FAMILY, XXVII— GOBIID^. 291 



length excluding the snout. Upper jaw slightly the longer : cleft of month oblique, commencing opposite the 

 lower edge of the eye : the maxilla reaches to below the last tliird or middle of the eye. No barbels. Scales 

 cover opercles. Teeth — in villifomi rows with an outer enlarged series, the outer tooth of the enlarged row in 

 the lower jaw a small recurved canine. Fins — first dorsal spines with filamentous terminations, the fin rather 

 higher than the second, the last rays of which latter equals the height of the body. Pectoral as long as the 

 head : ventral reaches half way to the vent. Caudal rounded. Scales — scarcely ctenoid, about 9 rows between 

 the dorsal fin and the hind edge of the eyes. Coloms — light brown, most of the scales on the body with a dark 

 spot or vertical mark ; a dark blotch on the opercles, and another below the eye. Dorsal and caudal fins with 

 numerous dark spots forming bars. Pectoral wdth a dark mark at its base. 

 Habitat. — Backwaters of Madras, up to 2 inches in length. 



B. No lateral recurved canine in the lower jaw : dorsal spines flexible. 

 19. Gobius cristatus, Plate LXII, fig. 8. 

 Biictenogohius cristatus, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 109. 

 B. V, D. 6/14, P. 21, V. 1/5, A. 14, C. 13, L. 1. 50-60, L. tr. 11-12. 



Length of head 5 J, of caudal 3 to 4, height of body 6 in the total length. Eyes —rather superior, with 

 a very narrow and concave interorbital space, diameter 1/4 of length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout. 

 Greatest -svidth of head equals its length behind the middle of the eyes, whilst its height is a little more. Cleft 

 of mouth oblique, lower jaw the longer, the maxilla reaches to below the middle of the orbit, the width of the 

 gape of the mouth is 1/4 less than the length of its cleft. Several rows of fine warts across the cheeks. Barbels 

 absent, no tentacle at the orbit. A low black-stained crest extends from the nape to the base of the first dorsal 

 fin. Teeth — in a single row in the upper jaw, in above two in the lower, the outer of which is directed somewhat 

 outwards. No canines. Inferior pharyngeal bones in close juxtaposition along the median line, the two have 

 a T-shape, and a single row of teeth. Fins — all the spines in the first dorsal flexible and elongated beyond the 

 membrane : last rays of second dorsal the longest in the fin, the two fins are close together at their bases. Anal 

 similar to second dorsal : caudal pointed and elongated. Ventral reaches the vent. Scales — cycloid, in 

 irregular rows and very small anterior to the second dorsal fin : about 18 rows anterior to the dorsal fin. 

 Colours — olivaceous : one or two black spots on the posterior-superior angle of the eye : a light ocellus having 

 a brown edge at the base of the pectoral fin : body blotched and spotted : spme black bars on upper half of 

 dorsal, and a badly defined violet ocellus edged with yellow on its last ray : caudal spotted in its upper half. 



The Madras specimens difier somewhat in having a light edge to the anal fin, ventral dark gray, and no 

 ocellus on the dorsal, whilst the caudal fin is longer : it has a dark spot under the eye. Doubtless this species 

 is very similar to G. tentactdaris, and although it wants the tentacle on the eye, it has a black spot at the same 

 place. Genus Oxijurichthys, Bleeker MSS. 



Habitat. — Madras and Bombay, where in the month of March they were breeding. 



20. Gobius tentacularis, Plate LXIV, fig. 4. 



Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 128 ; Bleeker, Java, ii, p. 434 ; Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 48. 

 Gobius macrurus, Bleeker, Blenn. en Gob. p. 35. 

 Oxyurichthys tentacularis, Bleeker, En. Sisec. p. 120. 



B. V, D. 6 I -rV. P- 20, V. 1/5, A. ^, C. 15, L. 1. 60, L. tr. 10. 



Length of head 5^ to 6^, of caudal 3}, height of body 7 to 8 (Oh) in the total length. Eyes — high up and 

 close together, diameter 3| in length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout. Width of head equals Its length 

 behind the middle of the eye : its height equals its length excluding the snout. Snout somewhat obtuse and 

 rounded, cleft of mouth oblique, commencmg opposite the lower edge of the orlut, lower jaw the longer, the 

 maxilla reaches to below last third of eye. A simple tentacle above the posterior third of the eye, and about 2/3 

 of the length of the orbit. Teeth — in a single row of rather pointed ones in the premaxillaries : in two or three 

 rows in the lower jaw without any canines. Fins — dorsal spines flexible, extending far beyond the membrane 

 and equal to the height of the body, second dorsal about equally high, the distance between the bases of the two 

 fins is not so much as one diameter of the eye. Pectoral as long as the head, and 1/4 longer than the ventral. 

 Anal commences below origin of second dorsal : caudal acutely pointed. Scales — ctenoid in the posterior part 

 of the body, they extend forward nearly to the eyes, none on the crest going from the base of the first dorsal 

 fin or on the head, there are about 20 rows anterior to the dorsal fin. They are very much smaller anterior to 

 the second dorsal fin, and on the breast and chest before the anal fin. An anal papilla. Colours — dull green, 

 with some reddish spots. First dorsal with four to six narrow bands of horizontal spots, and six or eight along 

 the second dorsal. Caudal gray, with some spots on its upper half. Anal gray, with a narrow white band at 

 its base. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. The specimen figured (life-size) is from the 

 Andamans. 



21. Gobius acutipinnis, Plate LXI, fig. 2. 



Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 80 ; Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 44; Day, Fish. Malabai-, p. 112. 

 Gobius setosus, Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 81. 



2 p 2 



