHN 1965-338 (1, 206); MNHN 1991-0402 (3, 49 8–595). Mozambique: SAIAB 60389 (1, 223). South Africa: SAIAB 60166 (9, 80–360); USNM 312712 (1, 570); USNM 330982 (1, 454). Wallis I. : USNM 371033 (1, 141). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.1–2.4, predorsal length 7.8–11, head length 6.6–8.2, body depth at anus 12–21. In head length: snout length 4.6–6.4, eye diameter 6.4–12, upper-jaw length 2.2–2.9. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 3–6, preanal 50–58, total 126–136. Body moderately elongate; anus before midlength; dorsal-fin origin before gill opening. Snout moderate, jaws of equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril above anterior part of eye. Teeth conical, pointed, smooth. Intermaxillary teeth in a single peripheral series, 2–6 on each side; 2–4 median teeth, usually 3. Maxillary teeth uniserial or biserial, with 1–2 larger inner teeth anteriorly, about 9–18 smaller outer teeth. Dentary teeth biserial, with 2–4 larger inner teeth anteriorly, 16–20 smaller outer teeth. Vomerine teeth uniserial but biserial in 1 specimen, about 4–7. Color: variable over range. In Red Sea, small individuals with body and fins dark gray to black with narrow pale markings arranged in a reticular pattern. Larger individuals more grayish, pattern becoming more irregular and obscure. Top of head olive-green to yellow-green, densely spotted with small irregular dark brown spots posteriorly; snout and lower jaw yellow-green to light grey-brown without spots; corner of mouth with a white spot. Outside Red Sea most commonly dark brown to black, with narrow pale markings usually interconnected to form a reticulation; the pattern generally more obscure in larger specimens. One specimen (BPBM 33383, 760 mm, from Jana Island, Arabian Gulf), apparently of this species, dull whitish with small, irregular black spots. Maximum size about 1.5 m. Distribution and habitat. Widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa eastward to the islands off Central America. Mainly in shallow water, common on coral reefs, reported from depths of 1– 110 m. Remarks. As pointed out above, this species was confused with Gymnothorax pharaonis n. sp. described here. Gymnothorax undulatus is highly variable over its range, and further study may show that it represents a complex of species. Specimens examined from the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf have fewer vertebrae (126–129) than those from Mauritius and Chagos Archipelago (130–134) and South Africa (134–136). The specimen from Wallis Island has 131. The South African specimens differ further in coloration, showing a densely spotted, gravel-like pattern rather than reticulations (see Pl. 57E in Smith 1962). Randall & Golani (1995: 868) listed Klunzinger’s (1871) record of Muraena undulata and Fowler & Steinitz’s record of Gymnothorax meleagris in their synonymy of Gymnothorax undulatus, but as they confused G. undulatus with G. pharaonis, these may refer to the latter species instead. No Red Sea specimen was collected during this study and no sequences of the mitochondrial COI barcoding gene were available for other Red Sea specimens of G. undulatus. We therefore included COI sequences of each of two closely related clades for which COI sequences could be retrieved from various databases. One clade was largely restricted to the Indian Ocean and the other to the Pacific Ocean. However, as the type locality of the species is not documented, the whereabouts of the holotype is unknown, and we did (with the exception of one South Pacific specimen) examine only Red Sea and Indian Ocean material herein, we refrain from guessing which of the two clades might represent Gymnothorax undulatus and if the other clade represents another species. Hence, both clades are under the name G. undulatus in the presented phylogeny (Fig. 48), where they form part of a highly supported clade with G. punctatus., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 58-60, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Lacepede, B. G. E. (1803) Histoire naturelle des poisons. Vo. 5. Chez Saugrain, Paris, 803 pp. [l'an VII de la Republique (1799, i. e. 1803) - an XII (1804)] https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 6882","Klunzinger, C. B. (1871) Synopsis der Fische des Rothen Meeres. II. Theil. Verhandlungen der K. - K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 21, 441 - 688. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 1148","Fowler, H. W. & Steinitz, H. (1956) Fishes from Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Oman. Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel, 5 B (3 - 4), 260 - 292.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Debelius, H. (1998) Red Sea reef guide. IKAN-Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt, 321 pp.","Lieske, E. & Myers, R. F. (2004) Coral reef guide. Red Sea to Gulf of Aden, South Oman. Harper Collins Publishers, London, 384 pp.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Smith, J. L. B. (1962) The moray eels of the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Ichthyological Bulletin, Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, 23, 421 - 444."]}

Echidna nebulosa (Ahl 1789) —Snowflake Moray (Figure 3) Muraena nebulosa Ahl 1789: 7, pl. 1 (right fig.) (East Indies). No types known to exist, although Fricke (1999: 42) designated the illustrated specimen as the lectotype.— Klunzinger 1871: 21; Borsieri 1904: 218. Muraena ophis Forsskål, 1775: xiv. Nomen nudum. Muraena ophis Rüppell 1830: 116, pl. 29 (fig. 2) (Red Sea). Holotype (unique): SMF 19. Objectively invalid, preoccupied by Muraena ophis Linnaeus 1758. Echidna nebulosa: Marshall 1952: 223; Tortonese 1968: 9; Dor 1984: 26; Goren & Dor 1994: 6; Randall & Golani 1995: 851; Khalaf & Disi 1997: 39; Khalaf 2004: 35; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 9; Golani & Fricke 2018: 19. Red Sea material. Red Sea : SMF 19 (1, 547, holotype of Muraena ophis). Israel: HUJ 5239 (1, 547), Eilat; HUJ 5241 (1, 536), Eilat; HUJ 15020 (2, 410–476), Gulf of Aqaba, El Arkana. Egypt: USNM 166911 (2, 408–518), Ghardaqa (Hurghada); USNM 312130 (1, 601), channel at Ras Muhammad. Comparative material. Mauritius : USNM 342096 (1, 352); USNM 345794 (1, 220). Taiwan: USNM 312122 (1, 156). Hawaii: USNM 126552 (3, 91–360). Panama: USNM 312135 (1, 267). Description. In TL: preanal length 1.9–2.1, predorsal length 8.9–12, head length 8.1–11, body depth at anus 18–26. In head length: snout length 5.6–7.0, eye diameter 9.3–13, upper-jaw length 2.6–3.7. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 4–6, preanal 54–58, total 119–125. Body moderately stout, generally deeper with growth; anus near midlength; dorsal fin begins slightly anterior to gill opening; anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Head moderate in length, snout relatively short and deep. Eye moderately small, closer to rictus than to snout tip. Teeth stout, triangular to molariform. Intermaxillary with ca 5–6 peripheral teeth on each side, triangular to bluntly pointed, slightly retrorse, with finely serrate posterior margins in larger individuals; 0–3 median teeth bluntly pointed. Maxillary teeth uniserial, ca 6–10 on each side, bluntly pointed. Dentary teeth somewhat variable, uniserial or biserial with an outer row of small nodular teeth and an anterior inner row of 2–3 larger, stout, bluntly conical teeth; posterior to this point a single series of teeth, which in some cases appear to be a continuation of the inner series, in other cases a continuation of the outer series; in largest specimen examined, teeth become multiserial and molariform posteriorly. Vomerine teeth biserial, large and molariform, ca 6–10 on each side. Color: light gray, white or pale brown (darker with growth), finely flecked with black, with two longitudinal rows of large, complex snowflake-like black blotches (those of ventral row are vertically elongate), containing one or more yellow spots and irregular dark edges; anterior tip of snout and lower jaw varying from white to gray; iris and anterior nostrils yellow. Distribution and habitat. Widely distributed across the entire Indo-Pacific, from the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea to Central America. Common inhabitant of coral reefs, typically found on reef flats, sometimes in seagrass areas, usually from depth less than 3 m, but reported from the depth of 48 m; feeding largely on crustaceans, usually crabs. Remarks. Fricke (1999) designated the specimen in the original illustration reproduced in Ahl (1789) as the lectotype and noted that Ahl published his dissertation of 1798 in 1801. Fricke (1999: 41) dated the original description of Muraena nebulosa to 1801, but that is apparently incorrect as there is a 1789 publication that differs from the 1801 reference. Smith (2012) gave the type locality as East Indies and mentioned Fricke’s designation of the lectotype as the illustrated specimen, which no longer exists. Muraena ophis Forsskål, 1775 was published in the synonymy of E. nebulosa, but without any comment or description; it is a nomen nudum, hence an unavailable name. This species shows little morphological variation over its vast range. The three specimens from the Red Sea have slightly fewer vertebrae (119–122, N = 5) than those from elsewhere (122–125, N = 7), but the sample size is too small to draw any firm conclusions. The three specimens from the Red Sea (Israel), the Western Pacific (Philippines) and the South Pacific (Society Islands) formed one joint monophyletic lineage in the phylogenetic analysis without apparent genetic divergence of the Red Sea specimen from e.g. the specimen from the Philippines (TZAIC707-06, see Fig. 48). A study on the genetic differentiation within E. nebulosa across the Indo-Pacific showed no marked intra-specific genetic variation in mitochondrial haplotypes (Reece et al. 2011). One COI sequence of a specimen that was originally identified as Echidna nebulosa in Reece et al. (2010) (HQ 122453) was part of a clade composed of specimens of Gymnothorax pictus (Ahl). The reason remains unclear, and examination of the voucher specimen and/or re-sequencing of the COI gene would be required to solve the issue; however, we preliminarily re-assigned the sequence/specimen to G. pictus and suggest either a sequence mix-up or a misidentification as the cause for the unexpected placement of the sequence. Echidna nebulosa formed a well-supported clade with three other species, i.e. G. pictus, G. pseudothyrsoideus (Bleeker) and Echidna xanthospilos (Bleeker). Other species of Echidna also formed part of well-supported clades in other parts of the phylogeny leading to a polyphyletic genus Echidna., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 9-10, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Ahl, J. N. (1789) Specimen ichthyologicum de Muraena et Ophichtho, quod venia exp. Fac. Med. ups. Praeside Carol. Pet. Thunberg, etc. Spec. Muraena Ophichtho, Upsala, 14 pp.","Fricke, R. (1999) Fishes of the Mascarene Islands (Reunion, Mauritius, Rodriguez). An annotated checklist with descriptions of new species. Koeltz Scientific Books, Konigstein, 759 pp.","Klunzinger, C. B. (1871) Synopsis der Fische des Rothen Meeres. II. Theil. Verhandlungen der K. - K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 21, 441 - 688. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 1148","Borsieri, C. (1904) Contribuzione alla conoscenza della fauna ittiologica della Colonia Eritrea. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Series 3, 1 (41), 187 - 220.","Forsskal, P. S. (1775) Descriptiones animalium avium, amphibiorum, piscium, insectorum, vermium; quae in itinere orientali observavit ... Post mortem auctoris edidit Carsten Niebuhr. ex officina Molleri, Hauniae, 20 + xxxiv + 164 pp., map. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 2154","Ruppell, W. P. E. S. (1830) Atlas zu der Reise im nordlichen Afrika. Fische des Rothen Meers. Heinrich Ludwig Bronner, Frankfurt am Main, 141 pp.","Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae (Stockholm), ii + 824 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 542","Marshall, N. B. (1952) The ' Manihine' expedition to the Gulf of Aqaba 1948 - 1949. IX. Fishes. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology, 1 (8), 221 - 252.","Tortonese, E. (1968) Fishes from Eilat (Red Sea). Bulletin of the Sea Fisheries Research Station of Israel, 51, 6 - 30.","Dor, M. (1984) CLOFRES, Checklist of the Fishes of the Red Sea. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, 437 pp.","Goren, M. & Dor, M. (1994) An updated checklist of the fishes of the Red Sea; CLOFRES II. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, XII + 120 pp.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Khalaf, M. A. & Disi, A. M. (1997) Fishes of the Gulf of Aqaba. Marine Science Station Aqaba, Jordan, 252 pp.","Khalaf, M. A. (2004) Fish fauna of the Jordanian coast, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Marine Science, 15, 23 - 50. https: // doi. org / 10.4197 / mar. 15 - 1.2","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Smith, D. G. (2012) A checklist of the moray eels of the world (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae). Zootaxa, 3474 (1), 1 - 64. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3474.1.1","Reece, J. S., Bowen, B. W., Smith, D. G. & Larson, A. (2011) Comparative phylogeography of four Indo-Pacific moray eel species (Muraenidae) reveals comparable ocean-wide genetic connectivity despite five-fold differences in available adult habitat. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 437, 269 - 277. https: // doi. org / 10.3354 / meps 09248","Reece, J. S., Bowen, B. W., Smith, D. G. & Larson, A. (2010) Molecular phylogenetics of moray eels (Muraenidae) demonstrates multiple origins of a shell-crushing jaw (Gymnomuraena, Echidna) and multiple colonizations of the Atlantic Ocean. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 57, 829 - 835. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2010.07.013"]}

Uropterygius golanii McCosker & Smith 1997 — Golani’s Snakemoray (Figure 43B) Uropterygius golanii McCosker & Smith 1997: 1011, fig. 3 (Strait of Jubal, S end of Sinai Peninsula at Ras Muhammed, Egypt, Red Sea, 0–10 m). Holotype, USNM 312830. — Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 11; Golani & Fricke 2018: 24. Red Sea material. Israel: HUJ 5266 (2, 426–453, paratypes), Eilat. Egypt: USNM 312830 (1, 404, holotype), Strait of Jubal; USNM 312831 (1, 291, paratype), Gulf of Aqaba, bay between Marsa Mokrakh and El Himeira [erroneously cited as 31281 in McCosker & Smith 1997]. Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.1, head length 11–13, body depth at anus 21–25. In head length: snout length 4.5–4.9, eye diameter 11–13, upper-jaw length 2.6–2.7. Pores: LL 1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 134–138, pre-anus 60–68, pre-anal fin 136–141, total 145–148. Body moderate; anus before midlength; gill opening at mid-side. Snout moderate, jaws about equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril in a short tube, above mid-eye. Teeth conical or wedge-shaped, smooth. Intermaxillary teeth in five rows across: a peripheral series of small, wedge-shaped teeth, an intermediate series of 3 teeth on each side, and 3 median teeth. Maxillary teeth uniserial, small and wedge-shaped, continuous with peripheral intermaxillary teeth. Dentary teeth biserial, with 3 larger, conical inner teeth anteriorly and 13–22 smaller, wedge-shaped outer teeth. Vomerine teeth 3–5, uniserial or staggered. Color: uniform brown, without markings. Maximum size at least 453 mm. Distribution and habitat. Found only in the Red Sea, known records from Eilat to southern tip of Ras Muhammad, in shallow water, less than 10 m deep. Remarks. This species is apparently endemic to the Red Sea, but a closely related form, U. xenodontus Mc-Cosker & Smith, occurs in the central and western Pacific. The dentition of these two species and U. inornatus Gosline is atypical for Uropterygius and more closely resembles the pattern found in many species of Gymnothorax. It is uncommon, known so far only from the type series, and no tissue samples or COI sequences are available for analyzing the phylogenetic relationships of this species., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 66-67, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["McCosker, J. E. & Smith, D. G. (1997) Two new Indo-Pacific morays of the genus Uropterygius (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae). Bulletin of Marine Science, 60 (3), 1005 - 1014.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Enchelycore schismatorhynchus (Bleeker 1853) —Funnel-nostril Moray (Figure 6) Muraena schismatorhynchus Bleeker 1853: 301 (Benkulen [Bengkulu], Sumatra, Indonesia). Holotype (unique), BMNH 1867.11.28.248. Muraena hemprichii Klunzinger 1871: 613 (Al-Quseir [Kosseir], Egypt, Red Sea). Holotype (unique), ZMB 4048. Enchelycore schismatorhynchus: Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 9; Golani & Fricke 2018: 20. Red Sea material. Egypt: ZMB 4048 (1, 585, holotype of Muraena hemprichii), El Quseir. Comparative material. Cargados Carajos Shoals: USNM 312172 (1, 633); USNM 312174 (2, 380–514). Mauritius: USNM 342103 (1, 314). Taiwan: BPBM 23335 (1, 502). Philippines: USNM 343388 (2, 112–199); USNM 379229 (1, 207). Indonesia: BMNH 1867.11.28.248 (1, 764, holotype); BMNH 1867.11.28.348 (1, 466, holotype of Muraena congeroides Bleeker); RMNH 3776 (1, 426, holotype of Eurymycterus crudelis Kaup); USNM 312173 (2, 203–545). Wallis I.: USNM 374952 (1, 340). Samoa: USNM 51717 (1, 586, holotype of Rhinamuraena [sic] eritima Jordan & Seale. French Polynesia, Austral Is.: USNM 423355 (1, 178); USNM 423413 [AUST-100] (1, 178). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.2, predorsal length 9.5–11, head length 6.9–8.3, body depth at anus 17–29. In head length: snout length 4.9–5.7, eye diameter 9.5–12, upper-jaw length 2.2–2.6. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 4–6, preanal 61–65, total 137–146. Body moderately elongate; anus at or slightly before midlength; dorsal fin moderately tall, begins anterior to gill opening; anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Jaws slender, arched, not completely closing, leaving an elliptical gap between jaw tips and rictus, this gap generally more strongly developed in larger specimens. Eye well developed, at about midpoint of upper jaw. Gill opening small, broadly tubular, midlateral in position. Anterior nostril relatively long, reaching slightly beyond edge of upper lip when depressed, distal end distinctly flared and slightly funnel-shaped; posterior nostril rounded, located above anterior margin of eye. Teeth slender, conical, sharply pointed. Intermaxillary with a peripheral series of about 4–5 large teeth on each side, with several much smaller teeth in between; 3 median teeth, increasing in size from back to front. Maxilla with 3–6 enlarged inner teeth anteriorly, and about 16–26 much smaller outer teeth. Dentary with 4–5 large inner teeth anteriorly, and about 27–45 smaller outer teeth. Vomerine teeth uniserial, about 5–11, moderate in size and somewhat stouter than other teeth. Color: uniform medium brown, paler ventrally on head and trunk; fins with a conspicuous white edge; tip of anterior nostril dark brown. Maximum size at least 764 mm. Distribution and habitat. Widely distributed from the Indian Ocean, where it is known from the Red Sea, Mauritius, and Chagos Archipelago, to French Polynesia; absent from Hawaiian Islands. In shallow water, commonly found on coral reefs at depths of 3–35 m; very secretive. Remarks. The only record of this species from the Red Sea is the holotype of Muraena hemprichii. Randall & Golani (1995) listed it as a synonym of G. hepaticus in their introduction but did not include it in the species account of the latter. Böhlke & Smith (2002: 114) determined that it is conspecific with Enchelycore schismatorhynchus, thus becoming its junior synonym. It has 137 vertebrae; specimens examined from elsewhere have 137–146. There is no clear pattern of geographic variation. The species was also not collected during this study. Enchelycore schismatorhynchus (the barcode sequence comes from a voucher specimen collected from the Austral Islands that was originally identified by the first author of this study) formed part of a well-supported clade with species assigned to Gymnothorax including the Red Sea species G. hepaticus.

