FAMILY, I-SILUEID^. 461 



tlie longer : tlie -widtli of the gape of the mouth equals that of the postorbital length of the head. 

 Upper surface of the head and occipital process studded with coarse granulations. Median longitudinal 

 groove on head well marked, lanceolate, its last portion deep and not extending to so far as the base of the 

 occipital process, which latter has a granulated keel along its centre, is as long as wide, and reaches 

 a narrow crescentic basal bone. Barhels — the maxillary reach the end of the pectoral fin. Teeth — in two pear- 

 shaped crescentic patches of villiform ones, placed well forwards, diverging, and their small end anterior. 

 J''('hs— dorsal spine strong, laterally roughened, serrated anterior in its upper half, also posterioi'ly, it is as long 

 as the head behind the angle of the mouth. Pectoral spine stronger, of the same length, and serrated 

 on both edges, it reaches two-thirds of the distance to the ventral : the latter is very small, a little above half 

 as long as the pectoral, and does not reach the anal. Caudal deeply lobed, with its upper one rather 

 produced. Colours — on the upper surface dull leaden, sides and abdomen whitish, adipose dorsal with a black 

 blotch : pectoral, ventral, and outer half of anal dark. 



The only objection to considering this fish Russell's is, the teeth are villiform, it is evidently closely 

 allied to A. matzronotacantkus, which however has large pectoral and ventral fins. 



Habitat. — Coromandel coast of India. 



8. Arius subrostratus, Plate CVI, fig. 6. 



Arms subrostratus, Cuv. and Val. xv, p. 02 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 1-iC ; Bleeker, Beng. en 

 Hind. p. 58; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 177. 



Arias rostratus, Cuv. and Val. 1. c. j). 03 ; Jerdon, 1. c. p. l-tO ; Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 50. 



B. vi, D. I/O, P. 1/9, V. 0, A. 17-20 (-^zh,), C 17. 



Length of head 3J to 4, of caudal 6 to 7, height of body 5 in the total length. Ei/es — diameters 5 to 

 in the length of head, 2^^ to 3 diameters from the end of snout, and 2 to 2| apart. The greatest width of the 

 head rather exceeds its height and equals 4/7 of its length. Snout elongated and a little depressed, 

 the upper jaw the longer, the width of the gape equals 2/7 of the length of the head, depth of cleft short extending 

 1/3 of the distance to the orbit, median longitudinal groove on the head shallow, anteriorly becoming narrow, 

 and posteriorly deep, it extends nearly to the base of the occipital process. Upper surface of the head behind 

 the middle of the orbit granulated, as is also tlie occipital process which is rather wider at its base than it is 

 long, has nearly straight lateral edges, and reaches the narrow basal bone of the dorsal fin. Barhels — short, the 

 maxillary pair do not quite reach the eye, the outer mandibular are still shorter, and the internal the shortest. 

 Teeth — those on the palate villiform, in two small patches wide asunder, on either side of the palate, not 

 longer than the diameter of the eye. Fins — dorsal one-fourth higher than the body, its spine not very strong, 

 rather above half as long as the head, rugose anteriorly, serrated posteriorly : length of the base of the 

 adipose dorsal equals two-thirds of that of the rayed fin. Pectoral scarcely reaches the ventral, its spine is as 

 long as, or a little longer than, that of the dorsal, serrated internally. Ventral reaches the anal, caudal forked. 

 Colours — silvery-leaden colour along tlie back when fresh, a series of about 15 minutely spotted vertical bands 

 are seen on the body. Fins stained with gi'ay. 



In Cuv. and Val. A. rostratus is stated to have the snout more elongated than in A. subrostratus ; they 

 both come from the Malabar coast, and any difl^erencos are perhaps due to the age of the specimens. In some 

 young specimens the filamentous prolongation of the dorsal fin reaches almost to the base of the caudal. 



Habitat.— ^Lalsiba,!' coast of India to a foot in length. 



9. Arius sagor, Plate CV, fig. 1. 



Pimelodus sagor, Ham. Buch. Fishes of the Ganges, pp. 169, 376. 



Harjrus Sondaicus, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 444 ; Bleeker, Silur. Batav. p. 29 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 255. 

 Bagrus Javensis, sagor, and j' doroides, Cuv. and Val. xiv, pp. 445, 440, 447, pi. 418. 

 Hexanematichthys Sundaicus, Bleeker, Prod. Silur. p. 127, and Atl. Ich. Silur. p. 26, t. 62. 

 Arius sagor and doroides, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 56 ; Giinther, Catal. v, pp. 141, 142 ; Kner, Novara 

 Fische, p. 310. 



B. vi, D. I/O, P. 1/10, V. 6, A. 17-19 (^i:^), C. 15. 



Length of head 4j to 4|^, of caudal 5 to 6, height of body 5 in the total length. Eyes — diameters C| to 7 in 

 the length of head, 2 diameters from end of snout, and 3j apart. Head depressed, much broader than high, its 

 width equalling its length or a little less. Upper jaw the longer, the width of the gape of the mouth equalling 

 1/2 of the length of the head. The median longitudinal groove on the head shallow, extending to a little 

 behind the posterior edge of the eye. Upper surface of the head granulated in radiating lines. Occipital 

 process one-half wider at its base than it is long, its posterior extremity rounded where it meets the basal bono 

 of the dorsal fin, which is large and somewhat butterfly-shaped. Barbels — the maxillary reach to the middle 

 or end of the pectoral spine, the outer mandibular to its base or middle. Teeth — on the palate in two confluent 

 villiform patches on either side, and meeting in the mesial line, each of these patches has a convex inner edge. 

 Fins — dorsal higher than the body, its spine strong and as long as the bead excluding the snout, granulated or 

 serrated anteriorly, serrated posteriorly : the base of the adipose nearly as long as that of the rayed fin. 

 Pectoral spine stronger and as long as that of the dorsal, serrated externally along its outer fourth and 



