364 ACA^^THOPTERYGII. 



from the eye to tlie middle of the caudal fin, but in the more mature there are five or sis cloudy bands 

 descendinr/to below the lateral-line : abdomen orange, the bases of each scale darkest : on the posterior third 

 of the body on the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are pearly-white spots, and there is general y a large black 

 ocellus at the upper part of the base or first-third of the caudal fin, which latter is gray, ventrals orange. _ 



"In the lower parts of Bengal, the persons dedicated to religion, from some old prejudice, thmk 

 itunlucky to say that it (0. »»"■«//««) is either good or bad" (Ham Buck.) , , ,. . ,. ,, 



" Some of the Karens in Burma regard these fishes with superstitious awe, and abstain from eating them. 

 They have a legend that they were fo'rmerly men, changed into fish for their sms, and the Karens ot 

 Tavov say, ' if pe'ople eat them, they will be transformed into lions.' " (Mason). 



^ H,,mat--Fve!^h waters, principally rivers, from Ceylon and India to China : attaming as much as four 

 feet in length. Colonel Puckle observes " that they are very savage, protecting their young with great 

 boldness." They take a live bait pretty well. 



2. Ophiocephalus leucopunctatus, Plate LXXVII, fig. 1. 



? 



pi. 173. 



OpUoceplalus pundatm, Russell, Fish. Vizag. ii, p. 48 (not Bloch), and -So^wara^, pi 

 OphiocepLlus leicopunctatus, Sykes, Trans. Z. S. ii, p. 352, pi. bO, f. 3 ; Bleeker Beng. en Hmd. p. 42. 

 rOpMocephalus smoarah, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 426 ; Bleeker, Beng. en Hmd. p. 42. ,„ p.. ,, 



Opiwceilalus grandinosus, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 434, pi. 203 ; Bleeker, Beng. en Hmd. p. 42 ; Gunther, 

 Catal. iii, p. 478. 



B. V, D. 47-53, P. 18, V. G, A. 28-35, C. 14, L. 1. 59-60, L. tr. ^:fi or x|:fr- 



Length of head 4, of caudal C, height of body 7 to 7^ in the total length. 2?^es-diameter 8 in length 

 of head, H^diameters from end of snout, and Ii to 2 apart. The width ot the head equals 4/7 of its length, 

 and itshei<.ht equals 1/2 its length excluding the snout. The maxilla extends to 1/2 a diameter of the eye 

 behind the orbit Teeth-a^ooui ten conical, widely separated teeth exist m the lower jaw Fms-doi-sal 

 commences over the end of the opercle, it reaches nearly or quite to above the anal : ventral 2/3 as long as the 

 pectoral Caudal fan-shaped. ,S'«<7es-as in 0. maruUu><, 16 rows between snout and base of dorsal fin, the 

 nlate like ones on the summit of the head of moderate size : ten rows between eye and angle of preopercle. 

 kfoure— back grayish-green, descending in bars on to an orange abdomen : numerous ^^■lllte spots on the body 

 sometimes with a ijlack margin : caudal and posterior portions of the dorsal and anal black, with numerous 



^Whether this fish should be considered more than a local variety of 0. marulius may be questioned, both 

 are found alono- the sea coasts of India, and the former also in the Deccan Dussumier brought it from 

 Alalabar and I found it was not uncommon in Canara, even more so than the 0. marnhus. In Bengal proper, 

 Burma, 'and inland districts, except the Deccan, this form, wanting the ocellus on the tail, appears to be 



'"'"'''''^'l have a stuffed specimen 10 inches long, which appears intermediate between the 0. marulius 

 0. leucopnnctatm and 0. pseuJomurullns, L. 1. G4, L. tr. ^:h,, head 4 J cauda 0^, height of body b m the total 

 length. Colours as in 0. Umopwndatus except the end ot the dorsal hn is coloured as m Ham Buch. figure of 

 ^wrnlil and the caudal is transversely barred in zigzag lines, leavmg an indistinct ocellus at the upper edge of 

 its base it appears to me as if it weve a hybrid between 0. mamJins and 0. stnatus, and may be O. pseudomaruhus. 

 Hahitat — Coromandel and Western coasts of India, also in some of the rivers ot the Deccan :_ it appears 

 to be found in China.* It attains 3 feet or more in length. The one figured is from a Malabar specimen. 



3. Ophiocephalus pseudomarulius. 



Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 478. 



B. V, D. 52, P. 17, V. 6, A. 35, C. 15, L. 1. 64, L. tr. ^Jllo- 



Leno-th of head 3^, height of body 4| in the total length to the base of the caudal fin.f %es— diameter 

 7 in lenoth^of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and If apart. The gi'eatest width of the head equals rather 

 more than 1/2 its length, and its height equals 1/2 of its length excluding the snout The maxilla reaches to 

 bevond the vertical from the hind edge of the eye. Teetk—im inner row of six or eight rather widely separated 

 conical ones in the lower jaw. i^^MS-dorsal commences above the base of the pectoral, its post^erior rays are 

 the highest and they exceed those of the anal. Pectoral [1/2 as long as the head: ventral 3/4 of pectoral. J 

 Scales— the plate-hke ones on the summit of the head of moderate size, 16 rows between snout and base ot dorsa 

 fin • 10 between eye and angle of preopercle : those on the head roughened m lines which externally are paraUel 

 with their outer edges, whilst those on the body are roughened in arched ridges which converge to a line along 

 the centre of eachfthe outer edge of those on the body smooth. Colours—gT&j superiorly, becommg lighter 



• Since the above wtis written I have seen a fine specimen in the British Museum from the Canveiy River. 



t The sin'le stuffed specimen in the British Museum being nmch damaged the length ot tl>e caudal hn (of which not half 

 remains^ Ms been ondtted. Tlie pectorals and ventrals are likewise broken, wliilst the dorsal and anal .are dr.e.l down to the body so 

 thThi-runahlc ?o count them, Dr. Giinther's enun.cration has been copied. The proportions witlun brackets are likewise from Dr. 

 Giiuther's original description. 