Gymnomuraena zebra (Shaw 1797) —Zebra Moray (Figure 7) Gymnothorax zebra Shaw in Shaw & Nodder 1797: 4 unnum. pp., pl. 322 (Sumatra, Indonesia [erroneously given originally as American seas]). Holotype (unique), BMNH 1977.4.22.4. Muraena zebra: Klunzinger, 1871: 620. Echidna zebra: Fowler 1945: 119; Clark et al. 1968: 21; Dor 1984: 27; Goren & Dor 1994: 7; Khalaf & Disi 1997: 39. Gymnomuraena zebra: Khalaf 2004: 37; Randall & Golani 1995: 853; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 20. Red Sea material. Egypt: HUJ 15143 (1, 495), Ras Muhammad. Eritrea: USNM 312170 (2, 545–547), Isola Delemme. Comparative material. Chagos Archipelago : USNM 306603 (1, 362); USNM 312169 (1, 370). Indonesia, Sumatra: BMNH 1977.4.22.4 (1, 732, holotype). Hawaii: USNM 108807 (1, 499); USNM 402389 (1, 663). Panama: USNM 318328 (1, 386); USNM 361595 (1, 165). Description. In TL: preanal length 1.4–1.5, head length 8.3–11, body depth at anus 16–22. In head length: snout length 5.4–7.4, eye diameter 10–12, upper-jaw length 2.5–3.3. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 13–17, preanal 82–86, total 127–134. Body moderately stout; anus well behind mid-length; tail blunt; dorsal fin begins slightly behind gill opening; anal fin begins immediately behind anus, fins largely concealed externally by thick skin. Head relatively deep, snout short. Eye well developed, over middle of upper jaw. Gill opening small, low on side. Anterior nostril tubular, relatively short; posterior nostril in a short tube, above anterior part of eye. Teeth large, blunt, molariform. Intermaxillary teeth in an oval patch, about 4–5 teeth across, outer teeth smaller than inner. Maxillary teeth small, in a short row, one to two series. Dentary teeth biserial, with a few small teeth anteriorly forming a third row, anterior teeth in main series somewhat larger anteriorly. Vomerine teeth large and prominent, in an elliptical patch, narrowing to a single tooth posteriorly, two teeth anteriorly, confluent with intermaxillary teeth. Color: dark brown to orange-brown, with numerous narrow pale yellowish or white bars on head and body; number of bars varying from about 25 in small individuals to about 100 in large adults, some bars interrupted in adults; anterior nostril pale. Commonly grows to about 1 m in length, occasionally to 1.5 m. Distribution and habitat. Across the entire Indo-Pacific, from the Indian Ocean including Red Sea to Hawaiian Islands, Marquesas Islands, and Central America. Occurs in shallow water and on coral reefs at depths of 1–50 m; feeds mainly on crabs, also on molluscs and sea urchins; rarely seen in the open. Remarks. This species has sometimes been placed in Echidna because of its blunt, molariform teeth, but it is distinguished by the posterior position of the anus, well behind mid-length. There is a slight difference in the number of vertebrae between the Red Sea (127–130, N = 2) and elsewhere (129–134, N = 6). Genetic samples were not available from the Red Sea, and, as in the multigene phylogeny by Reece et al. (2010), the species does not show a close affiliation with other species of Muraeninae in the COI-based phylogeny (Fig. 48). A study on the genetic differentiation within G. zebra across the Indo-Pacific showed no marked intra-specific genetic variation in mitochondrial haplotypes (Reece et al. 2011)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 16-17, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Shaw, G. & Nodder, F. P. (1797) The Naturalist's Miscellany, or coloured figures of natural objects; drawn and described from nature. Printed for Nodder & Co., London, unpaginated.","Klunzinger, C. B. (1871) Synopsis der Fische des Rothen Meeres. II. Theil. Verhandlungen der K. - K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 21, 441 - 688. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 1148","Fowler, H. W. (1945) The fishes of the Red Sea. Sudan Notes and Records, 26, 113 - 137.","Clark, E., Ben-Tuvia, A. & Steinitz, H. (1968) Observations on a coastal fish community, Dahlak Archipelago, Red Sea. Report of Israel South Red Sea Expedition, 30, 15 - 31.","Dor, M. (1984) CLOFRES, Checklist of the Fishes of the Red Sea. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, 437 pp.","Goren, M. & Dor, M. (1994) An updated checklist of the fishes of the Red Sea; CLOFRES II. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, XII + 120 pp.","Khalaf, M. A. & Disi, A. M. (1997) Fishes of the Gulf of Aqaba. Marine Science Station Aqaba, Jordan, 252 pp.","Khalaf, M. A. (2004) Fish fauna of the Jordanian coast, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Marine Science, 15, 23 - 50. https: // doi. org / 10.4197 / mar. 15 - 1.2","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Reece, J. S., Bowen, B. W., Smith, D. G. & Larson, A. (2010) Molecular phylogenetics of moray eels (Muraenidae) demonstrates multiple origins of a shell-crushing jaw (Gymnomuraena, Echidna) and multiple colonizations of the Atlantic Ocean. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 57, 829 - 835. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2010.07.013","Reece, J. S., Bowen, B. W., Smith, D. G. & Larson, A. (2011) Comparative phylogeography of four Indo-Pacific moray eel species (Muraenidae) reveals comparable ocean-wide genetic connectivity despite five-fold differences in available adult habitat. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 437, 269 - 277. https: // doi. org / 10.3354 / meps 09248"]}

Uropterygius nagoensis Hatooka 1984 —Reticulate Snakemoray (Figure 46) Uropterygius nagoensis Hatooka 1984: 20, figs. 1–4 (Nago fish market, Okinawa I., Ryukyu Is.). Holotype (unique), FAKU 51431.— Randall & Golani 1995: 875; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 11; Golani & Fricke 2018: 24. Red Sea material. Egypt : USNM 312825 (1, 503), Sinai Peninsula, Ras Muhammad; USNM 440340 (1, 710), Sharm el Sheikh, Sharm el Moya. Sudan: BPBM 20429 (2, 152–389), Port Sudan. Comparative material. Indonesia : USNM 312826 (1, 426). Fiji: USNM 259853 (1, 396). Tonga: USNM 338045 (1, 378). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.2, head length 9.2–11, body depth at anus 19–23. In head length: snout length 6.1–7.1, eye diameter 12, upper-jaw length 2.5–2.7. Pores: LL 0–1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 115–116, pre-anus 61–65, preanal-fin 121–123, total 135–140. Body moderate; anus slightly before midlength. Snout moderate, jaws about equal length. Eye relatively small, closer to tip of snout than to rictus. Gill opening at upper third of side. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril above anterior margin of eye. Branchial pore present or absent. Teeth slender, conical, smooth. Intermaxillary teeth in five rows across, peripheral teeth small, intermediate and median teeth larger; two median teeth. Maxillary teeth in 3–4 series anteriorly, biserial posteriorly, the outermost small and closely set, the innermost long and depressible. Dentary teeth in three irregular series anteriorly, uniserial posteriorly. Two or three vomerine teeth in a single row. Color: tan with large, dendritic, vertically aligned dark brown markings interconnected to form a coarse reticular pattern; an irregular white band across interorbital space. Maximum size about 800 mm. Distribution and habitat. Known from widely scattered locations in the western and central Pacific and from the Red Sea; uncommon. In addition to the specimens recorded here, Randall & Golani (1995: 876) reported specimens from the Society and Solomon Islands. Other localities are Japan (type locality), Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. In the Indian Ocean known only from the Red Sea. Red Sea records are from caves of fringing reefs at depths of 3– 13 m. Remarks. Randall & Golani (1995) reported the first Red Sea record based on two specimens from Sudan and one from Ras Muhammed, Sinai Peninsula. Two additional specimens were collected by the second author from Sharm el Moya, one of them (USNM 440340) is the one of the largest specimens known for the species, 710 mm TL. There is no significant morphological variation over its range; three specimens from the Red Sea have 136–139 vertebrae, and four specimens from the western Pacific have 135–140. Both Hatooka (1984) and Randall & Golani (1995) stated that there were no lateral-line pores anterior to the gill opening, but some specimens we examined clearly have one. The apparent absence of this moderately large species from elsewhere in the Indian Ocean is surprising. No tissue samples or COI sequences are available for analyzing the phylogenetic relationships of this species., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 70, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Hatooka, K. (1984) Uropterygius nagoensis, a new muraenid eel from Okinawa, Japan. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, 31 (1), 20 - 22.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Uropterygius genie Randall & Golani 1995 —Genie’s Snakemoray (Figure 43A) Uropterygius genie Randall & Golani 1995: 872, figs. 7–9 (Ras Muhammad, Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea). Holotype, HUJ 5863. — Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 11; Golani & Fricke 2018: 23. Red Sea material. Egypt: HUJ 5863 (1, 178, holotype), Ras Muhammad; USNM 312814 (1, 118, paratype), bay at El Himeira. Description. In TL: preanal length 2.2, head length 9.4–9.7, body depth at anus 23–24. In head length: snout length 7.9–8.5, eye diameter 8.8–9.6, upper-jaw length 2.7. Pores: LL 1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 102–105, pre-anus 52–54, pre-anal fin 111–114, total 121–122. Body moderate; anus before midlength; gill opening above mid-side. Snout moderate, jaws about equal length. Eye moderate, closer to tip of snout than to rictus. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril above anterior half of eye. Teeth multiserial, conical, slender, and smooth, the inner teeth larger. Intermaxillary and maxillary teeth continuous, in about 4 rows. Median intermaxillary teeth 4. Dentary teeth in 4 series anteriorly, the inner teeth larger, becoming uniserial posteriorly. Vomerine teeth needle-like, 6 subequal teeth in a single row. Color: uniform medium brown, fins yellowish brown, head pores and nostrils white, inside of mouth white. Maximum size at least 178 mm. Distribution and habitat. Known from the Red Sea, in shallow water. At present known from two specimens only, the holotype from Ras Mohammed at the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula and the paratype from the bay at El Himeira, Gulf of Aqaba. The paratype was collected from a coastal reef from a depth given as 0– 18 m. Remarks. Although this species is known only from the Red Sea, similar small, brown Uropterygius with multiserial teeth have recently been found at scattered locations in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific. Further study is needed to determine their relationship to each other and to Uropterygius genie. Uroptergygius fuscoguttatus Schultz and U. supraforatus (Regan) also have multiserial dentition, but they are larger and have distinctive color patterns. No tissue samples or COI sequences are available for analyzing the phylogenetic relationships of this species., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 66, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Gymnothorax pharaonis n. sp. —Pharaoh’s Moray (Figures 25–29) ? Muraena undulata: Klunzinger 1871: 615 (Quseir, Egypt). ? Gymnothorax meleagris (non Shaw & Nodder): Fowler & Steinitz 1956: 270 (Eilat). Gymnothorax undulatus (non Lacepède): Randall & Golani 1995 (in part, Pl. 1F, Fig. 6). Holotype. SMF 35814 [KAU13-614] (322), Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, Al Khoraybah, Yabua Island, isolated coral block on slope, 27°47’24.66” N, 35°07’48.00’’ E, 14–16 m, 23 Jun. 2013, S.V. Bogorodsky. Paratypes. Israel : BPBM 31848 (1, 475), Gulf of Aqaba, Eilat, North Beach, mooring, 7 m, 11 Nov. 1986, J.E. Randall. Egypt: BPBM 18265 (2, 270–284), S end of Sinai Peninsula, Sharm-el-Moya, reef, 15 m, 21 Sep 1974, J.E. Randall and A. Levy; BPBM 19805 (1, 331), Ras Muhammad, S tip of Sinai Peninsula, reef front in 4–6 m, 26 Oct. 1975, J.E. Randall et al.; BPBM 20825 (1, 277), Gulf of Aqaba, 7 km S of Nuweiba, A. Ben-Tuvia, 3 Aug. 1976; USNM 262775 (1, 305 mm TL), NW coast Gulf of Aqaba, Bay at El Himeira, 0–18 m, 16 July 1969, V.G. Springer et al.; USNM 312604 (6, 133–380), Gulf of Aqaba, Bay Between Marsa Mokrakh and El Himeira, NW Coast, 0–3 m, 15 July 1969, V.G. Springer et al.; USNM 312605 (4, 187–228), NW Gulf of Aqaba, Ras Burqa, 9–15 m, 21 July 1969, V.G. Springer et al.; USNM 312609 (3, 303–419), Strait of Jubal S end of Sinai Peninsula at Ras Muhammad, 0–9 m, 26 Sep 1969, V.G. Springer et al.; USNM 405385 (4, 233–260), NW coast of Gulf of Aqaba, reef near road at Marsa Muqabila, 0–2 m, 29 July 1969, V.G. Springer et al.; USNM 410185 (7, 123–227), same data as USNM 312604; USNM 410188 (4, 223–299), same data as USNM 262775; USNM 410628 (1, 310), Gulf of Aqaba, Dahab, Lighthouse, 18 m, 25 Nov. 2011, S.V. Bogorodsky. Sudan: BPBM 19733 (1, 156), 1 mile N of Port Sudan, reef flat in 0.5–1.0 m, 9 Oct 1975, J.E. Randall. Saudi Arabia: KAUMM 400 [KAU12-1059] (1, 225), Al Lith, 8 Mar. 2012, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky; KAUMM 401 [KAU13-286] (1, 145), 50 km south of Al Wajh, fringing reef of seaward reef, 8–12 m, 13 Jun. 2013; KAUMM 402 [KAU13-615] (1, 224), same data as holotype; SMF 33617 (1, 49), Al Wajh, Rykhah Is, 10 Apr. 2011, S.V. Bogorodsky; SMF 33618 (1, 78), Al Lith, 30 Mar. 2011, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky; SMF 35815 [KAU12-1028] (1, 182), Al Lith, 9 m, 7 Mar. 2012, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky; SMF 35816 [KAU12-1060] (1, 208), Al Lith, 8 Mar. 2012, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky. Non-type material (detailed counts and measurements not taken). KAUMM 403 [KAU14-818] (1, 125), Al Lith, 6–8 m, 16 Nov 2014, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky; KAUMM 404 [KAU14-1011] (1, 246), Al Lith, 8–10 m, 19 Nov 2014, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky; SMF 35817 [KAU14-928] (1, 213), Al Lith, 6–9 m, 18 Nov. 2014, T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky; USNM 312606 (4, 62–140), Egypt, NW Coast, Gulf of Aqaba, about 1 Mile North of Ras Burqa, 21 July 1969; USNM 312607 (12, 49–160), Egypt, just N of Ras Burqa, Gulf of Aqaba, NW Coast, 23 July 1969, V. G. Springer et al.; USNM 313223 (9, 64–96), Egypt, Gulf of Aqaba, Bay at El Himeira, 8 Sept. 1969, V. G. Springer et al.; USNM 410183 (28, 50–192), same data as USNM 262775; USNM 410184 (14, 56–265), same data as USNM 312604; USNM 410186 (17, 77–280), same data as USNM 312609; USNM 410187 (28, 75–225), same data as USNM 405385; USNM 410189 (1, 227), same data as USNM 262775 (cleared and stained). Diagnosis. Small to medium-size moray with slender head and jaws. Teeth sharp, slender, and smooth; intermaxillary teeth in one peripheral and one medial series; maxillary teeth in two rows, an outer row of 14–20 small teeth, and an inner row of 0–6 large, depressible teeth; dentary teeth in one row, with two large fixed teeth at anterior end, followed by a single row of 15–20 small teeth, and one large, depressible tooth just behind the large anterior teeth. Color brown with irregular dendritic pale markings, not interconnected or chain-like; oblique, conspicuous, parallel streaks present in dorsal fin (on tail). Total vertebrae 123–128. Description (data for the holotype first, for paratypes in parentheses). In TL: preanal length 2.3 (2.2–2.4), predorsal length 9.0 (7.7–10), head length 7.8 (7.0–8.4), body depth at gill opening 19 (15–28), depth at anus 23 (17–28). In head length: snout length 5.2 (4.9–7.1), eye diameter 8.7 (7.6–11), upper-jaw length 2.3 (2.3–3.1). Predorsal vertebrae 8 (5–8), preanal vertebrae 48 (47–50), total vertebrae 125 (123–128). A small to medium-sized moray eel, moderately elongate, with the anus slightly anterior to midlength. Dorsal and anal fins continuous with caudal fin, anal fin beginning immediately behind anus, dorsal fin beginning anterior to gill opening. Jaws and snout moderately slender, edges usually straight, concealing teeth when closed, but sometimes slightly arched in larger specimens; upper and lower jaws nearly equal in length. Gill opening small and pore-like, on side of head slightly below lateral midline. Anterior nostril tubular, relatively long, reaching slightly beyond edge of lip when depressed. Posterior nostril a broadly oval opening, without a conspicuous raised rim, above anterior part of eye, at a point where a horizontal line drawn from dorsal edge of eye would meet a vertical line drawn from anterior edge of eye. Lateral line with two small, inconspicuous pores at anterior end of canal, approximately under dorsal-fin origin; second pore closer to first pore than to gill opening (Fig. 25). Preoperculo-mandibular canal with six pores, all of them along lower jaw: the first and smallest located at the anterior tip of jaw, the second below and behind that, the remaining four pores extending in a line posteriorly to a point slightly anterior to rictus. Infraorbital canal with four pores: the first slightly below and behind base of anterior nostril, the second about a third of the way to eye, the third just anterior to eye, and the fourth under posterior margin of eye. Supraorbital series with three pores: the first and smallest at tip of snout just above edge of lip, the second slightly above anterior edge of base of anterior nostril, the third on top of snout directly above second infraorbital pore. No pores in supratemporal canal. Teeth slender, sharp, and smooth, without any serrations (Fig. 26). Intermaxillary teeth large, conical, sharply pointed; peripheral series with about 8–14 teeth, the anteriormost teeth smallest, increasing in size posteriorly; two or three median teeth, long, extremely sharp and depressible. Maxillary teeth in one or two rows: the inner row with 0–6 long, sharp, widely separated, depressible teeth at anterior end, the outer row with about 13–20 much smaller, fixed, triangular, recurved teeth, smallest at anterior end of row, increasing in size posteriorly to a point approximately under eye, then decreasing in size again posteriorly. Lower jaw with two large, fixed teeth at anterior end, followed by approximately 15–25 much smaller, triangular, recurved teeth; directly behind the two large anterior teeth is an even larger, depressible tooth just inside the row of smaller teeth. Approximately 3–9 very small vomerine teeth, in a single row, partly hidden in the folds of skin in roof of mouth. Color: in adults, ground color medium to dark brown with irregular, dendritic, pale markings, variable in size and form (Figs. 27 & 28). The most common form is short, broadly linear, vermicular lines or spots, sometimes expanded into snowflake-like blotches, but not interconnected or reticulated. On tail, the spots often line up to form oblique streaks extending onto dorsal fin. Markings sometimes become smaller and more closely spaced anteriorly. Fins with a narrow white edge, but this often not conspicuous. Grooves on throat as dark streaks. An inconspicuous pale stripe usually present on dorsal midline of snout. Corner of mouth dark. Posterior nostril and pores usually edged in dark brown. Juveniles uniform brown with lower jaw and throat pale (Fig. 29). Size and development. This is a relatively small species, the largest specimen examined was 475 mm TL, but only one other specimen was greater than 400 mm and only three over 300 mm. Females with large eggs were found in specimens as small as 223 mm. Males appear to mature at larger sizes than females; two that were clearly males were among the largest specimens examined, 299 and 419 mm. Females were measured at 380, 325, and 305 mm. There is some evidence of sexual dimorphism in dentition. The two males mentioned above lack the inner maxillary teeth; they also have fewer dentary teeth (14 vs. 18–26 in females). Small juveniles of this species are uniform brown with a conspicuous white lower jaw (Fig. 29A). At about 50 mm, pale spots begin to develop behind the head. As the eel grows, the spots progress posteriorly and become larger and more conspicuous, eventually assuming the dendritic pattern characteristic of adults (Fig. 29B). With growth, the pale lower jaw becomes less distinct. Variation. The specimens collected and examined were all brown with pale markings. The relative extent of pale and dark areas varies considerably among individuals, however. In most cases, the dark areas are more extensive, giving the fish a brown appearance, but occasionally the pale areas prevail. In such cases, the eel may appear pale with brown markings. In most specimens, the pale and dark markings are relatively large, but in others the markings are smaller and more scattered, giving a vermiculated appearance. In some specimens, the markings are larger posteriorly and smaller anteriorly. In larger specimens, the jaws can become arched, leaving the teeth visible when the mouth is closed. This approaches the condition seen in Enchelycore, but the dentition of Enchelycore is quite different (Smith et al. 2008: 68). Distribution and habitat. Known from the Red Sea, where it is common in shallow water, but also collected by the second author from Socotra Island outside the Gulf of Aden (Zajonz et al. 2019, listed as G. cf chilospilus Bleeker 1864). Typical habitats are crevices and shelters of fringing seaward reefs, observed from depths of 2– 30 m. May be seen out of shelter at night only. Etymology. Named for the pharaohs, the rulers of ancient Egypt, whose realm included the Red Sea. Referring also to the regal appearance of this handsomely marked fish. Remarks. This species has been confused with Gymnothorax undulatus. Like G. pharaonis, G. undulatus has pale markings on a dark background, but in G. undulatus the markings are generally interconnected in a reticulated or chain-like pattern, whereas in G. pharaonis the markings are separate. At larger sizes, G. undulatus has a distinct yellowish-green color on the head in life, which is never found in G. pharaonis. Gymnothorax undulatus is a much larger species, growing to well over 1 m in length. Mature G. pharaonis can be found at lengths less than 300 mm, a size at which G. undulatus is still immature. The two species also differ in the number of vertebrae, 122–128 in G. pharaonis vs. 126–138 in G. undulatus. Gymnothorax pharaonis also resembles G. baranesi, but in that species the pale markings on the body are more like snowflakes or rosettes. On the tail, the markings on G. baranesi are in the form of discrete spots rather than the oblique streaks found in G. pharaonis. In addition, G. baranesi has more vertebrae, 137–142. Gymnothorax pharaonis most closely resembles and is closest genetically (Fig. 48) to G. margaritophorus Bleeker, which is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific but does not occur in the Red Sea. The latter is also a small species, brown with pale markings and a pale stripe on the top of the snout. It has horizontal dark streaks behind the eye, however, which are lacking in G. pharaonis, and it has more vertebrae (127–134). Pale individuals (e. g. from Dahab, Fig. 28B) may be confused with G. chilospilus Bleeker, but the latter species almost always has a distinctive pale spot at the corner of the lower jaw, which is lacking or not obvious in G. pharaonis. As in G. griseus and G. thyrsoideus, no reciprocal monophyly has yet evolved in the species pair G. pharaonis and G. margaritophorus. The closest relative to this pair of sibling species cannot be identified with high confidence from the present phylogeny, however, it is evident that the two species form part of a highly supported group of taxa to which another Red Sea species belongs, G. johnsoni (Fig. 48)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 41-45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Klunzinger, C. B. (1871) Synopsis der Fische des Rothen Meeres. II. Theil. Verhandlungen der K. - K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 21, 441 - 688. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 1148","Fowler, H. W. & Steinitz, H. (1956) Fishes from Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Oman. Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel, 5 B (3 - 4), 260 - 292.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Smith, D. G., Brokovich, E. & Einbinder, S. (2008) Gymnothorax baranesi, a new moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from the Red Sea. Zootaxa, 1678, 63 - 68. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 1678.1.4","Zajonz, U., Lavergne, E., Bogorodsky, S., Saeed, F. N., Aideed, M. S. & Krupp, F. (2019) Coastal fish diversity of the Socotra Archipelago, Yemen. Zootaxa, 4636 (1), 1 - 108.","Bleeker, P. (1864) Poissons inedits indo-archipelagiques de l'ordre des Murenes. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde, 2, 38 - 54."]}

