THE FISHES OF MALABAB. L85 



teeth, decreasing in size from the first, to the last : it is also finely serrated externally and ends in 

 a strong tooth directed forwards, between which and the moel anterior tooth of its internal margin 

 is a trefoil-shaped membraneous prolongation as seen in the Hypselobagrua armatus (page 188). 

 The adipose dorsal appears as if it contained the rudiments of rays. Anal with its firsi three 

 rays unbranched, the remainder branched, a fleshy sheath extends along the base of the fin. 

 Caudal lobed in the adult, deeply lunated in the immature. 



Lateral line — Proceeds direct to opposito centre of caudal, and ceases just before reaching it : 

 it is formed of pairs of very short parallel tubes, more distinct in the anterior than in the posterior 

 portion of the body. 



Colours — Deep leaden, with a dark brown spot on the shoulder surrounded by a lighter 

 margin: abdomen silvery. Cheeks and under surface of head of a yellowish tinge. Base- qf 

 pectoral and anal yellowish. Fins grey, covered with minute dark points. 



I received some specimens of this fish from the Rev. H. Baker (junior) from the mountain 

 streams of Travancore, the largest being rather less than four inches in length. 



Habitat — Mountain streams of Malabar. 



Genus PSEUDOBAGRUS, Bheher. 



Branchiostegals, from eight to ten. Head depressed, roughened, and covered with very thin skin. 

 Opercular hones articulated and moveable : occipital process scarcely reaches the basal bone of dorsal fin. 

 Back wide. Eyes of moderate size or small. Mouth anterior. Cirri eight, one nasal, one maxillary, and 

 two mandibular pairs. Teeth form a continuous transverse villiform band on the vomer and palate ; those 

 in jaws also villiform, and in several rows. Dorsal with one sharp, sometimes serrated spine, and seven 

 rays : it is inserted before the ventral, which has six rays. Adipose dorsal short, as long as high. Pectoral 

 spine strong and denticulated. Anal of moderate length, of twenty or more rays. Caudal emarginate or 

 forked : the external rays sometimes produced. Interbranchial membrane deeply cleft. An air bladder 

 present. 



PSEUDOBAGRUS CHRYSEUS. Plate XIII. Fig. 2. 



Pseudobagrus chryseus, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 290. 



B. x. D. i I 0. P.i V. 6. A. 27. C. 17. 



Length of head about §, of base of first dorsal ^, of base of adipose dorsal x ' 3 , of caudal §, 

 of base of anal f of total length. Height of head \, of body §, of dorsal fin \, of anal L of 

 total length. 



Eyes— Diameter & of length of head, 1J diameters apart, upwards of 1 diameter from end of 



snout. 



Gape of mouth wide, its transverse width being equal to half the length of the head. Jaws 

 equal in length. Summit of head depressed, both it and the shoulder bone furrowed ; occipital 

 process narrow, twice as long as wide ; basal bone considerably produced, so as nearly to touch the 

 occipital process, and extended in front on either side of the dorsal spine. A flat lance-shaped 

 groove in the central line of the head, between the orbits, pointing downwards and forwards, 

 reaching in front nearly to the intermaxillaries, and superiorly only extending to a short distance 



2 B 



