123 



100. Ateleopus indicus, Alcock. 



Ateleopus indicus, Alcock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ang. 1891, p. 123: Illustrations of the Zoology of the 

 Investigator, Fishes, pl. II. fig. 2. 



B. 8. D. 8. A. + C. 76-80. P. 12. V. 2 (fused to form a single ray). 



Length of the head about equal to that of the rest of the trunk, and con- 

 tained about 5j times m the total : greatest height of the body, at the shoulder, 

 equal to the length of the head behind the middle of the snout. 



The broadly-pointed, depressed, projecting, marginally-inflated snout is one- 

 third of the head in length and twice the major diameter of the oval eye ; about 

 half its extent is preoral. The nostrils, which are very large, are situated 

 superiorly immediately in front of the eye. 



The mouth is a small, quite inferior, crescentic orifice, in width hardly more 

 than equal to the diameter of the eye-ball, its angle barely reaching the vertical 

 through the anterior border of the orbit, though the maxilla reaches nearly to the 

 vertical through the middle of the orbit ; it is strongly protractile downwards, 

 and looks as if adapted for suction. There is a short band of very minute teeth 

 in the inner aspect of the upper jaw; but the lower jaw is quite toothless. 



Gill-rakers short, coarse, cartilaginous. 



Head, body, and fins uniformly invested with a soft, thick, gelatinous, scale- 

 less skin. The lateral line follows the dorsal curve of the trunk, and then runs 

 along the middle of the tail. 



The base of the dorsal fin is about three-quarters as long as the snout : the 

 height of the fin is about equal to the length of the head. The longest rays of 

 the anal fin are about equal to the postorbital portion of the head. 



Pectorals pointed ; their length is almost equal to that of the dorsal fin. 



Each ventral consists of a stiffish cartilaginous rod, about half as long as the 

 head, and made up of two intimately coherent rays. 



Stomach long, simple ; intestine short and wide, opening in front of the 

 first anal ray. The ovaries in the adult female consist of a pair of thin-walled 

 sacks loosely filled with largish eggs (over 1 millim. in diameter in spirit) and 

 opening by a common orifice behind the vent. 



Colours : mottled dark brown to purple-black ; all the fins except the 

 ventrals black. 



The largest specimen, an adult female, is 15 inches long. 



Andaman Sea, 188 to 220 and 405 fathoms : Arabian Sea, off Travancore 

 coast, 224 to 284 fathoms. 



T) J TV.T 1 onaa lil 456-458 4fi0 



Regd. jNos. 13069, — , — j — , — • 



