148 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



A single specimen was captured at the mouth of the Cochin river, it was nearly four inches 

 long. Its small scales and two spines might probably constitute this a sub-genus. 

 Habitat — Malabar. 



Ophiocephalus striatus. 



Ophiocephalus striatus, Block, t. 359 ; Cuv. & FaZ.vii.p. 417, pi. 202, 20G ; Cantor, 

 Catal. p. 92 ; Jerdon, Madras Journal, xv. p. 14G ; Giinther, Catal. iii. p. 474. 



Muttah, Russell, pi. 162. 



Ophiocephalus wrahl, Ham. Buck pp. 60, 367, pi. 31, f. 17 ; McClelland, Calcutta 

 Journal of Natural History, ii. p. 575. 



Ophiocephalus chena, Ham. Buck. pp. 62, 367. 



? Ophiocephalus planiceps, Cuv. & Vcd. vli. p. 424. 



Verarl, and Wrahl, Mai. Morrul, Hindustani. 



B. v. D. 37-40. P . 17. V. 6. A. 23-26. C. 13. L. 1. 51-57. L. tr. f:f 



Length of head f, of pectoral j\, of caudal 1, of base of dorsal J, of base of anal ^ of total 

 length. Height of head J, of body i, of dorsal ^, of anal ^ of ventral ^ of the total length. 



Eyes — Situated near the profile. Diameter \ of length of head, 1 diameter from end of 

 snout. If diameters apart. 



Body long, sub- cylindrical, head depressed, body laterally compressed, wider opposite opercle, 

 where it about equals the height of the body. Under surface of the head flat : cheeks rather 

 inflated. 



Mouth obtuse, cleft wide, maxilla extending the width of the orbit behind it ; upper jaw 

 slightly protrusible, wider than the lower, which is rather the longest. A tubercle at the 

 symphysis of the lower jaw, and a glandular orifice just behind and below it. Four clusters of 

 glandular openings along the inferior margin of the lower jaw, and many other similar clusters in 

 various other places on the body and head. Interorbital space flat, and covered with large 

 polygonal scales. Between the eye and the angle of the preopercle are eight rows of scales. The 

 opercle ends in an obtuse point. The opening of the posterior nostril are just in front of, and 

 above the eyes. 



Teeth — Numerous, sharp and pointed in jaws, vomer, and palate, with some large curved ones 

 along the sides and in the posterior row on the lower jaw. 



Fins — The dorsal commences just over the pectoral, and terminates slightly posterior to the 

 termination of the anal : ventral arises opposite the fourth ray of the dorsal, and the anal beneath 

 the thirteenth dorsal ray. Dorsal'rays weak, membrane rather deeply cleft. Pectoral rounded, 

 and does not extend so far as the origin of the anal. Ventral small. Anal the same shape as the 

 dorsal. Caudal rounded. 



S ca l es — Cover body and head : those on the body are irregularly circular and horizontally 

 lineated ; whilst on the head they are semicircular, and on its vertex irregularly shaped, one large 

 one existing midway between the orbits. Several glands open on some of the scales. 



Lateral line — Consists of short central, bifurcating tubes on each scale ; at first it is on the 

 fifth row, but opposite the twelfth dorsal ray it bends down to the seventh, from whence it 

 proceeds direct to the centre of the caudal fin. 