Scuticaria tigrina (Lesson 1828) —Tiger Snakemoray (Figure 41) Ichthyophis tigrinus Lesson 1828: 399 (Bora Bora, Society Is.). Lectotype, MNHN B-2454, designated by Böhlke & McCosker 1997: 174. Red Sea material. Saudi Arabia: SMF 35823 [KAU13-680] (1, 553), Jeddah, Obhur, steep slope with many corals and caves, 14–16 m, S.V. Bogorodsky, 01 July 2013. Comparative material. Chagos Archipelago : USNM 312867 (1, 451). Samoa: USNM 52273 (1, 814), Apia. Wallis I.: USNM 370488 (1, 527). French Polynesia, Bora Bora: MNHN B.2454 (1, 605, lectotype). Huahine: USNM 312866 (1, 405). Hawaii: USNM 52764 (1, 845). Description. Data for the Red Sea specimen given in parentheses. In TL: preanal length 1.5–1.6 (1.5), head length 11–15 (13), body depth at anus 26–45 (36). In head length: snout length 5.2–7.9 (6.0), eye diameter 12–18 (15), upper-jaw length 2.8–3.4 (3.1). Pores: LL 1, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 152–166 (152), pre-anus 100–104 (100), pre-anal fin 156–167 (156), total 161–174 (161). Body moderate, robust, nearly cylindrical; anus well behind midlength, at about two-thirds TL. Snout moderate, jaws about equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril a low tube, above anterior margin of eye. Teeth biserial, conical, smooth. Intermaxillary teeth in five rows across, about 4–9 peripheral, 4–5 intermediate, 2–4 median. Maxilla with an outer series of 6–15 small teeth and an inner series of 6–9 larger, depressible teeth; the inner series extends only about half as far back as the outer series. Dentary with 6–8 large inner teeth and 13–22 smaller outer teeth. Vomerine teeth uniserial. Color: head posterior to corner of mouth and body pale yellowish to light brown, with well-separated, irregularly round, dark brown spots of variable size. Head anterior to corner of mouth with many small dark brown spots. Maximum size about 1.4 m. Distribution and habitat. Widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and South Africa to the Hawaiian Islands and Society Islands, also reported from islands off Mexico and Central America, but not common anywhere. May be seen night or day on coral reefs at depths of 7–25 m, in the Red Sea observed under water from the Gulf of Aqaba (Dahab), Marsa Alam, and Saudi Arabia (vicinity of Jeddah and at Al Lith). Remarks. This is the first record of the species from the Red Sea, based on the collected specimen and underwater photographs. The examined specimen was collected at 14–16 m on a steep reef slope with numerous caves. It superficially resembles Uropterygius polyspilus but is easily distinguished by the more posterior anus. The Red Sea specimen has slightly fewer predorsal (152 vs. 157–166), preanal-fin (156 vs. 159–167) and total (161 vs. 165–174) vertebrae than those from elsewhere. The phylogenetic tree (Fig. 48) shows a slight difference between the Red Sea specimen and two from Hawaii and Taiwan, reinforcing the difference in vertebral counts. Formerly, the species was placed in the genus Uropterygius, but it was reclassified in the genus Scuticaria by Böhlke & McCosker (1997) in their review of the genus. The present phylogeny, although deeper phylogenetic splits in general did not receive high bootstrap support, is in accordance with the multi-gene phylogeny in Reece et al. (2010) that places Scuticaria within Uropterygius with high support, questioning the validity of the generic assignment in a phylogenetic context., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Lesson, R. P. (1828) Description du nouveau genre Ichthyophis et de plusieurs especes inedites ou peu connues de poissons, recueillis dans le voyage autour du monde de la Corvette \" La Coquille. \" Memoires de la Societe d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, 4, 397 - 412.","Bohlke, E. B. & McCosker, J. E. (1997) Review of the moray eel genus Scuticaria and included species (Pisces: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae: Uropterygiinae). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 148, 171 - 176.","Reece, J. S., Bowen, B. W., Smith, D. G. & Larson, A. (2010) Molecular phylogenetics of moray eels (Muraenidae) demonstrates multiple origins of a shell-crushing jaw (Gymnomuraena, Echidna) and multiple colonizations of the Atlantic Ocean. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 57, 829 - 835. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2010.07.013"]}

Gymnothorax pseudoherrei Böhlke 2000 —Dwarf Brown Moray (Figure 33) Gymnothorax pseudoherrei Böhlke 2000: 408, figs. 2F, 3D, 7 (W side of Solino [Selinog] I., Zamboanga Del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines, 8°51’24”N, 123°24’36”E, 0–4.6 m). Holotype, USNM 357430. — Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 22. Gymnothorax herrei (non Beebe & Tee Van): Randall & Golani 1995: 860. Red Sea material. Saudi Arabia : KAUMM 409 [KAU 12-1082] (1, 112), Al Lith; KAUMM 410 [KAU 14-869] (1, 116), Al Lith; SMF 33616 (1, 107), Al Lith; SMF 35822 [KAU 12-1083] (1, 171), Al Lith; SMF 35877 [KAU 17- 245] (1, 127), Farasan Archipelago, Abkar Island. Eritrea: HUJ 15113 (2, 185-193), Dahlak Archipelago, Romia Island; USNM 312234 (8, 116–204), Sheikh el Abu; USNM 312247 (1, 150), Melita Bay. Yemen: USNM 397542 (1, 171), Hanish Island. Comparative material. Arabian Gulf : BPBM 33328 (1, 291); BPBM 33356 (3, 208–256). Gulf of Oman: BPBM 21473 (1, 208). Sri Lanka: USNM 357433 (3, 116–155, paratypes). Philippines: USNM 357430 (1, 147, holotype), Mindanao; USNM 357432 (2, 114–121, paratypes), Palawan. Indonesia: USNM 210269 (1, 148); USNM 274957 (1, 103). Papua New Guinea: USNM 357431 (2, 126–156, paratypes). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.0–2.4, predorsal length 8.1–12, head length 7.2–9.5, body depth at anus 16–25. In head length: snout length 5.7–6.9, eye diameter 7.9–11, upper-jaw length 2.7–3.4. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 5–8, preanal 42–50, total 111–120. Body somewhat elongate in smaller specimens, becoming moderately stout with growth; anus slightly before midlength; dorsal-fin origin before gill opening. Snout relatively short and tapering, jaws of equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril above anterior part of eye. Teeth smooth, relatively short, stout and pointed. Intermaxillary teeth in a single peripheral series, 6–8 on each side, conical, increasing in size posteriorly; 1–2 median stout teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial, about 7–14 larger inner teeth and 19–21 smaller outer teeth, those in outer row obtusely pointed. Dentary with 1–4 larger inner conical teeth anteriorly and about 17–25 smaller blade-like outer teeth. Vomerine teeth stout, blunt, uniserial or staggered, about 7–13. Color: medium to dark brown with an irregular network of indistinct small, darker markings, head paler than body, lower part of head lighter, sometimes with dark lines along throat grooves, one continuing into angle of mouth. Posterior one-fourth of body and fins yellow in smaller specimens, yellow color gradually disappears with growth. Iris white with black outer ring. Body frequently covered with a gray or greenish mucus. Maximum size about 300 mm. Distribution and habitat. Northwestern Indian Ocean and western Pacific, from the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf to the Solomon Islands, in shallow water, generally less than 10 m depth. It has not been collected from the coast of Africa or the islands of the western Indian Ocean west and south of the Maldives. A cryptic species living inside coastal reefs, never seen alive. Remarks. Specimens from the northwestern Indian Ocean (Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman) apparently grow larger than those from elsewhere. Out of more than 100 specimens reported by Böhlke (2000) from east of the Maldives, the largest was 182 mm (ANSP 144601 from Queensland, Australia). The largest of only 12 specimens reported from the northwestern Indian Ocean, by contrast, was 291 mm (BPBM 33328, from the Arabian Gulf). Several other specimens from this area exceeded 200 mm. There is a slight difference in the number of vertebrae between these two groups. Nineteen specimens from the Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman had 113–120 total vertebrae; nine specimens from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea had 111–116. The Red Sea and Arabian Gulf specimens also have dark throat grooves, which are not evident in those from the Pacific. We have no genetic data from outside the Red Sea. This species was confused in the past with the superficially similar Gymnothorax herrei Beebe & Tee-Van, from which it differs by having two branchial pores instead of one, the origin of the dorsal fin more anterior, and lacking an intermediate row of small intermaxillary teeth. In the present COI phylogeny (Fig. 48) two specimens are included that have been collected during the course of this study. As no COI sequence data from other specimens are available, we cannot infer the level of intraspecific genetic divergence. Gymnothorax pseudoherrei forms part of a well supported clade with a number of other taxa, such as G. griseus and G. thyrsoideus, but also Echidna unicolor and E. delicatula (Fig. 48)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 51, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880."]}

SUBFAMILY UROPTERYGIINAE Diagnosis. Dorsal and anal fins confined to posterior end of body; anal fin begins well behind anus. Usually 1 branchial pore, sometimes 2 or none., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on page 63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576

Muraena helena Linnaeus 1758 —Mediterranean Moray (Figure 39) Muraena helena Linnaeus 1758: 244 (Europe; America). Syntypes, ZMUU Linn. Coll. 57 (1, only surviving specimen).— Randall & Golani 1995: 869; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 10; Golani & Fricke 2018: 23. Red Sea material. Egypt : HUJ 9048 (2, 650–880), Nuweiba; HUJ 9012 (1, 545), Nuweiba. Comparative material. Mediterranean Sea : HUJ 15173 (2, 310–412), Cyprus; HUJ 16192 (1, 520), Israel. Description. In TL: preanal length 2.1–2.2, predorsal length 9.7–10, head length 8.2–8.7, body depth at anus 15. In head length: snout length 4.6–5.2, eye diameter 9.3–12, upper-jaw length 2.3–2.6. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: total 144–145 (137–146 for 15 specimens reported by E. B. Böhlke, as stated by Randall & Golani 1995). Body moderate; anus slightly before midlength; dorsal-fin origin before gill opening. Snout moderate, jaws of equal length. Eye moderate, over middle of upper jaw. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril long and tubular, its length almost half eye diameter, above anterior margin of eye. Teeth uniserial, conical to triangular, pointed, smooth. Intermaxillary teeth in a single peripheral series; 2–3 median teeth. Vomerine teeth sharply conical. Color: anterior half of head dark brown, the posterior half and anterior trunk mottled with whitish flecks and short irregular lines; posterior trunk and tail with three longitudinal rows of large whitish blotches, each with a clustering of very dark brown spots and white dots. Posterior margin of fins with a series of small hemispherical whitish spots. Edge of gill opening blackish. Maximum size to 1.3 m. Distribution and habitat. Eastern Atlantic from the British Isles to Senegal, including the Mediterranean and the islands. An immigrant to the northern Red Sea via the Suez Canal; three specimens collected from Nuweiba, Gulf of Aqaba. Remarks. The genus Muraena is characterized by the long posterior nostril, a feature it shares with Enchelycore pardalis, a species that does not occur in the Red Sea. The Red Sea specimens do not differ in any meaningful way from those in the Atlantic, and they undoubtedly represent migrants that entered the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The COI sequence of a specimen from the Mediterranean included in the phylogenetic analysis showed that the morphological similarity between Muraena helena and Enchelycore pardalis is accompanied by a relatively close phylogenetic affiliation of these two species in that they formed a moderately well supported joint clade (Fig. 48)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 60-61, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae (Stockholm), ii + 824 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 542","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215."]}

