190 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Length of head %, of pectoral T 2 r , of caudal \, of base of first dorsal ^ T , of base of second dorsal 

 Jg, of base of anal T \y of total length. Height of head \, of body \, of first dorsal 1 of second 

 dorsal ^, of ventral -j^, of anal ^ of total length. 



Ey es Oval, situated near the profile, and in the anterior half of the head. Horizontal 



diameter \, vertical diameter ± of length of head, 1 of a diameter from end of snout, and 2 dia- 

 meters apart. 



Profile rather convex from the snout to the first dorsal, from whence it sinks to the anal. Ab- 

 dominal profile straighter than that of the back. Thickness of body greatest opposite the opercles. 

 Head obtuse and rounded in front. Width of the head rather more than the height of the 

 body. Mouth forming nearly a semicircle, and cleft midway to the anterior margin of the orbit. 

 Upper jaw slightly the longest. Opercle ending in an obtuse point, which is rather produced : its 

 whole surface roughened in fines. Upper surface of head as far as the centre of the orbits 

 roughened in small sinuous closely approximating elevations. Occipital process long and "narrow, 

 half as wide at the base as it is high, and divided from the basal bone of the dorsal by a bone 

 shaped like an arrow-head, directed forwards, and meeting the summit of the occipital process. 

 Basal bone nearly triangular, concave in front and posteriorly ; all are roughened the same as the 

 summit of the head. Central longitudinal groove broad posteriorly, where it commences opposite 

 the posterior margin of the orbit ; it is continued to opposite the posterior nostril ; between the 

 upper end of the groove on the head and the base of the occipital process, and a short distance on 

 either side, is an irregular depression, the two rather converging posteriorly, and rather expanded 

 externally. Shoulder bone nodulated. Nasal cirri as long as the head : maxillary widest at their 

 base, and extended as far as the posterior extremity of the ventral. The two pairs of mandibular 

 cirri reaching to the posterior extremity of the opercles. Nostrils, posterior one round, not far 

 from the mesial line, and a short distance from the anterior one, which is more external. 



Teeth — In intermaxillaries numerous, and in a small, fine, sharp band : vomerine teeth in a 

 narrow crescentic band sub-interrupted in the centre. 



Fi ns _Dorsal arises opposite the posterior third of the pectoral : ventral slightly beyond the 

 extremity of the dorsal : second dorsal opposite anal. First dorsal spine rather feeble, half as long as 

 the head, its sides smooth, with one or two serratures at its upper and anterior extremity, whilst 

 its upper third is posteriorly serrated, it ends in a soft prolongation : the fin pointed. Pec- 

 toral spine stronger than that of the dorsal, and equal to the distance from the anterior margin of 

 the orbit to the posterior margin of the opercles : anterior edge rugose, posterior strongly serrated. 

 Caudal deeply lobed. 



Lateral line— Curves down to opposite the end of the ventral fin, then proceeds direct to the 

 base of the caudal, where it divides into two very indistinct branches, the upper curving over the 

 bases of three rays above it, and the lower over the bases of two below it. 



Colours — Greenish olive, with three brown longitudinal bands, the centre one of which 

 commences from a large black ocellus beliind the head : the bands and ocellus are more distinct 

 in young specimens than in adults. There is sometimes a dark spot on the middle of the root of 

 the caudal. 



I have with some hesitation considered this fish to be Hamilton Buchanan's " Pimelodus 

 tengara," but it is without doubt Dr. Giinther's " Macrones tengara," and as he has probably 

 described his specimen from Hamilton Buchanan's typical one, I conclude some mistake may have 

 arisen in the " Fishes of the Ganges," especially as it is there asserted that the fish is small 

 and inhabits ponds, that its dorsal spine is smooth, and that its maxillary cirri reach to the end of 



