206 Cockerell — Scales of Cohitid and ffomalopterid Fishes. 



(1) Misgurniis fossiUs. (River Volga, Astrakan; Moscow Univ., B. 



Mus. ) Scales about 2 mm. diameter, subcircular, rather l;)roader 

 than long; nuclear area very near the base, not granular, with tine 

 radii (averaging about 50 fi apart) extending in all directions, the 

 latero-basal ones with a graceful downward curve. AV)out 23 radii 

 start from the vicinity of the nucleus, but as they diverge the intervals 

 are tilled by supplementary radii, so that the spacing throughout is 

 fairly uniform. Circuli moderately dense, not diflferentiated in the 

 apical area. 



(2) Misgurnus anguillicaudalus. (Shanghai; Swinhoe; B. TNFus. ) The 



largest Cobitid scale known to me. Transverse diameter al)Out 3 

 mm. or a little over; structure as in M. fossilis, except that in the 

 apical field there are at intervals much stronger circuli, giving a 

 strongly ribbed or cancellated effect. The scale is considerably 

 broader than long. 



(B) Cobitis txnia. (Goto Is., Japan; Gordon Smith; B. Mus.) Scales 

 thin, tran.sversely oval, about 4()0 m long and BOO broad; radii all 

 around, but relatively few, about 1-t may l)e considered apical; 

 circuli only moderately dense. A scale of the same general type as 

 that of Misgurnus, but much smaller and weaker. Among the 

 Cyprinids proper, it closely resembles that of Chrosomus. 



(4) Cohitus guntea. (Calcutta; F. Bag; B. Mus. ) Scale' very different 



from that of (J. tivnia; it is much elongated, oblong, about 1360 m 

 long and 7S0 broad, with very distinct and beautiful sculpture of 

 the Misgurmis type, but with the circuli in the apical region widely 

 spaced, giving a cancellated effect, many of the spaces formed by 

 the intersection of the circuli and radii diamond-shaped. The 

 circuli are very numerous, and tiie nuclear area is very near (about 

 170 M from) the base. This is generically distinct from C. taiiia. 



(5) Cobitis gongota. (N. E. Bengal; Jerdon; B. Mus.) Scales greatly 



elongated, rounded apically, the base flattened or truncate; length 

 alK)ut 127.') yti, breadth OiJO; nucleus alK)ut 200 m from base. This is 

 of the same general type as C. guntea, l)ut very distinct by the fewer 

 radii and circuli. Thus there are 8 or apical radii (not counting 

 lateral ones) and aljout 11 or 12 apical circuli; in C. guntea there 

 are at least twice as many. 



(0) Lepidocephalichthys berdmorii. (Nampandet, Shan States, alt. 2000 

 ft. ; Oales; B. ^^us. ) Scale shaped exactly as in C. gongota (length 

 about K)70 m), and with (]uite the same sort of sculpture. The 

 apical radii are perhaps rather less numerous, but there are more 

 (al)out 23) apical circuli. Thedili'crcnce is such as might be expected 

 between two closely allied species. 



The above are all Cobitiuic; tlic fullowing three are Homalopterinse : 



(7) Gastrornyzon borncensis. (Senab, Sarawak; Everett; B. Mus.) Scale 

 oblong, subquadrate, the base obliquely truncate, more or less 