Echidna polyzona (Richardson 1845) —Barred Moray (Figure 4) Muraena polyzona Richardson 1845: 112, pl. 55 (figs. 11–14) (No locality). Lectotype, BMNH 1977.4.22.3, designated by Böhlke & Randall 2000: 220.— Klunzinger 1871: 617. Echidna polyzona: Marshall 1952: 223; Goren & Dor 1994: 7; Randall & Golani 1995: 851; Khalaf 2004: 35; Golani & Bogorodsky 2010: 9; Golani & Fricke 2018: 20. Red Sea material. Israel: BPBM 35748 (1, 173), Eilat; HUJ 5243 (1, 435), Eilat. Egypt: HUJ 15093 (3, 110–128), Nabq; USNM 312209 (2, 66.5–143), Marsa Muqabila. Eritrea: USNM 312158 (1, 364). Comparative material. Mauritius : USNM 342100 (3, 94–ca 290). Solomon Is.: USNM 385375 (3, 5 7–185). Vanuatu: USNM 362155. French Polynesia, Tahiti: USNM 66087 (1, 242); USNM 312154 (1, 182). Hawaii: USNM 89537 (1, 193); USNM 109332 (2, 75–272). Description. In TL: preanal length 2.1–2.2, predorsal length 8.1–9.1, head 6.8–7.8, body depth at anus 13–22. In head length: snout length 5.6–7.0, eye diameter 6.6–10, upper-jaw length 2.7–3.4. Pores: LL 2, SO 3, IO 4, POM 6. Vertebrae: predorsal 4–6, preanal 50–52, total 119–125. Body moderately stout; anus near midlength; dorsal fin begins slightly anterior to gill opening; anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Head moderate in length, snout relatively short and deep. Eye moderately small, closer to rictus than to snout tip. Rim of posterior nostril slightly raised, edge fimbriated. Teeth stout, bluntly pointed to molariform, somewhat variable in number and arrangement, generally more numerous in larger specimens. Intermaxillary with a peripheral series of ca. 4–7 on each side; sometimes an intermediate series of 2–3 on each side; 1–3 median teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial; 3–7 larger teeth in inner row, 4–12 smaller teeth in outer row. Dentary teeth biserial, those in inner row larger, ca. 11–13 in adults, fewer in juveniles; ca. 12–20 in outer row. Vomerine teeth large, molariform, in an elliptical, multiserial patch, narrowest at anterior and posterior ends, biserial in smaller specimens, up to 5–6 teeth across in larger ones. Color: variable, changing considerably with growth. Typical pattern ca. 25 contrasting alternating broad dark brown and narrow white bars on head and body and extending onto dorsal fin; bars best developed in smaller adults, white bars becoming progressively more obscure with growth; body becoming mottled with brown overall and the bars less distinct, visible only on tail with further growth. Corner of mouth dark; anterior nostrils brownish yellow. Maximum size about 600 mm. Distribution and habitat. Found across the Indo-West Pacific from the Indian Ocean to Hawaiian Islands and French Polynesia. Occurs in shallow water, common on coral reefs, sometimes found on reef flats; observed from depths of 3– 15 m. Remarks. This species shows little morphological variation over its range. Three Red Sea specimens have slightly fewer vertebrae (117–122) than 14 specimens from elsewhere (119–125). Similar slight differences occur in predorsal vertebrae (4–5 vs. 5–7) and preanal vertebrae (49 vs. 50–52). The species superficially resembles Gymnothorax rueppelliae, but the dentition is very different. In addition, the snout is longer in G. rueppelliae, and the bars on the head do not extend onto the lower jaw. The variation in color pattern and dentition over the life cycle of this species has resulted in 11 synonyms, seven of them from the Hawaiian Islands alone. In the COI-based phylogeny, E. polyzona was very close to E. leucotaenia Schultz with no strong genetic divergence between them, which is in agreement with the multigene analysis in Reece et al. (2010), from which COI sequences of both species were used herein as no specimens of this species were collected during the present study. As in the aforementioned multigene analysis, no close allies of these two species could be identified from the phylogenetic tree (see Fig. 48)., Published as part of Smith, David G., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2019, Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea, with description of a new species, pp. 1-87 in Zootaxa 4704 (1) on pages 11-13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4704.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3563576, {"references":["Richardson, J. (1845) Ichthyology. Part 3. In: Hinds, R. B. (Ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H. M. S. Sulphur, under the Command of Captain Sir Edward Belcher, R. N., C. B., F. R. G. S. […] during the years 1836 - 42. Volume 10. R. B. Smith, Elder & Co, London, pp. 99 - 150.","Bohlke, E. B. & Randall, J. E. (2000) A review of the moray eels (Angulliformes [sic]: Muraenidae) of the Hawaiian Islands, with descriptions of two new species. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 150, 203 - 278.","Klunzinger, C. B. (1871) Synopsis der Fische des Rothen Meeres. II. Theil. Verhandlungen der K. - K. zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 21, 441 - 688. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 1148","Marshall, N. B. (1952) The ' Manihine' expedition to the Gulf of Aqaba 1948 - 1949. IX. Fishes. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology, 1 (8), 221 - 252.","Goren, M. & Dor, M. (1994) An updated checklist of the fishes of the Red Sea; CLOFRES II. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, XII + 120 pp.","Randall, J. E. & Golani, D. (1995) Review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Red Sea. Bulletin of Marine Science, 56 (3), 849 - 880.","Khalaf, M. A. (2004) Fish fauna of the Jordanian coast, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Marine Science, 15, 23 - 50. https: // doi. org / 10.4197 / mar. 15 - 1.2","Golani, D. & Bogorodsky, S. V. (2010) The fishes of the Red Sea-reappraisal and updated checklist. Zootaxa, 2463, 1 - 135. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 2463.1.1","Golani, D. & Fricke, R. (2018) Checklist of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509 (1), 1 - 215.","Reece, J. S., Bowen, B. W., Smith, D. G. & Larson, A. (2010) Molecular phylogenetics of moray eels (Muraenidae) demonstrates multiple origins of a shell-crushing jaw (Gymnomuraena, Echidna) and multiple colonizations of the Atlantic Ocean. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 57, 829 - 835. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2010.07.013"]}

Gymnothorax odishi sp. nov. Proposed common name: Odisha moray (Figures 1���4, Table1) HolotypE. ZSI F 12592 /2 [690 mm total length (TL)], Gopalpur beach, Odisha, India, date of collection: 19 January 2018. ParatypES. ZSI F 12593 /2 (420 mm TL), EBRC /ZSI/F 9482 (522 mm TL), F9483 (423 mm TL), F9484 (602 mm TL), F9485 (522 mm TL), F9486 (650 mm TL), F9487 (500 mm TL), F9488 (550 mm TL), F9489 (696 mm TL), F9490 (700 mm TL), date and place of collection: same as holotype. DiagnoSiS. This new species belongs to the small brown unpatterned group of moray eels, with the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin origin before gill opening, jaw pores with dark rim, small black patch just behind eye of about eye size or larger, gill opening with dark rim, two branchial pores, predorsal vertebrae 4, preanal vertebrae 55���58 and total vertebrae 133���138, three large fang-like median intermaxillary teeth, uniserial maxillary and vomerine teeth. Dentary biserial with one tooth in each side in the second row of dentary. DESCription. A medium-sized, uniform brown moray with moderately elongate body, depth at gill opening 11.5���18.4 and at anus 17.3���24.0 in TL. Preanal length 1.9���2.1 in TL. Head small 6.7���7.6 in TL; snout short and blunt, its length 4.3���5.4 in HL; jaws almost equal, 2.2���2.8 in HL. Eye large, located slightly closure to rictus than the snout tip, eye diameter 8.6���10.8 in HL; interorbital space 6.0��� 7.9 in HL (Table 1). Anterior nostril a moderately broad tube, posterior nostril above anterior margin of eye. Pre-dorsal length 8.4���10.8 in total length. Dorsal-fin origin closer to rictus than to gill opening but before gill opening and well before and above the 1 st branchial pore. Anal fin starts from anus. Both dorsal and anal fins high. Gill opening at mid-side in a small diagonal slit. Teeth smooth, uniserial; outer intermaxillary teeth 4���8 in each side; median intermaxillary teeth 3, strong, curved, placed almost equidistance from each other; maxillary teeth uniserial, 12���14 on each side; vomerine teeth uniserial with 5���6 teeth; lower jaw with outer row of 20���24 teeth on each side and 1 inner tooth on each side near anterior end (Fig. 2). Head pores typical, supraorbital pores 3; infraorbital pores 4; mandibular pores 6���7; branchial pores 2, located above and before gill opening (Fig. 3). All head pores in dark rim. Predorsal vertebrae 4, preanal vertebrae 55���58 and total vertebrae 133���138. Colour. When fresh, body brown; upper and lower jaw and portion upto gill with yellow patches (Fig. 1 & Fig.4) which disappear immediately after preservation; small black patch just behind the eye of about eye size or more, gill opening with dark rim; rictus dark, fins dark; eye ring whitish, jaw pores with dark rim. When preserved, body uniformly brown, eye ring white. DiStribution. Presently known only from Gopalpur-on-Sea, on the southernmost part of the Odisha coast of India in the Bay of Bengal. Etymology. The species is named ��� odishi ��� on the name of the state Odisha, from where the specimens were collected., Published as part of Mohapatra, Anil, Mohanty, Swarup Ranjan, Smith, David G., Mishra, Subhrendu Sekhar & Roy, Sanmitra, 2018, Gymnothorax odishi sp. nov. (Muraenidae: Muraeninae), a short brown unpatterned moray eel from Bay of Bengal, India, pp. 123-130 in Zootaxa 4420 (1) on pages 124-126, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4420.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/1247220

Genus Macrocephenchelys Fowler, 1934 Macrocephenchelys FoWler, 1934:275 (type species Macrocephenchelys brachialis FoWler, 1934, by original designation). Description. BODY MODeRATeLY eLONgATe TO eLONgATe, PReANAL LeNgTH LeSS THAN 35% TL; TAIL SLeNDeR BUT NOT gReATLY ATTeNUATeD. DORSAL fIN BegINS OVeR OR SLIgHTLY BeHIND PeCTORAL fIN. PeCTORAL fIN LONg AND WeLL DeVeLOPeD, ABOUT 40–60% HL. HeAD MODeRATe; SNOUT SHORT, OVeRHANgINg LOWeR jAW; UPPeR LABIAL fLANge ABSeNT; ANTeRIOR PART Of UPPeR LIP CONTAININg SeCOND AND THIRD INfRAORBITAL POReS SOMeWHAT LOBe-LIKe IN fORM. GILL OPeNINg SMALL. MOUTH SMALL, RICTUS UNDeR MID-eYe. ANTeRIOR NOSTRIL TUBULAR, NeAR TIP Of SNOUT, DIReCTeD ANTeROLATeRALLY; POSTeRIOR NOSTRIL eLLIPTICAL, IN fRONT Of eYe, AT OR SLIgHTLY ABOVe MID-eYe LeVeL. TeeTH SMALL, CONICAL, MULTISeRIAL, fORMINg gRANULAR PATCHeS, eMBeDDeD IN A fLeSHY MATRIx. HeAD POReS SMALL BUT WeLL DeVeLOPeD (FIg. 1). THRee SO POReS, NeAR TIP Of SNOUT; fIRST ON eDge Of LIP NeAR ANTeRIOR eND Of SNOUT; SeCOND IN fRONT Of ANTeRIOR NOSTRIL; THIRD ABOVe ANTeRIOR NOSTRIL. FIVe IO POReS; fIRST BeHIND MIDDLe Of ANTeRIOR NOSTRIL; SeCOND AND THIRD ON LOBe-LIKe PORTION Of UPPeR LIP; fOURTH ON POSTeRIOR PART Of UPPeR LIP; fIfTH BeHIND RICTUS; NO POReS BeHIND eYe. POM CANAL WITH fIVe OR SIx POReS, TWO OR THRee IN MANDIBULAR SeCTION AT ANTeRIOR eND Of LOWeR jAW AND THRee IN PReOPeRCULAR SeCTION. ONe OR NO ST POReS. SMALL fLeSHY PAPILLAe ON LOWeR jAW AND SOMeTIMeS DORSALLY ON HeAD. SOMe SPeCIeS WITH SMALL SeNSORY PITS ON VeNTRAL SURfACe Of HeAD AND ABDOMeN., Published as part of Lin, James, Shao, Kwang-Tsao & Smith, David G., 2018, The eel genus Macrocephenchelys (Anguilliformes: Congridae) in Taiwan, with description of a new species, pp. 186-199 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on pages 187-188, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.15, http://zenodo.org/record/1446620, {"references":["FoWler, H. W. (1934) Descriptions of neW fishes obtained 1907 to 1910, chiefly in the Philippine Islands and adjacent seas. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 85, 233 - 367."]}

Bathycongrus brunneus Huang, Ho & Chen, sp. nov. Brown deep-sea conger Figs. 3–4; Tables 1–2 Holotype. TOU-AE 7261 (540+ mm), mature female, Changbin, Taitung, eastern Taiwan, hook and line, bottom, 15 Dec. 2014, coll. J. - S. Chiu. Diagnosis. A moderately slender species of Bathycongrus with tail presumably tapering, filiform; body uniformly brownish, and dorsal and anal fins black to gray with narrow white margin; vomerine teeth forming a long triangular patch, with 13 subequal teeth at front and sides; preanal vertebrae 44, precaudal vertebrae 59, total vertebrae 174+; and preanal lateral-line pores 44. Description. Body rather stout, rounded in cross section anteriorly, becoming more compressed behind anus and posterior portion; head moderately slender, its depth and width about same as these of trunk; trunk moderately long, its length 1.5 times head length; tip of tail tapering and presumably filiform (tip of tail slightly damaged and healed); anus near anterior third of total length. Dorsal fin begins over anterior half of pectoral fin, continuous around tip of tail with caudal and anal fins. Anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Pectoral fin well developed, pointed distally with a narrow base. Gill opening relatively large, about same as eye diameter, its upper end nearly opposite middle of pectoral-fin base. Interbranchial broader than gill opening and eye. Head relatively large, its length 40.5% PAL (ca. 14.6% TL), deepest at about occiput, slightly tapering anteriorly from this point; dorsal profile nearly flat from occiput to internasal space; snout long and broadly pointed, its length 1.5 times eye diameter, projecting beyond lower jaw; lower jaw longer than snout; fleshy part of snout with a high median keel on underside, projecting anteriorly beyond anterior end of intermaxillary tooth patch; rictus below middle of eye. Anterior nostril tubular, near tip of snout, directed ventrolaterally. Posterior nostril elliptical, with a clear raised rim, in front of eye nearly at upper eye level. Upper lip with flange strongly reduced; lower lip with a welldeveloped downturned flange. Tongue free, long, and broad. Lateral line complete, first pore on each side slightly enlarged, the canal extended to caudal-fin base; 10 pores before dorsal-fin origin, 6 pores before pectoral-fin base, 44 pores before anal-fin origin; total pores 117+. Head pores vary in size (Fig. 4A), mostly enlarged. Supraorbital canal with 3 pores; the first (ethmoidal pore) on ventral side of snout tip, just ahead of lip; the second enlarged, about twice the size of first, and immediately in front of anterior nostril; the third greatly enlarged and immediately above anterior nostril, about same size of anterior nostril; no pore at frontal region. Infraorbital canal with 5 pores, first 3 enlarged; the first at posterodorsal corner of anterior nostril; the second to fourth along lip; the second and third between anterior and posterior nostrils; the fourth below anterior margin of eye; and the fifth small and behind rictus; no pores behind eye. Preoperculomandibular canal with 10 pores; mandibular pores 7 along lower jaw and 3 behind rictus; the first pore small, near anterior tip of lower jaw, the third greatly enlarged; 3 pores in preopercular section. Supratemporal commissure with a single small median pore. Predorsal vertebrae 13; preanal vertebrae 44; precaudal vertebrae 59; total vertebrae 174+ (tip of tail damaged, but probably only few vertebrae lost). Teeth large, conical and sharp (Fig. 4B). Intermaxillary teeth largest, curved, in about 4 transverse rows, separated from maxillary and vomerine teeth, mostly excluded from closed mouth. Maxillary and mandibular teeth in bands, wider anteriorly, roughly in 4 rows, narrower posteriorly, in 1 or 2 rows; outermost teeth greatly enlarged, innermost teeth smallest. Vomerine teeth forming a long triangular patch, with 13 subequal teeth; some are somewhat enlarged, but not much larger than the rest as in those congeners with two enlarged teeth on the vomer. Measurements of holotype in mm. Total length 540+, head length 79.0, preanal length 195, predorsal length 87.6, trunk length 116, tail length 345+, depth at gill opening 28.8, depth at anus 34.0, width at anus 22, snout length 20.3, eye diameter 13.6, rictus 32.5, lower jaw 29.0, gill opening width 14.4, interbranchial width 19.0, pectoral-fin length 24.2. Coloration. When preserved (Fig. 3C), body, tail and head uniformly grayish brown, except for irregular unpigmented areas on lateral sides of snout, lips and underside of head. Pectoral fin pigmented internally and basally. Mouth cavity and gill chamber pale, except for some small scattered patches of black pigments on roof of mouth and wall of gill chamber. Dorsal and anal fins pigmented internally with white membranes in anterior portions, gradually becoming a narrow white base and broadly blackish with narrow white margins, then entirely black to the caudal fin. Stomach and intestine uniformly black; peritoneum densely covered by black pepper dots making the membrane brownish. Etymology. From Latin brunneus, brown. Remarks. Bathycongrus brunneus sp. nov. may belong to the high-vertebral-count group. However, the teeth on the vomer are not especially enlarged as in the congeners. Of these species, it is most similar to B. wallacei and Bathycongrus longicavis Karmovskaya, 2009. It can be separated from B. wallacei by having 13 subequal teeth on the vomer (vs. 2 enlarged teeth followed by 2 or 3 smaller ones behind); relatively more preanal vertebrae (44 vs. 38–43, mainly 40–42); relatively more precaudal vertebrae (59 vs. 53–57); a relatively short trunk (59.5% vs. 59.7–63.6% PAL). It differs from B. longicavis in having 13 subequal teeth on the vomer (vs. 2 enlarged teeth followed by 3 small ones behind); a shorter trunk (59.5% vs. 65.4% PAL); a larger head (40.5% vs. 34.3% PAL); a shorter snout (25.7% vs. 30.9% HL); a larger eye (17.2% vs. 15.9% HL); more predorsal vertebrae (13 vs. 9); fewer preanal vertebrae (44 vs. 47); and fewer precaudal vertebrae 59 (vs. 67). The other species with similar vertebral count is Bathycongrus odontostomus (Fowler, 1934) (total vertebrae 164–177) which has a black mouth and branchial cavities and can be easily separated from the new species.

* Bathycongrus graciliceps Smith & Ho, this volume Bathycongrus graciliceps Smith & Ho, 2018a: this volume (type locality: Daxi, Yilan, NE Taiwan, northwestern Pacific Ocean). Remarks. Newly described in this volume by Smith & Ho (2018a), based on two specimens collected from northeastern and southwestern Taiwan, respectively., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 11, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687

* Synaphobranchus oligolepis Ho, Hong & Chen, this volume Synaphobranchus oligolepis Ho, Hong & Chen, 2018b: this volume (type locality: Dong-gang, Pingtung, southwestern Taiwan). Remarks. This species initially was confused with Synaphobranchus affinis due to the position of origin of dorsal fin. However, the large naked areas on anterior portion of body readily separate it from S. affinis.

