250 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Teeth — In the palate conical and acute, anteriorly in two but posteriorly in a single row, those 

 in the outer row the shortest, and fourteen or fifteen in number : the inner row of five or seven. 

 Nasal teeth, a mesial row of three large ones : those on the vomer in a single row, sometimes 

 formino- two, and from twelve to twenty-four in number. In the lower jaw there are twenty-four 

 conical teeth, which towards the symphysis form two rows, but laterally only one. 



Fi ns _Dorsal arises slightly before the branchial aperture. The anal commences about the 

 centre of the body, and is lower than the dorsal. 



Lateral line — Little apparent. 



Colours — Ground colour yellowish olive, forming reticulations between numerous black spots 

 and blotches, which are distributed over the whole of the head and body. 



Grows to two feet in length, and is very common in Malabar. 



Habitat — Fresh waters and estuaries of India and Malaysia. 



* Gymnothorax favaginea. 



MuRjEna favaginea, Cuvier, Rfeg. An. ; Kaup, Catal. Brit. Mus. p. 68, f. 53. 



Gymnothorax faviginea, Block. Schn. 525, t. 105. 



Th^erodontis reticulatus, McClelland, Cal. J. N. H. July, 1854. 



" Total length 28-26 in. Length of tail, 14-18 in. To the gill opening, 3-78 in. Length of 

 jaws, 1-69 in." 



Teeth — " Nasal teeth twelve : on the mesial line three : palatines three : vomerines eleven 

 or twelve : mandibulars eighteen, of which the foremost five are the longest. Between the second 



and third foreones there is a little toothlet which is easily overlooked In a specimen 



from Malabar, I could perceive only a single row of ten or twelve teeth in the middle of the vomer. 

 Another, a stuffed one sent from Pondicherry, by Leschenault, shows two distinct rows, which 

 towards the gullet, run into one series. I consider two rows of vomerines to be the normal 

 number." — Kaup. 



Colours— Every part of the body and head marked with black pentagonal spots separated by 



narrow white lines. 



Habitat — Seas and estuaries of India. 



Fam. SYNBRANCHIDiE. 



Sub-Fam. SYNBRANCHOIDEI, Bleeker. 



Group STNBEANCHINI, Bleeker. 



Genus SYNBKANCHUS, Block 



Unibranchapertura, Lacep. 

 Unipertura, Kaup. 

 Ophisternon, Mc Clelland. 

 Tetrabranchus, Bleeker. 



