212 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Mouth rather oblique. Opercle nearly triangular, two-thirds as wide as high, upper margin 

 rather concave. Subopercle half as high as long. Maxillary pair of cirri two-thirds of the 

 length of the head. 



Fins — The pectoral arises under the posterior third of the subopercle, and extends beyond 

 the base of the ventral. Ventral with an enlarged scale at its base, and it reaches as far as the 

 commencement of the base of the anal. The anal arises rather behind the origin of the last dorsal 

 rays, its first unbranched ray is very short, its second one half shorter than the third, which equals 

 the distance from the posterior nostril to the posterior extremity of opercle, and ends in a soft 

 point : the last branched ray double and prolonged so as to reach the base of the caudal. Dorsal 

 commences midway between snout and base of caudal, its first unbranched ray is minute, its second 

 half the length of the third, which is strong, osseous, concave posteriorly, and ending superiorly 

 in a soft prolongation : its last branched ray double, and reaches half way from its base towards 

 the caudal fin. Caudal rather deeply lobed, with each of its extremities pointed. 



Scales — High and narrow, the external portion one half higher than wide, with two or three 

 badly marked radiating lines. A row exists along the base of the dorsal and anal fins. Opposite 

 and above the sixth row of the lateral line a second row of scales commences. 



Lateral line — Rather descends for five scales, then becomes slightly convex to the twenty- 

 third scale, from whence it proceeds direct to the centre of the caudal. 



Colours — Silvery green above, silvery white shot with gold below the lateral line. Cheeks 

 golden. Fins yellowish. Dorsal and caudal minutely dotted with fine points, a few also are 

 scattered on the scales. A badly marked black blotch exists on the lateral line from the twenty- 

 second to the twenty-third scales inclusive. 



Very common in all pieces of fresh water. 



Habitat — Malabar. 



3. Unbranched dorsal rays cartilaginous, and articulated in their whole extent. 



Puntius Denisonii, Plate XVI. Fig. 2. 

 Labeo Denisonii, Bay, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 299. 



B. iii. D. f . P. 15. V. 9. A. f C. 19. L. 1. 28. L. tr. f . 



Length of head £, of pectoral }, of base of dorsal \, of base of anal ^ , of caudal I of total 

 length. Height of head ^, of body J, of dorsal £, of anal T ^ of total length. 



Eyes — Diameter about J of length of head, rather more than 1 diameter apart, 1^ diameters 

 from end of snout. 



Body elongated, compressed : profile from snout to dorsal slightly elevated, from whence to 

 the caudal it gradually slopes. 



Mouth small, directed forwards and slightly downwards, the upper jaw being the longest, and 

 snout slightly prominent, with a small expansion laterally on either side, and pores on its apex : the 

 lower jaw curves slightly upwards at its extremity, and has a small tubercle on the upper surface of 

 the symphysis. Upper and lower lips continuous, edges entire, and a little thickened so as to 

 forrn a small lobe below the symphysis of the lower jaw. Sulcus simple, not very deep. Preorbital 

 irregularly triangular, longer than high, rounded anteriorly. Maxillary cirri one pair, fleshy, and 