* Lamnostoma taiwanense Chiu, Huang & Shao, this volume Lamnostoma taiwanense Chiu, Huang & Shao in Chiu, Huang, Shao & Chen, 2018: this volume (type locality: Juan-wei, Yilan, northeastern Taiwan). Remarks. Newly described in Taiwan by Chiu et al. (2018); only found in river mouths of northeastern Taiwan., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 14, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687, {"references":["Chiu, Y. - C., Shao, K. - T., Huang, S. - P. & Chen, H. - M. (2018) The freshwater snake eel genus Lamnostoma (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) in Taiwan, with description of a new species. Zootaxa, 4454 (1), 18 - 32. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4454.1.4"]}

+ Ophichthus retrodorsalis Liu, Tang & Zhang, 2010 Ophichthus retrodorsalis Liu, Tang & Zhang, 2010:332, fig. 191 (type locality: Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, southeastern China). Remarks. Previously known only from the holotype collected from southeastern China. A specimen (NMMB- P28996) was collected from southwestern Taiwan off Ke-tzu-liao recently. The species is identified as Ophichthus retrodorsalis by having dorsal-fin origin about 1.5 pectoral-fin length behind tip of fin; two small barbels on upper jaw; two preopercular pores; four supraorbital pores; 3‒4 rows of granular teeth on vomer and jaws; and its coloration. However, there is some difference in the arrangement of jaw teeth, and more specimens are needed to document the variation in this species. The granular teeth on the jaws may also indicate that this is a species of Pisodonophis, rather than Ophichthus, as presently classified.

* Dysomma brachygnathos Ho & Tighe, this volume Dysomma brachygnathos Ho & Tighe, 2018: this volume (type locality: Dong-gang, Pingtung, southwestern Taiwan) Remarks. Newly described from Taiwan in Ho & Tighe (2018). This species is represented only by the two type specimens., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 14, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687

Ariosoma dolichopterum Karmovskaya, 2015 LONg-fIN SHORT-TAIL CONgER; ������������������ FIgS. 3B, 4, 6; TAbLE 1 Ariosoma dolichopterum KarmOvSkaya, 2015:906, fIg. 1 (TyPE LOcaLITy: SOuTHErN VIET Nam).? Alloconger anagoides (NON BLEEkEr, 1853), IN ParT: JOrdaN & RIcHardSON, 1909:171. CHu, 1957:14. LEE & YaNg, 1966:54, fIg. 2. CHEN & WENg, 1967:45. CHEN, 1969: 132. CHEN & Yu, 1986:252. SHaO et al., 1994:274. Ariosoma anagoides (NON BLEEkEr, 1853): SHEN, 1998a:9.? SHaO et al., 2008:239. Material examined. 32 SPEcIMENS, 105���415 MM TL (*DETAILED MEASuREMENTS NOT TAkEN). CAS 15596 (1, 328), CAS 15854 (2, 324���327), DONg-gANg. NMMB-P1404 (fORMERLY THUP 3961, 1, 335), DONg-gANg, 21 MAR. 1979. NMMB-P3209 (5, 247���330), TAINAN, 10 FEb. 1966. NMMB-P3387 (1, 367), KAOHSIuNg, 7 FEb. 1966. NMMB- P3406 (1, 368), DONg-gANg, 1 Aug. 1965. NMMB-P4541 (1, 325), PENgHu, 1 Aug. 1957. NMMB-P8816 (5, 223���373), PENgHu, 30 Aug. 2005. NMMB-P8970 (1, 379), PENgHu, 27 OcT. 2005. NMMB-P9020 (1, 380), PENgHu, 27 OcT. 2005. NMMB-P11153 (1, 290), DAxI, ILAN, 12 OcT. 2010. NMMB-P21750 (2, 105���139), PENgHu, 1 Aug. 1957 (DETAILED MEASuREMENTS NOT TAkEN). NMMB-P22433 (1, 289), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 21 JAN. 2015. NMMB-P23477 (1, 415), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 5 JuL. 2016. NMMB-P23478 (1, 140), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 5 JuL. 2016 (DETAILED MEASuREMENTS NOT TAkEN). NMMB-P23713 (2, 248���250), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 21 JAN. 2015. NSMT-P125309 (2, 232���269), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 11 FEb. 2015. USNM 398799 (1, 349), NAN-fANg-AO, 18 NOV. 2009. USNM 437331 (2, 245���340), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 16 OcT. 2015. Diagnosis. BODY bROWN WITH cONSPIcuOuS bLAck MARgINS ON VERTIcAL fINS; fOuR WHITISH bANDS AcROSS DORSAL SuRfAcE Of HEAD; SNOuT RELATIVELY POINTED; PEcTORAL fIN VERY LONg, 40.0���56.7% HL. PORES PRESENT bETWEEN AND bEHIND EYES. VERTEbRAE 129���134. Description. MORPHOMETRIc AND MERISTIc DATA PROVIDED IN TAbLE 1. BODY STOuT, ANuS SLIgHTLY bEfORE MIDLENgTH, DORSAL-fIN ORIgIN WELL bEfORE gILL OPENINg. JAWS MODERATELY LONg, uPPER jAW PROjEcTINg SLIgHTLY bEYOND TIP Of LOWER jAW, INTERMAxILLARY TEETH PARTLY cONcEALED WHEN MOuTH cLOSED. EYE WELL DEVELOPED, MIDDLE Of EYE OVER RIcTuS. SNOuT RELATIVELY POINTED. TEETH SMALL, cONIcAL, MuLTISERIAL; MAxILLARY AND INTERMAxILLARY TEETH cONTINuOuS; MAxILLARY TEETH IN NARROW bANDS, TEETH SHARP ON OuTER ROW(S) AND bLuNT ON INNER ROW(S). VOMERINE TEETH SHARP ANTERIORLY fOLLOWED bY AbOuT 3 ROWS Of LARgER bLuNT TEETH, fORMINg A NARROW ELONgATE PATcH ENDINg bEHIND MIDPOINT Of MAxILLARY TOOTH PATcH. BODY bROWN, OfTEN A DISTINcT bIcOLORED APPEARANcE, DISTINcTLY PALER bELOW THE LATERAL LINE; DORSAL AND ANAL fINS WITH VERY bROAD cONSPIcuOuS bLAck MARgIN, cAuDAL fIN WHITE WITH uPPER AND LOWER MARgINS bLAck. DORSAL SuRfAcE Of HEAD DARkER WITH fOuR WHITISH bANDS AcROSS LEVELS Of POSTERIOR NOSTRILS, ANTERIOR MARgIN Of EYES, SLIgHTLY POSTERIOR TO EYES, AND SuPERTEMPORAL cANAL; VENTRAL SuRfAcE Of HEAD WHITE WITH IRREguLAR bLAck PIgMENTED PATcHES. MAxIMuM SIzE AT LEAST 415 MM TL. FEMALES APPEAR TO MATuRE AT AROuND 300 MM TL. Distribution. KNOWN fROM THE SOuTH CHINA SEA Off VIETNAM AND AROuND TAIWAN. Remarks. Ariosoma dolichopterum RESEMbLES A. anago IN HAVINg A POINTED SNOuT, DISTINcT DARk AND PALE bANDS ON THE HEAD, AND cONSPIcuOuS bLAck MARgINS ON THE VERTIcAL fINS. IT DIffERS IN HAVINg fEWER VERTEbRAE (129���134 VS. 143���144) AND A LONgER PEcTORAL fIN (40.0���56.7% VS 30.4���34.6 % HL). FROM THE SPEcIMENS INITIALLY IDENTIfIED AS THIS SPEcIES, WE SEPARATED ANOTHER SPEcIES, A. emmae sp. nov. SEE DETAILED cOMPARISON bELOW. Ariosoma dolichopterum APPEARS TO bE MORE cOMMON IN SOuTHERN TAIWAN THAN THE SIMILAR A. anago. IT IS POSSIbLE THAT SOME Of THE EARLIER REfERENcES TO A. anago IDES (NOW A. anago) REfER AT LEAST IN PART TO THIS SPEcIES., Published as part of Smith, David G., Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Huang, Jian-Fu & Chang, Yong-Hsu, 2018, The congrid eel genus Ariosoma in Taiwan (Anguilliformes: Congridae), with description of a new species, pp. 84-106 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 89, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.10, http://zenodo.org/record/1446524, {"references":["JOrdaN, D. S. & RIcHardSON, R. E. (1909) A caTaLOguE Of THE fISHES Of THE ISLaNd Of FOrmOSa, Or TaIWaN, baSEd ON THE cOLLEcTIONS Of Dr. HaNS SauTEr. Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, 4 (4), 159 - 204, PLS. 63 - 74.","CHEN, J. T. - F. (1969) A synopsis of the vertebrates of Taiwan. Fol. 1. COmmErIcaL BOOkS CO., TaIPEI, 548 PP.","SHaO K. - T., CHEN, J. - P., HO, L. - T., LIN, C. - P., KaO, P. - H., LIN, P. - L. & CHEN, L. - S. (1994) CHEckLIST aNd dISTrIbuTIONaL PaTTErN Of THE fISHES Of THE PEScadOrES ISLaNdS. In: FacuLTy Of FISHErIES, KaSETSarT UNIvErSITy (Ed.), Proceedings of the 4 th Indo- Pacific fish Conference: systematics and evolution of Indo-Pacific fishes. KaSETSarT UNIvErSITy, BaNgkOk, PP. 267 - 280.","SHaO, K. - T., HO, H. - C., LIN, P. - L., LEE, P. - F., LEE, M. - Y., TSaI, C. - Y., LIaO, Y. - C. & LIN, Y. - C. (2008) A cHEckLIST Of THE fISHES Of SOuTHErN TaIWaN, NOrTHErN SOuTH CHINa SEa. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 19 (SuPPLEmENT), PP. 233 - 271.","HO, H. - C., McCOSkEr, J. E., SmITH D. G. & SHaO, K. - T. (2015 a) INTrOducTION TO THE SySTEmaTIcS aNd bIOdIvErSITy Of EELS (OrdErS ANguILLIfOrmES aNd SaccOPHaryNgIfOrmES) Of TaIWaN. Zootaxa, 4060 (1), 5 - 18."]}

Family Ophichthidae In the previous volume, Ho et al. (2015b, c) listed 22 genera and 60 species in this family. In the present work, one new species and six new records are added. The total diversity of snake eels now includes 24 genera and 67. Some other unidentified or undescribed forms remain to be examined.

* Dysommina orientalis Tighe, Ho & Hatooka, this volume Dysommina rugosa (not of Ginsburg): Chen & Mok, 2001:79. Ho et al., 2015a:100. Dysommina orientalis Tighe, Ho & Hatooka, 2018: this volume (type locality: Dong-gang, southern Taiwan). Remarks. The species has long been identified as Dysommina rugosa in Taiwan and Japan. Tighe et al. (2018) compared the morphological and genetic features and confirm that the specimens collected from Taiwan and Japan are different from the Atlantic population, and a new name is given., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 15, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687, {"references":["Chen, Y. - Y. & Mok, H. - K. (2001) A new synaphobranchid eel, Dysomma longirostrum (Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae), from the northeastern coast of Taiwan. Zoological Studies, 40 (2), 79 - 83.","Ho, H. - C., Smith, D. G. & Tighe, K. A. (2015 a) Review of the arrowtooth eel genera Dysomma and Dysommina in Taiwan, with the description of a new species (Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae: Ilyophinae). Zootaxa, 4060 (1), 86 - 104.","Tighe, K. A., Ho, H. - C. & Hatooka, K. (2018) A new species of the genus Dysommina (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae: Ilyophinae) from the Western Pacific. Zootaxa, 4454 (1), 43 - 51. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4454.1.6"]}

* Dysomma formosa Ho & Tighe, this volume Dysomma formosa Ho & Tighe, 2018: this volume (type locality: Dong-gang, southwestern Taiwan). Remarks. This species was commonly collected together with Dysomma taiwanense and D. anguillare in southwestern Taiwan. However, with several distinct characters, it is now recognized as a new species. Ho & Tighe (2018) examined recently collected specimens and provided a detailed comparison of these species.., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on pages 14-15, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687

Bathyuroconger dolichosomus sp. nov. English name: Long-body large-toothed conger Figs. 5D, 6; Tables 1, 2 Holotype. ASIZP 65175, 350 + mm, off Daxi fishing port, Yilan, NE Taiwan, northwestern Pacific Ocean, 24 Apr. 2005, coll. H.- C. Ho Diagnosis. A species of Bathyuroconger with a moderately small gill opening, its diameter 8.8% of head length, close to but not against pectoral-fin base; head length 3.2 times in trunk length, 23.9 % PAL; predorsal length 28.9 % PAL, trunk length 76.1 % PAL. Preanal lateral-line pores 61. Preanal vertebrae 63; precaudal vertebrae 70. Body lightly brownish dorsally and pale ventrally. Description. Measurements in % PAL:PDL 28.9, HL 23.9, TR 76.1, DA 9.6. In % HL: S 26.4, E 11,4, IOW 26.9, UJ 37.4, GO 8.8, IB 26.9, PL 29.9. Pores: PALL 61, PDLL 10, PPLL 6, SO 3, IO 5, POM 10, ST 1. Vertebrae: PDV 12, PAV 63, PCV 70. Body slender, cylindrical anteriorly, gradually tapering and compressed posteriorly; trunk very long, 3.2 times head length. Tail broken and regenerated. Dorsal fin begins above posterior half of pectoral fin. Head moderately large, rounded, slightly deeper than body, upper jaw protrudes slightly but distinctly beyond lower jaw. Snout short and blunt, rounded in dorsal view, 2.3 times eye diameter. Eye moderately large, over posterior third of upper jaw, its posterior margin at level of rictus; interorbital space relatively broad, its width greater than eye diameter. Anterior nostril tube-like, at front of snout; posterior nostril in front of mid-eye, a simple pore. Gill opening small, located anterior to pectoral fin, its upper end at level of lower pectoral-fin base, distance from gill opening to fin base less than diameter of gill opening. Head pores moderately enlarged, not elongate and slit-like. Supraorbital pores 3; first pore at tip of snout on edge of upper lip, opening downward; second pore above first and anterior to base of anterior nostril; third pore larger, directly above anterior nostril; no pores on interorbital space. Infraorbital pores 5; first pore immediately behind anterior nostril; second between anterior and posterior nostrils; third below or slightly before anterior margin of eye; fourth below and slightly behind mid-eye; fifth behind rictus. Preoperculomandibular pores 10; 7 on mandibular section and 3 on preopercular, the last one at about level of first lateral-line pore. A single supratemporal pore with tube-like rim, anterior to level of first lateral-line pore. Lateral line complete, lateral-line pores large; predorsal 9, prepectoral 6, preanal 61. Vertebrae: predorsal 12; preanal 63; precaudal 70; total unknown. Teeth large and pointed, generally smaller than those of B. vicinus. Intermaxillary teeth in two transverse rows, 4 in anterior row and 6 in posterior, exposed when mouth closed. Vomer with 2 median teeth, the anterior one much larger, and 4 small teeth behind. Maxilla with 3 irregular rows of teeth on anterior portion, becoming 2 rows posteriorly, those on the outermost row larger and scattered in arrangement. Dentary with 4 irregular rows of enlarged teeth on anterior portion, those on outer 2 rows fang-like and exposed when mouth fully closed, gradually narrowing to 2 rows posteriorly, those on outermost row larger. Coloration. Fresh color unknown. In preservative, dorsal half of head and anterior two-thirds and posterior one-third of body brown, becoming paler on ventral surface; ventral half of anterior two-thirds of body covered by scattered pigmentation; no clear boundary between the pigmented and unpigmented areas. Pectoral fin transparent. Dorsal fin white anteriorly, gradually becoming pale at base with a broad black margin posteriorly. Anal fin abnormal, covered by skin similar to body color. Oral cavity and tongue grayish; gill chamber grayish, gill cover region grayish from outside view. Peritoneum blackish; gut and stomach black. Distribution. Known only from the holotype collected from northeastern Taiwan. Etymology. Named from Greek dolichos long + soma body, referring to the diagnostic characteristic of its long body. Treated as an adjective. Remarks. Bathyuroconger dolichosomus sp. nov. is distinguished from all the other species by its long trunk, more than 3 times the head length, and the correspondingly high number of preanal vertebrae (63 vs 43���55) and precaudal vertebrae (70 vs 52���63). The holotype and only known specimen is missing a substantial part of its tail, so the total length and the total number of vertebrae are unknown. The characters listed above, however, are sufficient to distinguish it from all other known species., Published as part of Smith, David G., Ho, Hsuan-Ching & Tashiro, Fumihito, 2018, Eels of the genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific, with descriptions of four new species (Anguilliformes: Congridae), pp. 147-167 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on pages 156-157, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/1446584

Bathycongrus graciliceps sp. nov. Common name: Slender-head conger Figs. 3E, 7A–C, Tables 1–3, 7–8 Holotype. NMMB-P9141 (473, female), Daxi, Yilan, NE Taiwan, northwestern Pacific Ocean, 8 Aug. 2008. Paratype. USNM 399886 (1, 445+, tip of tail damaged), Dong-gang, SW Taiwan, South China Sea, 13 Sep. 2010. Diagnosis. A moderately large and elongate species of Bathycongrus, deepest near mid-trunk and tapering at both ends to a slender tail and head; head small, about 12.7–13.1% TL, snout acute; trunk long, 2.0–2.1 times head length. Preanal vertebrae 43–46, total vertebrae 163; preanal lateral-line pores 39–41. Description. Proportional measurements and meristics are provided in Tables 7–8. Morphometric and meristic characters given for holotype with paratype in parentheses. Head length 3.0 (3.1) in PAL, 7.8 (*) in TL; preanal length 2.6 (*) in TL; predorsal length 2.7 (2.6) in PAL, 7.0 (*) in TL; trunk length 1.5 (1.5) in PAL, 4.0 (*) in TL; tail length 1.6 (*) in TL; depth at head 8.9 (*) in PAL, width at head 11.4 (*) in PAL. Snout length 4.0 (3.7) in HL; eye diameter 7.0 (7.5); interorbital width 9.5 (*); upper jaw 2.7 (2.8); gill opening width 9.8 (8.2); interbranchial width 7.0 (6.5); pectoral-fin length 4.3 (3.5). Body elongate, deepest near mid-trunk and tapering at both ends to slender tail and head, anus at slightly more than 1/3 TL. Trunk long, about twice the length of head. Dorsal fin begins over posterior part of pectoral fin; anal fin begins immediately behind anus; caudal fin confluent with dorsal and anal fins. Pectoral fin relatively small but well developed, narrow and pointed at tip. Gill opening moderate in size, width less than interbranchial space, its upper corner touching lower end of pectoral-fin base. Head small, distinctly narrower than trunk, 12.7% (13.1%) TL, tapering anteriorly toward a relatively acute snout, rictus below posterior part of eye, upper jaw extending well beyond tip of lower jaw. Eye well developed, about half snout length. Anterior nostril tubular, near tip of snout, directed antero-laterally. Posterior nostril elliptical, about one nostril diameter in front of mid-eye. Snout long and narrowly pointed, its length 1.6 (2.0) times eye diameter, projecting beyond lower jaw; lower jaw longer than snout; fleshy part of snout with a slight median keel on underside, projecting anteriorly beyond anterior end of intermaxillary tooth patch; rictus nearly below middle of eye. Lateral line complete, first pore on each side slightly enlarged, the canal extended to caudal-fin base; 9 (8) pores before dorsal-fin origin, 6 (6) before pectoral-fin base, 41 (39) before anal-fin origin; total pores not available due to the preservation. Head pores well developed (Fig. 7C). Supraorbital canal with 3 pores; the first (ethmoidal) pore very small, at tip of snout just above edge of upper lip; second larger and somewhat elongate, directly above first pore and before base of anterior nostril; third the largest of all pores, elongate, above anterior nostril. Infraorbital canal with 5 pores; first pore relatively large, directly behind anterior nostril; second large and slit-like, between anterior and posterior nostrils, slightly closer to anterior nostril; third somewhat smaller, below posterior nostril; fourth slightly smaller than third, below mid-eye; fifth small and round, directly behind rictus. Preoperculomandibular canal with 10 pores, 7 in mandibular section and 3 in preopercular; first pore small, near tip of lower jaw; second and third progressively larger, the third the largest in mandibular series; fourth, fifth, and sixth smaller, located between third pore and rictus; seventh behind rictus; 3 preopercular pores in a longitudinal series directly behind mandibular pores, the last one below level of ST canal, no pores in ascending branch. Supratemporal commissure with 1 median pore (paratype has a small lateral pore on right side). Predorsal vertebrae 10 (11); preanal vertebrae 43 (46); precaudal vertebrae 53 (52); total vertebrae 163 (145+). Intermaxillary teeth moderately enlarged (Fig. 3E), conical, sharp, in about four transverse rows, largely exposed when mouth closed, slightly separated from vomerine and maxillary teeth. Vomerine teeth in a short, elongate patch, some teeth enlarged but not forming an even row. Maxillary and mandibular teeth in multiserial bands, wider anteriorly than posteriorly, outer teeth somewhat larger. Coloration. In preservative pale brown or tan, slightly darker dorsally. Etymology. From the Latin gracilis, slender, and ceps, head, referring to the slender head. Remarks. This distinctive species is characterized by its relatively long trunk and its slender head with an acute snout. Bathycongrus albimarginatus also has a short head and a long trunk, but the head is stouter and the snout much broader. The holotype and paratype are both females with large eggs. The holotype is intact and the paratype is missing part of the tail tip. It is known so far only from Taiwan.

