116 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



wards ; the horizontal limb rather longer than the vertical one. Opercle rather inflated, and rounded 

 posteriorly. Interorbital space nearly flat. Anterior nostril tubular. Snout short and depressed. 



Teeth — Fine, short, sharp, and recurved, irregular in size and forming bands in both jaws, 

 which decrease in width posteriorly. 



Fins — Ventral arises under pectoi'al ; first dorsal opposite the first third of the pectoral ; 

 second dorsal midway between the snout and the posterior extremity of the caudal, and the 

 anal opposite the third ray of the second dorsal. The last quarter of the body finless. First 

 dorsal quadrangular, its spines weak, and membrane notched. Second dorsal trapezoid, with the 

 posterior rays somewhat prolonged. Anal the same as the second dorsal. Ventral, with its second, 

 third, and fourth rays prolonged. Pectoral rounded, the central rays the longest. Caudal rhom- 

 boidal or rounded, the central rays being the longest. 



Scales — Exposed portions quadrangular : they extend over the body and upper surface of the 

 head as far as the snout, where they are small, and on the opercles minute. 



Colours — Leaden black, lighter on the abdomen, with sometimes a yellowish tinge. Pectoral 

 and ventral occasionally yellowish. Some fine horizontal bars on the dorsal fin, which is also 

 covered with some fine spots ; sometimes the sides are barred. The colours depend on the waters 

 the fish inhabits ; if very clear, the back is sometimes lighter than the abdomen. Pectoral fin with 

 a black base. 



Inhabits most of the muddy ditches and tanks in Malabar, is often found in the paddy fields, 

 and sometimes in the backwater. Much esteemed for eating in the Mauritius when fried. Grows 

 to four inches in length. 



Habitat — The fresh waters of the whole of the Peninsula of India ; also found in Madagascar, 

 the Mauritius, and Polynesia. 



Genus AMBLYOPUS, Guv. and Val. 



Gobioides, Lacep. 



Branchiostegals, four or five : pseudobranchiae none. Body elongated, head obloug, no cavity above 

 opercle ; cleft of mouth directed upwards, and lower jaw prominent. Eyes lateral, small, more or less 

 hidden. Infraorbital bones do not articulate with the preopercle. Oue dorsal, the first portion consisting 

 of five undivided rays, separated from the soft portion by an interval, iu the centre of which is situated a 

 sixth simple ray : the dorsal and anal fins are more or less continuous with the caudal. Ventrals united. 

 Teeth small, with an external row of large conical curved distant ones. Scales rudimentary or absent. Air 

 bladder small or none. 



Amblyopus Hermannianus. 



? Cepola Hermanniana, Shaw, Zool. iv. p. 191. 

 Gobioides rubicundus, Ham. Buck. pp. 37, 365, pi. 5, f. 9. 



Amblyopus Hermannianus, Cuv. & Val. xii. p. 159, pi. 350; Giiniker, Catal. iii. 

 p. 135. 



Amblyopus mayenna, Guv. &■ Val. xii. p. 163. 



