NOTES ON THE IDENTITY OF ELONGATE UNPATTERNED INDO-PACIFIC MORAYS, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES (MURAENIDAE, SUBFAMILY MURANINAE)

Eight species of Indo-Pacific morays, including one new species, are d escribed and discussed. Most are plain brown and have unpatterned body coloration; all are elongate and possess more than 150 vertebrae. The y include Gymnothorax albimarginatus (Temminck and Schlegel); Gymnotho rax dorsalis Seale; Gymnothorax phasmatodes (Smith); Gymnothorax prola tus Sasaki and Amaoka; Gymnothorax sagmacephalus new species; Gymnotho rax verrilli (Jordan and Gilbert); Pseudechidna brummeri (Bleeker) (sy nonyms Strophidon polyodon Bleeker, Muraena taenioides Gunther, and Gy mnothorax megapterus Weber); and Strophidon sathete (Hamilton) (synony ms Strophidon longicaudata McClelland, Muraena macrurus Bleeker, Thyrs oidea longissima Kaup, and Strophidon tri Tanaka). The type specimens of most nominal species were examined and their condition and status d iscussed.