Family Nettastomatidae No new species were added to this volume. However, we found there are at least three undescribed species of Saurenchelys, and two undescribed species of Facciolella collected from Taiwan in the collections. These species are being described and will be published in the near future., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 15, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687

Bathyuroconger albus sp. nov. English name: White large-toothed conger Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5A; Tables 1, 2 Bathyuroconger vicinuS (not of Vaillant, 1888): Shao et al., 2008:239 (in part). Smith, 1999:1686 (in part). Ho et al., 2015:146 (in part). Holotype. USNM 400323 (1, 432), Daxi, Yilan, northeastern Taiwan, bottom trawl, 4 May 2010. Paratypes. Collected from Daxi, Yilan, northeastern Taiwan. ASIZP 60162 (6, 190+���429), 650 m, 15 Sep. 1997. ASIZP 60175 (1, 294), 30 Nov. 1997. ASIZP 61124 (2, 177+���206), 500 m, 7 Dec. 2000. ASIZP 61475 (1, 302), 400 m, 13 Jul. 2000. ASIZP 63134 (8, 360���585+), 24.81���24.82�� N, 122.07���122.18�� E, 350���650 m, 24 Apr. 2004. ASIZP 63251 (1, 337), 21 Mar. 2004. BSKU 50487 (1, 492), 23 Apr. 2012. NMMB-P11157 (1, 625), NMMB-P11158 (2, 380���430), 8 Dec. 2010. NMMB-P22058 (10, 320���480), 1 De. 2014. NMMB-P 26391 (3, 487���615), 28 Jun. 2017. USNM 400322 (1, 493+), 4 May 2010. USNM 400324 (1, 416+), 4 May 2010. USNM 400325 (6, 193+���375), 4 May 2010. Collected from Suao, Yilan: CAS 216686 (1, 295+), 24 Jul. 2001. Collected from Dong-gang, Pingtung, southwestern Taiwan, South China Sea: NMMB-P26613 (1, 475+), NMMB-P26614 (1, 713), NMMB-P26615 (2, 600+���658), NMMB-P26616 (1, 468), 23 Jul. 2017; USNM 437346 (1, 520+), 22 May 2014. Non-types. ASIZP 63293 (4, 398+���615+), 24.81���24.82��N, 122.07��� 122.18��E, off Daxi, Yilan, NE Taiwan, 24 Apr. 2004. USNM 377318 (1, 315+), 24.83��N, 122.00��E, Daxi, Yilan, NE Taiwan, 300���600 m, 27 Mar. 2004. ASIZP 66175 (1, 290), CD321, South China Sea, 954 m, 19 Aug. 2005. NMMB-P1799 (1, 410), Daxi, NT Taiwan, 9 Sep. 2003. NMMB-P11152 (1, 271), Daxi, NE Taiwan, 5 Jun. 2010. NMMB-P21654 (1, 230), Dong-gang, SW Taiwan, 27 Aug. 2008. Diagnosis. Bathyuroconger albus is distinguished from the other species by its pale coloration, light grayishbrown dorsally and lighter ventrally, head with pigmentation under skin and covered by semi-transparent unpigmented skin; a moderately reduced gill opening separated from pectoral-fin base by a distance less than diameter of gill opening; and 168���177 vertebrae. Description. Measurements in %TL: PAL 35.8���41.8, PDL 13.8���16.2, HL 10.9���12.6, TR 24.8���30.9, DA 4.0���7.0. In % PAL: PDL 33.5���43.3, HL 25.6���33.7, TR 66.3���74.4, DA 10.0���19.2. In % HL: S 21.6���26.0, E 9.7���15.7, IOW 15.0���23.2, UJ 30.7���42.3, GO 5.1���18.6, IB 19.6���42.7, PL 29.4���49.0. Pores: PALL 42���48, PDLL 7���11, PPLL 4���6, SO 3, IO 5, POM 10 (rarely 9), ST 1. Vertebrae: PDV 10���14, PAV 45���54, PCV 53���58, TV 168���177. Body slender, cylindrical anteriorly, gradually tapering and compressed posteriorly, tail thin, anus anterior to mid-body at slightly more than one-third total length. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin; dorsal fin begins above posterior half of pectoral fin; anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Head stout, rounded, deeper than body; jaws nearly equal. Snout short and blunt, rounded in dorsal view, about 1.1���2.6 times eye diameter. Eye moderate, over posterior third of upper jaw, posterior margin at level of rictus; interorbital space relatively broad, its width greater than eye diameter. Anterior nostril short and tubular, at front of snout; posterior nostril in front of mid-eye, a simple pore. Gill opening moderately small, separated from pectoral-fin base by a distance less than diameter of gill opening, its upper end at level of lower pectoral-fin base. Head pores moderately enlarged, not elongate and slit-like. Supraorbital pores 3; first pore small, at tip of snout on edge of upper lip; second pore larger, above and behind first, at level of and anterior to anterior nostril; third pore slightly larger and above anterior nostril; no pores on interorbital space. Infraorbital pores 5; first immediately behind anterior nostril; second below and behind first, on edge of lip between anterior and posterior nostrils; third below anterior margin of eye; fourth below posterior part of eye; fifth behind rictus. Preoperculomandibular pores 10 (rarely 9); 7 (rarely 6) on mandibular section and 3 on preopercular, the last one at about level of first lateral-line pore. A single supratemporal pore with tube-like rim, anterior to level of first lateral-line pore. Lateral line complete, lateral-line pores large; predorsal 7���11 (mean 9); prepectoral 4���6 (mean 5); preanal 42���48 (mean 45). Vertebrae: predorsal 10���14; preanal 45���54; precaudal 53���58; total 168���177, MVF 13���49���173. ASIZP 66175 has 8 predorsal vertebrae and ASIZP 63293 (1 of 4, 398+ mm) has 6 predorsal vertebrae, both are clearly fewer than other specimens. Teeth large and pointed, generally smaller than those of the B. vicinus group. Intermaxillary teeth in two transverse rows, each with 4���6 enlarged fang-like teeth, exposed when mouth closed. Vomer with 2 large median teeth and 2���8 small teeth beside and/or behind. Maxilla with 3 irregular rows of teeth on anterior portion, becoming 2 rows posteriorly, those in outermost row larger and scattered in arrangement. Dentary with 4 irregular rows of enlarged teeth on anterior portion, those on outer 2 rows fang-like and exposed when mouth fully closed, gradually narrowing to 2 rows posteriorly, those of outermost row larger. Coloration. Pale grayish-brown in preservative, somewhat darker dorsally; head with pigmentation under skin and covered by semi-transparent unpigmented skin; dorsal half of anterior two-thirds and posterior one-third of body grayish brown; ventral half of anterior two-thirds of body whitish or only covered by scattered pigmentation; irregular but clear boundary between pigmented and unpigmented areas. Pectoral fin transparent; dorsal and anal fin white in anterior portion, some with internal pigmentation on rays, gradually becoming pale basally and with broad black margin posteriorly; caudal fin black. Oral cavity and tongue grayish; gill chamber grayish, gill cover region grayish from outside view. Peritoneum blackish, gut and stomach black. Distribution. This species is currently known only from Taiwan, where it seems to be the most common species of Bathyuroconger. Specimens were collected at depths of ca. 300��� 954 m. Ecological note. All specimens were collected by bottom trawl together with many demersal fishes, which may indicate this species lives near the bottom. Smith (1989a) commented that the enlarged sensory pores and the soft body may suggest that this species lives associated with the bottom but is more or less pelagic. Etymology. From the Latin albus, white, in reference to its pale coloration compared to other congeners. Remarks. Bathyuroconger albus sp. nov. has been confused with B. vicinus, a species described from the Atlantic and reported to occur worldwide. It differs primarily in the coloration and the size and position of the gill opening. Bathyuroconger albus is lightly pigmented dorsally and pale ventrally, whereas B. vicinus is brownish to blackish. In B. albus, the gill opening is smaller and separated from the pectoral-fin base; in B. vicinus the gill opening is larger and in contact with the pectoral-fin base. It has 168���177 total vertebrae, whereas the various B. vicinus populations have 180���186; it also has 53���58 precaudal vertebrae vs. 57���66 in B. vicinus. Although overlapping, the snout length, eye diameter, upper-jaw length and gill opening relative to head length are smaller in B. albus than B. vicinus. Moreover, the fang-like teeth in the jaws are generally smaller in B. albus than in B. vicinus. It differs from B. hawaiiensis in the paler color (dark brown in B. hawaiiensis) and fewer vertebrae (168���177 vs 201���210). Bathyuroconger albus is similar to B. dolichosomus sp. nov. described below in the coloration and gill opening, but it is clearly distinguished by the shorter trunk (2.0���2.9 vs 3.2 times in head length), fewer preanal lateral-line pores (42���48 vs 61), and fewer preanal vertebrae (45���54 vs 63). TABLE]. Morphometric anđ meristic đata of three Bathyuroconger species anđ comparative đata of B. vicinus. HT =Holotype. Bathyuroconger albus differs from B. parvibranchialis and B. fowleri in the coloration (light gray vs brown) and larger gill opening (very small in B. parvibranchialis and B. fowleri and separated from the pectoral-fin base by a distance greater than the diameter of the gill opening). It further differs from B. parvibranchialis in the more posterior dorsal-fin origin (over middle of pectoral fin vs over base of pectoral fin), more predorsal vertebrae (10���14 vs 7���10), more preanal vertebrae (45���54 vs 43���48), and fewer total vertebrae (168���177 vs 181���189). It also has a greater preanal length (35.8���41.8 %TL vs 33.3���37.1) and predorsal length (13.8���16.2 %TL vs 12.6���14.5) Although only six specimens were collected from southwestern Taiwan (South China Sea), some differences are found compared to those specimens collected from northeastern Taiwan (NW Pacific Ocean). The preanal length and trunk length in percentage of total length are slightly larger in the former than the latter. The head length in percentage of preanal length is slightly smaller in the former than the latter. The meristic data show no difference between populations., Published as part of Smith, David G., Ho, Hsuan-Ching & Tashiro, Fumihito, 2018, Eels of the genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific, with descriptions of four new species (Anguilliformes: Congridae), pp. 147-167 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on pages 149-156, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/1446584, {"references":["Vaillant, L. L. (1888) ExpeditionS ScientifiqueS du \" Travailleur \" et du \" TaliSman \" pendant leS anneeS 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883. Poissons, Paris, 406 pp., 28 pls.","Shao, K. - T., Ho, H. - C., Lin, P. - L., Lee, P. - F., Lee, M. - Y., Tsai, C. - Y., Liao, Y. - C. & Lin, Y. - C. (2008) A checklist of the fishes of southern Taiwan, Northern South China Sea. RaffleS Bulletin of Zoology, 19 (Supplement), 233 - 271.","Smith, D. G. (1999) Species identification guide for fisheries purposes. Vol. 3. In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), The living marine reSourceS of the weStern central Pacific. Batoid fiSheS, chimeraS and bony fiSheS. Part 1. Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome, pp. 1398 - 2068.","Ho, H. - C., Smith, D. G., McCosker, J. E., Hibino, Y., Loh, K. - H., Tighe, K. A. & Shao, K. - T. (2015) Annotated checklist of eels (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes) from Taiwan. Zootaxa, 4060 (1), 140 - 189. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4060.1.16","Smith, D. G. (1989 a) Family Congridae. In: Bohlke, E. B. (Ed.), Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. MemoirS of the SearS Foundation for Marine ReSearch, 1 (Part 9), pp. 460 - 567."]}

Ariosoma emmae Smith & Ho, sp. nov. EMMA’S SHORT-TAIL CONgER; 黑錐體糯鰻 FIgS. 1, 3C, 5, 6; TAbLE 1 Holotype. NMMB-P 26428 (236 MM TL), Off KE-TSu-LIAO, KAOHSIuNg, SOuTHWESTERN TAIWAN, NORTH TIP Of SOuTH CHINA SEA, 18 JuN. 2017, LESS THAN 100 M, cOLL. H.-C. HO. Paratypes. 9 SPEcIMENS, 149‒242 MM TL. NMMB-P23479 (3, 207‒232), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 13 JuL. 2016. NMMB- P24376 (1, 177), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 27 JuN. 2016. NMMB-P26426 (1, 193), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 18 JuN. 2017. NMMB-P26710 (1, 207), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 17 Aug. 2017. NMMB-P26711 (1, 242), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 17 Aug. 2017. USNM 439058 (1, 160), USNM 439059 (1, 149), KE-Tzu-LIAO, 4 FEb. 2016. Non-types. NMMB-P 12217 (1, 306), DAxI, 22 JAN. 2010 (ALL DATA INcLuDED). NMMB-P 27032 (3, 125‒197), cLEARED AND STAINED, KE-Tzu-LIAO, 18 JuN. 2017 (DETAILED MEASuREMENTS NOT TAkEN). Diagnosis. BODY bLAckISH, ONE WHITISH bAND cROSSINg SNOuT juST ANTERIOR TO EYES; VERTIcAL fINS WITH VERY bROAD cONSPIcuOuS bLAck MARgIN; SNOuT RELATIVELY POINTED; PEcTORAL fIN MODERATE IN SIzE, 29.1‒35.2% HL. PREANAL VERTEbRAE 51‒55, TOTAL VERTEbRAE 127‒133; PREANAL LATERAL-LINE PORES 50‒53, TOTAL PORES 123‒126. Description. MORPHOMETRIc AND MERISTIc DATA ARE PROVIDED IN TAbLE 1. THE fOLLOWINg VALuES ARE PROVIDED fOR THE HOLOTYPE, fOLLOWED bY RANgE Of PARATYPES IN PARENTHESES. THE VALuES Of NON-TYPES ARE WITHIN RANgE Of TYPE SERIES. HEAD LENgTH 5.9 (5.4‒5.9) IN TL; PREANAL LENgTH 2.1 (2.0‒2.1); PREDORSAL LENgTH 7.0 (6.1‒7.0); TRuNk LENgTH 3.2 (3.1‒3.5); TAIL LENgTH 1.9 (1.9‒2.0); DEPTH AT gILL OPENINg 19.0 (17.0‒20.9). SNOuT LENgTH 4.4 (4.2‒4.6) IN HL; EYE DIAMETER 6.4 (5.3‒6.4); INTERORbITAL WIDTH 7.3 (6.9‒7.9); uPPER jAW 3.7 (3.3‒3.7); gILL OPENINg WIDTH 8.3 (7.8‒9.7); INTERbRANcHIAL WIDTH 6.0 (5.6‒7.9); PEcTORAL-fIN LENgTH 3.1 (2.8‒3.4). BODY RELATIVELY STOuT, cYLINDRIcAL ANTERIORLY AND LATERALLY cOMPRESSED THROugH THE POSTERIOR HALf, bEcOMINg MORE cOMPRESSED POSTERIORLY; HEAD MODERATELY LARgE; TIP Of TAIL bLuNT; ANuS AT AbOuT MIDPOINT Of TOTAL LENgTH. DORSAL fIN bEgINS WELL bEfORE INSERTION Of PEcTORAL fIN; cONTINuOuS AROuND TIP Of TAIL WITH cAuDAL AND ANAL fINS. ANAL fIN bEgINS IMMEDIATELY bEHIND ANuS. PEcTORAL fIN WELL DEVELOPED, POINTED DISTALLY WITH A NARROW bASE. GILL OPENINg MODERATELY LARgE, MucH SMALLER THAN EYE DIAMETER, ITS uPPER END NEARLY OPPOSITE uPPER HALf Of PEcTORAL-fIN bASE; INTERbRANcHIAL WIDTH gREATER THAN gILL OPENINg AND LARgER THAN EYE. HEAD RELATIVELY LARgE, 16.9% (16.7‒18.4%) TL, DEEPEST AbOuT MIDWAY bETWEEN gILL OPENINg AND TIP Of SNOuT, TAPERINg ANTERIORLY fROM THIS POINT; SNOuT SHORT, POINTED ANTERIORLY IN DORSAL VIEW, ITS LENgTH 1.5 (1.2‒1.5) TIMES EYE DIAMETER, PROjEcTINg SLIgHTLY bEYOND LOWER jAW; LOWER jAW AbOuT SAME LENgTH AS SNOuT; fLESHY PART Of SNOuT VERY NARROW, PROjEcTINg ANTERIORLY SLIgHTLY bEYOND ANTERIOR END Of INTERMAxILLARY TOOTH PATcH; RIcTuS bELOW AbOuT MIDDLE Of EYE, OR SLIgHTLY bEfORE. ANTERIOR NOSTRIL SMALL, TubuLAR, NEAR TIP Of SNOuT, DIREcTED VENTROLATERALLY. POSTERIOR NOSTRIL A SMALL PORE, IN fRONT Of MID-EYE LEVEL. UPPER jAW WITH REDucED fLANgE; LOWER jAW WITH DOWNTuRNED fLANgE. TONguE SHORT AND bROAD, ANTERIOR HALf fREE fROM fLOOR Of MOuTH. LATERAL LINE NEARLY cOMPLETE, fIRST PORE AT LEVEL Of SuPRATEMPORAL cANAL, THE cANAL ExTENDINg TO SLIgHTLY MORE THAN ONE EYE DIAMETER bEfORE cAuDAL-fIN bASE; 4 (4‒6) PREDORSAL, 8 (8‒9) cEPHALIc, 51 (50‒53) PREANAL, AND 123 (123‒126) TOTAL. HEAD PORES SMALL, SOME MAY bE SLIgHTLY ENLARgED. SO cANAL WITH 6 PORES; THE fIRST (ETHMOIDAL PORE) VERY SMALL, ON VENTRAL SIDE Of TIP Of SNOuT, juST bEfORE THE LIP; THE SEcOND SMALL AND IMMEDIATELY IN fRONT Of AND AbOVE ANTERIOR NOSTRIL; THE THIRD ENLARgED, ON DORSAL SuRfAcE Of SNOuT cLOSER TO ANTERIOR NOSTRIL THAN POSTERIOR NOSTRIL; THE fOuRTH SLIgHTLY ENLARgED, RIgHT AbOVE POSTERIOR NOSTRIL OR SLIgHTLY bEHIND; THE fIfTH SMALL, AT ANTERIOR PORTION Of INTERORbITAL SPAcE; AND THE SIxTH AbOVE POSTERIOR PORTION Of INTERORbITAL SPAcE. IO cANAL WITH 8 PORES, THE fIRST ENLARgED, RIgHT bEHIND ANTERIOR NOSTRIL; THE SEcOND bELOW POSTERIOR NOSTRIL; THE THIRD bELOW ANTERIOR MARgIN Of EYE; THE fOuRTH SLIgHTLY bEHIND RIcTuS uNDER MIDDLE Of EYE; THE fIfTH IN LINE WITH THESE bEHIND RIcTuS uNDER POSTERIOR MARgIN Of EYE; AND 3 IN AScENDINg bRANcH Of cANAL bEHIND EYE. POM PORES 10; 7 IN MANDIbuLAR SEcTION, INcLuDINg 1 bEHIND RIcTuS; 3 IN PREOPERcuLAR SEcTION, IN A LONgITuDINAL ROW. ST PORES 3. PREDORSAL VERTEbRAE 7 (6‒8); PREANAL VERTEbRAE 52 (51‒55); PREcAuDAL VERTEbRAE 64 (63‒65); TOTAL VERTEbRAE 131 (127‒133). TEETH SMALL, cONIcAL OR bLuNT. INTERMAxILLARY TEETH cuRVED, IN 4 TRANSVERSE ROWS, SEPARATED fROM VOMERINE TEETH bY A gAPE, PARTLY ExcLuDED fROM cLOSED MOuTH. MAxILLARY AND MANDIbuLAR TEETH IN bANDS, WIDER ANTERIORLY, ROugHLY IN 3 OR 4 ROWS, NARROWER POSTERIORLY, IN 2 ROWS; INNERMOST TEETH bLuNT, THE REST cONIcAL. VOMERINE TEETH fORMINg A LONg TRIANguLAR PATcH, 3 OR 4 TRANSVERSE ROWS IN ANTERIOR PORTION, fOLLOWED bY 1 OR 2 (MOSTLY 1) IRREguLAR ROWS Of bLuNT TEETH. COLORATION. FRESH AND PRESERVED SPEcIMENS WITH SIMILAR cOLORATION. WHEN fRESH, bODY uNIfORMLY DARk bROWN TO bLAckISH, PALER VENTRALLY, DORSAL AND ANAL fINS WITH VERY bROAD cONSPIcuOuS bLAck MARgIN, cAuDAL fIN WHITE WITH uPPER AND LOWER MARgINS bLAck. DORSAL SuRfAcE Of HEAD DARkER WITH A SINgLE WHITE bAND AcROSS LEVEL Of ANTERIOR MARgIN Of EYES THROugH THE 5TH SO PORES. THE PRESERVED SPEcIMENS ARE SLIgHTLY DARkER IN gENERAL. MEASuREMENT Of HOLOTYPE (IN MM). HEAD LENgTH 39.9, PREANAL LENgTH 113, PREDORSAL LENgTH 33.6, TRuNk LENgTH 73.1, TAIL LENgTH 123, DEPTH AT gILL OPENINg 12.4, DEPTH AT ANuS 12.9, WITH AT ANuS 9.0, SNOuT LENgTH 9.0, EYE DIAMETER 6.2, INTERORbITAL WIDTH 5.5, uPPER jAW 10.8, gILL OPENINg WIDTH 4.8, INTERbRANcHIAL WIDTH 6.7, PEcTORAL-fIN LENgTH 13.0. Size. THE LARgEST kNOWN SPEcIMEN ExAMINED IS 306 MM TL. IT APPEARS TO bE A SMALL SPEcIES THAT MATuRES AT AROuND 220 MM TL. Distribution. THE SPEcIES IS cuRRENTLY ONLY kNOWN fROM SOuTHWESTERN TAIWAN, SOuTHERN TAIWAN STRAIT AND NORTHEASTERN TAIWAN. THE cOLLEcTINg DEPTH IS AbOuT 100 M OR LESS. Etymology. WE TAkE THE OPPORTuNITY TO NAME THIS fISH AfTER EMMA S. KARMOVSkAYA Of P.P. SHIRSHOV INSTITuTE Of OcEANOLOgY, RuSSIAN AcADEMY Of ScIENcES, fOR HER gREAT cONTRIbuTION TO OuR kNOWLEDgE Of cONgRID EELS. Remarks. AS MENTIONED AbOVE, THE TYPE SERIES WAS cONfuSED WITH SPEcIMENS Of A. dolichopterum DuE TO THE SIMILAR VERTEbRAL fORMuLA AND bODY cOLORATION. HOWEVER, A. emmae sp. nov. HAS A MODERATELY-SIzED PEcTORAL fIN (29.1‒35.2% HL; FIg. 6); A RELATIVELY LONg PREANAL LENgTH (46.9‒49.6% TL) AND TRuNk (28.9‒32.7% TL), AND ONLY ONE WHITISH bAND AcROSS DORSAL SuRfAcE Of ANTERIOR MARgIN Of EYE; WHEREAS A. dolichopterum HAS AN uNuSuALLY LARgE PEcTORAL fIN (40.0‒56.7% HL; FIg. 6); A RELATIVELY SHORT PREANAL LENgTH (43.1‒46.8% TL) AND TRuNk (26.6‒29.8% TL), AND fOuR cLEAR WHITISH bANDS AcROSS THE DORSAL SuRfAcE Of HEAD. THE bODY IS gENERALLY DARkER IN A. emmae THAN IN A. dolichopterum. MOREOVER, A. emmae APPEARS TO MATuRE AT AROuND 220 MM TL AND THE LARgEST SPEcIMEN ExAMINED IS 306 MM TL, WHEREAS A. dolichopterum MATuRES AT AROuND 320 MM TL AND ATTAINS AT LEAST 415 MM TL.

+ Conger philippinus Kanazawa, 1958 Conger philippinus Kanazawa, 1958:255, pl. 1, fig. K (type locality: Market in Cebu, Philippines). Smith & Ho, 2018b: this volume. Remarks. Several specimens were collected recently that represent the first record from Taiwan, as well the first record outside the type locality after its first description. Ho et al. (2015c) recognized four species of Conger: C. cinereus R��ppell, C. jordani Kanazawa, C. macrocephalus Kanazawa, and C. myriaster (Brevoort). Smith & Ho (2018b) provide detailed information of all these Conger species. Specimens were also collected from Vietnam., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 12, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687, {"references":["Kanazawa, R. H. (1958) A revision of the eels of the genus Conger with descriptions of four new species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 108 (3400), 219 - 267,","Ho, H. - C., Smith, D. G., McCosker, J. E., Hibino, Y., Loh, K. - H., Tighe, K. A., & Shao, K. - T. (2015 c) Annotated checklist of eels (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes) from Taiwan. Zootaxa, 4060 (1), 140 - 189."]}

Bathyuroconger hawaiiensis sp. nov. English name: Hawaiian large-toothed conger Figs. 4, 8B; Tables 2, 3 Bathyuroconger vicinuS (non Vaillant, 1888): Smith, 1989a:541; Chave & Mundy, 1994:381; Mundy, 2005:140. Holotype. USNM 348215 (392 mm), Hawaiian Is. north of Maui, 21.10°N, 156.23°W, 640‒686 m, Townsend Cromwell sta. 35-24, 5 Apr. 1968. Paratypes. BPBM 21071 (7, 241‒315), Hawaiian Is., 21.08°N, 156.18°W, 623‒667 m, Townsend Cromwell sta. 40-87, 23 Nov. 1968 USNM 441777 (2, 280‒292), same data as holotype. Non-types (detailed counts and measurements not taken). BPBM 24336 (2, 600‒675), 21.10°N, 156.22°W, 631‒705 m, Townsend Cromwell sta. 40-86, 23 Nov. 1968. BPBM 25042 (2, 280‒335, same data as BPBM 24336. BPBM 24044 (4, 340‒645, 21.08°N, 156.18°W, 623‒667 m, Townsend Cromwell sta. 40-87, 23 Nov. 1968. BPBM 25072 (1, 415), Pailolo Channel, mid-channel, 650 m, 6 Mar. 1971. BPBM 25074 (1, 434), Pailolo Channel, midchannel, Townsend Cromwell sta. 52- 88, 10 Mar 1971. BPBM 25090 (3, 619‒694), 21.02°N, 156.13°W, 860 m, Townsend Cromwell sta. 61-66, 26 Oct. 1972. Diagnosis. A species of Bathyuroconger with a slightly reduced gill opening, separated from pectoral-fin base by a distance of less than diameter of gill opening; total vertebrae 201‒210; color medium to dark brown. Description. Measurements in %TL: PAL 34.7‒38.7, PDL 12.8‒14.8, HL 12.2‒14.3, TR 22.5‒25.2, DA 4.8‒ 5.7. In % PAL: PDL 34.5‒40.2, HL 34.0‒38.6, TR 61.4‒66.0, DA 13.6‒15.0. In % HL: S 26.1‒30.0, E 13.8‒18.0, IOW 11.3‒13.8, UJ 37.4‒44.5, GO 6.8‒11.3, IB 10.2‒16.6, PL 18.8‒31.7. Pores: PDLL 8, PPLL 7, SO 3, IO 5, POM 9‒10, ST 1. Vertebrae: PDV 10‒13, PAV 51‒55, PCV ca. 58‒63, TV 201‒210. Body slender, cylindrical anteriorly, gradually tapering and compressed posteriorly. Trunk short, trunk length 1.6‒1.9 times head length. Tail thin, anus anterior to mid-body at slightly more than one-third total length. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal, dorsal fin begins slightly behind base of pectoral fin, anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Head stout, rounded, deeper than body; jaws nearly equal. Snout short and blunt, rounded in dorsal view, about 1.5‒2.1 times eye diameter. Eye moderate, over posterior third of upper jaw, posterior margin at level of rictus; interorbital space slightly less than eye diameter. Anterior nostril short and tubular, at front of snout; posterior nostril in front of mid-eye, a simple pore. Gill opening reduced, its upper margin not contacting base of pectoral fin, separated from base of fin by a distance of about half diameter of gill opening. Head pores moderately enlarged, not elongate and slit-like. Supraorbital pores 3; first pore small, at tip of snout on edge of upper lip, opening ventrally; second pore larger, at level of and anterior to anterior nostril; third pore slightly larger and above posterior margin of anterior nostril; no pores on interorbital space. Infraorbital pores 5; first immediately behind anterior nostril; second between anterior and posterior nostrils; third below anterior margin of eye; fourth below posterior third of eye; fifth behind rictus; no pores behind eye. Preoperculomandibular pores 10; 7 on mandibular section, 6 before and 1 behind rictus; 3 on preopercular section, progressively larger posteriorly, the last one at about level of first lateral-line pore. One median supratemporal pore, anterior to first lateral-line pore. Lateral line complete, lateral-line pores large; predorsal 8, prepectoral 7. Vertebrae: predorsal 10‒13, preanal 51‒55, precaudal ca. 58‒63, total 201‒210. Teeth pointed, variable in size. Intermaxillary teeth in 2 transverse rows of about 4‒6 teeth each, enlarged and fang-like, exposed when mouth closed. Vomer with 2 enlarged median teeth, with a few smaller teeth around and behind, the row relatively short. Maxillary teeth in 3 rows anteriorly and 2 posteriorly, the outer teeth larger. Dentary teeth in about 3‒4 irregular rows anteriorly narrowing to 2 rows posteriorly, the outer teeth larger; the anteriormost teeth enlarged and fang-like, exposed when mouth closed. Color in preservative medium to dark brown; interior of mouth with some dark pigment; gill cavity and digestive tract black. Distribution. Hawaiian Islands. Bathymetric range 600‒ 860 m. Etymology. Named for the type locality. Remarks. This species has been known for some time, but it was identified as Bathyuroconger vicinus, which has been considered world-wide in distribution. The difference in the form of the gill opening was not noticed previously. The high vertebral count separates it from all other known species of Bathycongrus except the B. cf. vicinus specimens reported below, which have an unreduced gill opening in contact with the pectoral-fin base. The lateral-line pores in the type specimens could not be counted because of damage to the skin on the side of the body.

Genus Bathyuroconger Fowler, 1934 Bathyuroconger (subgenus of Uroconger) Fowler, 1934:273 (type species Uroconger braueri Weber & de Beaufort, 1916, by original designation). SilveSterina Fowler, 1934:274 (type species SilveSterina parvibranchialiS Fowler, 1934 by original designation). Characters. Body moderately elongate, preanal length 33‒42% TL, tail slender and attenuate; rather delicate in composition, remaining quite limp in preservative; skin thin, slimy, rather transparent and loosely attached. Dorsal fin beginning over or slightly behind base of pectoral fin. Gill opening variable, from semi-circular, moderate in size, with upper corner touching base of pectoral fin to a small pore widely separated from fin. Head large and robust in comparison to body; mouth terminal, jaws nearly equal or upper jaw slightly projecting; fleshy part of snout not projecting beyond intermaxillary teeth; labial flange absent from both jaws. Anterior nostril in a short tube, near tip of snout, directed anterolaterally; posterior nostril small, round, in front of eye at mid-eye level. Lateral line complete. Head pores moderate to large in size, not greatly enlarged or slit-like (Fig. 1); supraorbital with 3 pores (rarely 4), all at tip of snout; infraorbital with 5 pores, first pore (adnasal) above anterior nostril, three pores along upper jaw and 1 behind rictus; no pores behind or between eyes; mandibular with 7 pores (rarely 6 or 8), 6 pores along lower jaw and 1 behind rictus; preopercular with 3 pores; 1 single pore on supratemporal canal. Teeth strong, fang-like (Fig. 2). Intermaxillary teeth enlarged, in two transverse rows, separated from maxillary and vomerine teeth. Vomerine teeth few, usually 1 or 2 enlarged median teeth, with a few small teeth around and behind them; the vomerine tooth patch relatively short. Maxillary teeth in narrow bands, wider anteriorly, the outer teeth largest. Dentary teeth in two or three irregular rows, the anterior outer teeth enlarged. Color variable, from dark brown to light gray. Smaller specimens often with two or three rows of small melanophores along the body, presumably the remains of larval pigment. Remarks. Although it has been commonly compared and confused with Uroconger, the relationships of Bathyuroconger clearly lie with Bathycongrus. Uroconger is easily distinguished by its long single row of vomerine teeth, which extends nearly the entire length of the upper jaw. Bathyuroconger and Bathycongrus, in contrast, have a short vomerine tooth patch restricted to the anterior end of the mouth, commonly with one or a few enlarged teeth with smaller teeth around them. The remains of the larval pigmentation, commonly seen in small specimens, consists of three irregular longitudinal rows above, on, and below the mid-line, similar to the pattern seen in larvae of Bathycongrus (Castle, 1969). Larval Uroconger have a single midlateral row of melanophores (Nair, 1946; Nair & Mohamed, 1960; Smith, 1989b:751). Bathyuroconger differs from Bathycongrus primarily in the relatively large and deep head, larger teeth, the equal length of the upper and lower jaws, and the more delicate and easily damaged body., Published as part of Smith, David G., Ho, Hsuan-Ching & Tashiro, Fumihito, 2018, Eels of the genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific, with descriptions of four new species (Anguilliformes: Congridae), pp. 147-167 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on pages 148-149, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/1446584, {"references":["Fowler, H. W. (1934) Descriptions of new fishes obtained 1907 to 1910, chiefly in the Philippine Islands and adjacent seas. ProceedingS of the Academy of Natural ScienceS of Philadelphia, 85, 233 - 367.","Weber, M. & de Beaufort, L. F. (1916) The fiSheS of the Indo-AuStralian Archipelago. III. OStariophySi: II. Cyprinoidea, ApodeS, Synbranchi, E. J. Brill, Leiden, 455 pp.","Castle, P. H. J. (1969) The eel genera Congrina and Coloconger off southern Mozambique and their larval forms. Special Publication J. L. B, Smith InStitute of Ichthyology RhodeS UniverSity, GrahamStown, 6, 1 - 10.","Nair, R. V., (1946) On the leptocephalus of Uroconger lepturuS (Richardson) from the Madras plankton. Current Science, 15, 318 - 319.","Nair, R. V. & Mohamed, K. H. (1960) Studies on the leptocephali of Bombay waters, 3: the metamorphosing stages of Uroconger lepturuS (Richardson). ProceedingS of the Indian Academy of ScienceS, 52 B (5), 182 - 190.","Smith, D. G. (1989 b) Family Congridae: Leptocephali. In: Bohlke, E. B. (Ed.), Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. MemoirS of the SearS Foundation for Marine ReSearch, 1 (Part 9), pp. 723 - 763."]}

* Ariosoma emmae Smith & Ho, this volume Ariosoma emmae Smith & Ho in Smith et al., 2018d: this volume (type locality: Ke-tzu-liao, Kaohsiung, southwestern Taiwan). Remarks. This species was mixed with the specimens previously identified as A. dolichopterum. Morphological and genetic analyses recognize it as a distinct species., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 10, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687

* Bathycongrus brunneus Huang, Ho & Chen, this volume Bathycongrus brunneus Huang, Ho & Chen in Huang et al., 2018: this volume (type locality: Changbin, Taitung, eastern Taiwan). Remarks. Newly described in this volume by Huang et al. (2018). The species is only found in eastern Taiwan off Taitung; collected by hook and line., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 11, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687

+ Allips concolor McCosker, 1972 Allips concolor McCosker, 1972:117, figs. 4���5 (type locality: Ko Phi Island, Myanmar). Ho et al., 2018a: this volume. Remarks. A single specimen was collected from southwestern Taiwan off Dong-gang, representing the first record of this species from Taiwan and the South China Sea., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687, {"references":["McCosker, J. E. (1972) Two new genera and two new species of western Pacific snake-eels (Apodes: Ophichthidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (Series 4), 39 (10), 111 - 119."]}

Bathycongrus bimaculatus sp. nov. New common name: Two-spot short-tail conger Figs. 2A–D, 3A; Tables 1–6 Holotype. NMMB-P 24393 (163), off Dong-gang, Pingtung, southwestern Taiwan, South China Sea, bottom trawl, ca. 300 m, 6 Nov. 2015. Paratypes. NMMB-P7012 (1, 157), 5 Dec. 2003; NMMB-P23175 (1, 169), 24 Apr. 2015; NMMB-P23176 (1, 162), 16 Oct. 2013; USNM 437339 (1, 190), 6 Nov. 2015; all collected from near the type locality. Diagnosis. A small, moderately elongate species of Bathycongrus with head and body compressed; pale color with two black patches on anterior portion of dorsal fin; tail slender, attenuate, though not filiform; trunk length 1.3–1.5 times HL; teeth small, conical, in about four rows on jaws, in a short oval patch on vomer; preanal vertebrae 27–30, precaudal vertebrae 35–37, total vertebrae 109–111; and preanal lateral-line pores 27–29. Description. Proportional measurements and meristic data are provided in Tables 1–6. Head length 2.3 (2.3–2.5) in PAL, 6.5 (6.5–7.0) in TL; preanal length 2.8 (2.7–2.8) in TL; predorsal length 2.0 (2.0–2.2) in PAL, 5.7 (5.6–5.8) in TL; trunk length 1.8 (1.7–1.8) in PAL, 5.0 (4.5–5.0) in TL; tail length 1.5 (1.5–1.6) in TL; depth at head 5.8 (5.5–6.7) in PAL, width at head 9.9 (8.4–9.9) in PAL. Snout length 4.2 (3.9–4.3) in HL; eye diameter 5.8 (4.6–5.7); interorbital width 6.6 (6.3–7.5); upper jaw 2.8 (2.7–2.8); gill opening width 8.4 (7.8–9.8); interbranchial width 4.5 (3.9–5.1); pectoral-fin length 3.6 (2.7–3.6). Body moderately elongate, laterally compressed through the entire length, oval in cross section, becoming more compressed posteriorly; head relatively large, its length 1.3 (1.3–1.5) times in trunk length; tip of tail moderately attenuate; anus slightly behind anterior third of total length. Dorsal fin begins over middle of appressed pectoral fin, continuous around tip of tail with caudal and anal fins. Anal fin begins immediately behind anus. Pectoral fin well developed, pointed distally with a narrow base. Gill opening relatively small, slightly smaller than eye diameter, its upper end nearly opposite middle of pectoral-fin base; interbranchial width greater than gill opening and eye. Head relatively large, 15.0% (14.3–15.7%) TL, deepest about midway between gill opening and tip of snout, tapering anteriorly from this point; snout short, blunt anteriorly in dorsal view, its length 1.4 (1.2–1.4) times eye diameter, projecting beyond lower jaw; lower jaw longer than snout; fleshy part of snout with a slight median keel on underside, projecting anteriorly beyond anterior end of intermaxillary tooth patch; rictus below posterior half of eye. Anterior nostril tubular, near tip of snout, directed ventrolaterally. Posterior nostril elliptical, with a slightly raised rim, in front of mid-eye level. Upper jaw with flange greatly reduced; lower jaw with downturned flange. Tongue free, long, and broad. Lateral line complete, first pore on each side slightly enlarged, the canal extended to caudal-fin base; 5 (4–7) before pectoral-fin base, 7 (6–9) pores before dorsal-fin origin, 28 (27–29) before anal-fin origin, and 114 (110–116) in total. Head pores vary in size, mostly enlarged (Fig. 2D). Supraorbital canal with 3 pores; the first (ethmoidal pore) small, on ventral side of snout tip, just ahead lip; the second enlarged and immediately in front of anterior nostril; the third greatly enlarged and immediately above anterior nostril, about same size as anterior nostril. Infraorbital canal with 5 pores, first four enlarged; the first at posterodorsal corner of anterior nostril; the second between anterior and posterior nostrils; the third below posterior margin of posterior nostril; the fourth slightly before vertical through middle of eye; the fifth small and behind rictus; no pores behind eye. Preoperculomandibular canal with 10 (rarely 9) pores; 7 mandibular pores (except 1 paratype with 6), 5 or 6 along lower jaw and 1 behind rictus, the first very small, at anterior tip of lower jaw, the third greatly enlarged; 3 preopercular pores. Supratemporal commissure with no pore. Predorsal vertebrae 8 (8); preanal vertebrae 28 (27–30); precaudal vertebrae 37 (35–37); total vertebrae 109 (109–111). Teeth moderately large, conical (Fig. 3A). Intermaxillary teeth largest, curved, in 3 transverse rows, separated from maxillary and vomerine teeth, mostly excluded from closed mouth. Maxillary and mandibular teeth in bands, wider anteriorly, roughly in 4 or 5 rows, narrower posteriorly, in 1 to 2 rows; outermost teeth slightly larger than innermost. Vomerine teeth forming a small triangular patch, 4 transverse rows of small teeth anteriorly followed by several blunt teeth, roughly in 2 rows. Coloration. In preservative, pale to yellowish brown; lateral and ventral surface of body and abdomen without chromatophores; scattered pigment on each side of anal-fin base; dorsal surface with a darker wash composed of numerous tiny brown chromatophores on either side of dorsal fin. Snout mostly covered by black pigmentation under the skin, extending to level of posterior margin of eye, except for a clearly white band in front of eye; a black patch under skin at about brain chamber; dark pigment outlining supratemporal canal; a large patch of pigment on opercle in front of pectoral-fin base. Pectoral fin with scattered pigment, denser at base. Dorsal fin with two black patches, one at anterior end of fin and one at anterior fourth of fin; each fin ray with slight internal pigment and a black spot at its base; anal fin pale, each ray with slight internal pigment and a black spot at its base. Caudal fin with black base and scattered pigment. Anterior half of stomach blackish, posterior half unpigmented, internally and externally. Anterior portion of intestine densely covered by black and brown pigment, posterior portion pale with numerous black dots or small patches of pigment. Dorsal third of peritoneum densely covered by black or brown dots, ventral 2/3 unpigmented. Mouth cavity and gill chamber pale. BATHYCONGRUS EELS Distribution. Known only from the type series collected from off Dong-gang, southwestern Taiwan, northern South China Sea, at depth around 200– 300 m. Etymology. Named for the two black patches on anterior portion of dorsal-fin margin. Size. A small species; the largest specimen examined is 190 mm TL. Two of the smallest specimens (157 and 163 mm TL) have ovaries containing many maturing eggs. Remarks. Bathycongrus bimaculatus belongs to the species group with low vertebral counts (109–137), a cluster of small teeth on vomer, and relatively small body size, comprising B. bleekeri, B. unimaculatus, B. trimaculatus and B. parviporus. It differs from above-mentioned species in having relatively few total vertebrae (109–111, vs. 113–120 or 137 in the other species). Among these species, B. bimaculatus is most similar to B. trimaculatus but can be easily separated by the lack of a black blotch on anal fin (vs. a large black blotch on the fin) and 109–111 total vertebrae (vs. 117–119). Table 6 shows the selected characters for comparison of these species.

Bathyuroconger parvibranchialis (Fowler, 1934) English name: Small-gill large-toothed conger Figs. 1, 4, 8C, 9A, C; Tables 2, 3 SilveSterina parvibranchialiS Fowler, 1934:275, fig. 35 (Butung [Buton] Strait, Indonesia, 5°35'00"S, 122°20'00"E, Albatross station 5648, depth 559 fathoms). Bathyuroconger parvibranchialiS (Fowler, 1934): Smith, 1999:1686. Ho et al., 2015:145. Bathyuroconger vicinuS (non Vaillant, 1888): Hatooka, 2002:232 (in part). Materials examined. Indonesia: USNM 92346 (1, 645), holotype, 5.58°S, 122.33°E, Buton Strait, North Island, Sulawesi, Flores Sea, 1022 m, Albatross sta. 5648, 16 Dec. 1909. USNM 93370 (1, 525), paratype, 3.33°S, 120.61°E, Gulf of Boni, Olang Point, Sulawesi, Gulf of Boni, 900 m, Albatross sta. 5657, 19 Dec. 1909. Japan: NSMT-P 65442 (1, 394), 36.56°N, 141.20°E to 36.51°N, 141.14°E, off Ibaraki Pref., 509‒589 m, 25 Oct. 2002. Philippines: BSKU 15687 (1, 656), BSKU 15688 (1,715), 8.35°N, 118.33°E, 738 m, Sulu Sea off Palawan Is., 27 May 1972. USNM 93371 (1, 590), paratype, 10.2°N, 125.07°E, Sogod Bay, southern Leyte Island, Limasaua Island, Bohol Sea, 918 m, Albatross sta. 5202, 10 Apr. 1908. USNM 93373 (1, 610), paratype, 9.38°N, 123.71°E, between Siquijor and Bohol Islands, Balicasag Island, Negros Oriental, Bohol Sea, 717 m, Albatross sta. 5527, 11 Aug. 1909. USNM 93374 (1, 595), paratype, 8.28°N, 124.05°E, northern Mindanao and vicinity, Camp Overton Light, Misamis Occidental, Bohol Sea, 924 m, Albatross sta. 5513, 7 Aug. 1909. USNM 93375 (1, 514), paratype, 8.26°N, 123.95°E, northern Mindanao and vicinity, Camp Overton Light, Misamis Occidental, Bohol Sea, 750 m, Albatross sta. 5511, 7 Aug. 1909. USNM 93378 (1, 288), paratype, 13.75°N, 120.78°E, China Sea off southern Luzon, Sombrero Island, Batangas, 432 m, Albatross sta. 5111, 16 Jan. 1908. Taiwan: ASIZP 66181, 285 mm, CD321, South China Sea, 954 m, 19 Aug. 2005. ASIZP 63794, 695 mm, CD 193, 821 m, off Dong-gang, South China Sea, 29 Aug. 2002. ASIZP 63789, 640 mm, CD194, off Dong-gang, South China Sea, 507 m, 29 Aug. 2002. Temporary identification. ASIZP 66196, 210 mm, off Suao, NE Taiwan, 339 m, 13 Jun. 2005. Diagnosis. A species of Bathyuroconger with very small gill opening, its width 1.8‒9.0% of head length; gill opening separated from pectoral fin base by a greater distance than its width; head length 1.4‒1.7 times in trunk length, 35.2‒40.9 % PAL; predorsal length 12.6‒14.5 % PAL, trunk length 59.1‒64.8 % PAL. Preanal lateral-line pores 39‒47. Preanal vertebrae 43‒48; precaudal vertebrae 52‒60; total vertebrae 181‒189; MVF 9‒46‒185. Adults with body uniformly blackish, whereas juveniles are pale with rows of small melanophores. Description. Measurements in %TL: PAL 33.3‒37.1, PDL 12.6‒14.5, HL 12.9‒14.7, TR 20.4‒22.7, DA 3.5‒5.2. In % PAL: PDL 36.3‒40.9, HL 37.4‒40.9, TR 59.1‒62.6, DA 14.3‒17.7. In % HL: S 23.3‒30.7, E 8.5‒18.6, IOW 10.8‒19.6, UJ 35.6‒41.1, GO 1.8‒9.0, IB 16.1‒32.3, PL 24.2‒41.9. Pores: PDLL 6‒8, PPLL 5‒8, PALL 39‒47, SO 3‒4, IO 5, POM 10, ST 1. Vertebrae: PDV 7‒10, PAV 43‒48, PCV 52‒60, TV 181‒189. Body moderately slender, cylindrical anteriorly, gradually tapering and compressed posteriorly. Trunk short, truck length 1.4‒1.7 times head length. Tail thin but not filamentous, anus at about anterior third of total length. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal, dorsal fin begins over base of pectoral fin, anal fin begins immediately behind anus; pectoral fin moderately well developed. Head large, rounded, deeper than body, jaws nearly equal. Snout short and blunt, rounded in dorsal view, about 2‒3 times eye diameter. Eye moderately small, over posterior part of upper jaw, posterior margin approximately over rictus; interorbital space relatively broad, its width greater than eye diameter. Anterior nostril a short tube, at front of snout; posterior nostril in front of mid-eye, a simple pore. Gill opening small, located anteroventrally to pectoral fin, its upper end below level of lower pectoral-fin base; distance from gill opening to fin base 2 or more times greater than diameter of gill opening. Head pores moderate in size, not greatly enlarged and slit-like. Supraorbital pores 3: first pore at tip of snout, opening downward, second pore larger, above and behind first, in front of anterior nostril; third pore above anterior nostril; one specimen with an extra pore behind the third; no pores on interorbital space. Infraorbital pores 5, along upper jaw; first directly behind anterior nostril; second between anterior and posterior nostrils; third between anterior margin of eye and posterior nostril; fourth below posterior part of eye; fifth behind rictus; no pores behind eye. Preoperculomandibular pores 10; 7 on mandibular section and 3 on preopercular, the last one at about level of first lateral-line pore. One median supratemporal pore, anterior to level of first lateral-line pore. Lateral line complete, lateral-line pores large; predorsal 6‒8; prepectoral 5‒8; preanal 39‒47. Vertebrae: predorsal 7‒10, preanal 43‒48, precaudal 52‒60, total 181‒189. Teeth large and pointed, generally smaller than those of B. vicinus. Intermaxillary teeth in two transverse rows, each with 4‒6 fang-like teeth, exposed when mouth closed. Vomer with 2 large median teeth, the posterior one larger, and several smaller teeth behind. Maxillary teeth in 3 irregular rows on anterior portion, becoming 2 rows posteriorly, those on outermost row larger and scattered in arrangement. Dentary with 4 irregular rows of enlarged teeth at anterior end, those on outer 2 rows fang-like and exposed when mouth fully closed, narrowing to 2 rows posteriorly, those of outermost row larger. Distribution. Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan. Bathymetric range 432‒1022 m. Coloration. In preserved adults, body uniformly brown to dark brown, vertical fins with black margins; pores on head and lateral line circled by white; oral cavity, gill chamber, peritoneum, stomach and intestine black. In ASIZP 66196 (210 mm TL), body pale with dorsal half slightly blackish; posterior third of dorsal and anal fins with broad black margin; three rows of black dots on body; oral cavity, tongue, gill chamber blackish; gill opening pale. In ASIZP 66181 (285 mm TL), body much lighter than others; oral cavity, tongue, gill chamber with scattered pigmentation; three rows of dots on body. Remarks. ASIZP 66196 has a relatively large gill opening (9.1% HL) and the opening is relatively close to the pectoral-fin base, the distance is about half of its diameter, which is more similar to B. albus sp. nov. However, it has a relatively short trunk, only 1.4 times of head length, and is thus temporarily identified as the present species., Published as part of Smith, David G., Ho, Hsuan-Ching & Tashiro, Fumihito, 2018, Eels of the genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific, with descriptions of four new species (Anguilliformes: Congridae), pp. 147-167 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on pages 161-162, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/1446584, {"references":["Fowler, H. W. (1934) Descriptions of new fishes obtained 1907 to 1910, chiefly in the Philippine Islands and adjacent seas. ProceedingS of the Academy of Natural ScienceS of Philadelphia, 85, 233 - 367.","Smith, D. G. (1999) Species identification guide for fisheries purposes. Vol. 3. In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), The living marine reSourceS of the weStern central Pacific. Batoid fiSheS, chimeraS and bony fiSheS. Part 1. Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome, pp. 1398 - 2068.","Ho, H. - C., Smith, D. G., McCosker, J. E., Hibino, Y., Loh, K. - H., Tighe, K. A. & Shao, K. - T. (2015) Annotated checklist of eels (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes) from Taiwan. Zootaxa, 4060 (1), 140 - 189. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4060.1.16","Vaillant, L. L. (1888) ExpeditionS ScientifiqueS du \" Travailleur \" et du \" TaliSman \" pendant leS anneeS 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883. Poissons, Paris, 406 pp., 28 pls.","Hatooka, K. (2002) Family Congridae. In: Nakabo, T. (Ed.), FiSheS of Japan with pictorial keyS to the SpecieS. EngliSh Edition. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, pp. 227 - 234."]}

+ Lamnostoma polyophthalmum (Bleeker, 1853) Dalophis polyophthalmus Bleeker, 1853:299 (type locality: Priaman, Indonesia). Lamnostoma polyophthalmum: Chiu et al., 2018: this volume. Remarks. Chiu et al. (2018) review the genus in Taiwan, and described one new species and one new record from Taiwan., Published as part of Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G., Tighe, Kenneth A., Hibino, Yusuke & Mccosker, John E., 2018, Checklist of eels of Taiwan (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes): An update, pp. 5-17 in Zootaxa 4454 (1) on page 13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4454.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1446687, {"references":["Bleeker, P. (1853) Diagnostische beschrijvingen van nieuwe of weinig bekende vischsoorten van Sumatra. Tiental V-X. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie, 4 (2), 243 - 302.","Chiu, Y. - C., Shao, K. - T., Huang, S. - P. & Chen, H. - M. (2018) The freshwater snake eel genus Lamnostoma (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) in Taiwan, with description of a new species. Zootaxa, 4454 (1), 18 - 32. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4454.1.4"]}