FA:VIILY, I-SILUEID^. 469 



Genus, 8 — OsTEOGENioscs, Bleeker. 



Braneh'ostegals five. GiU-memhranes united at the throat, emargmate and overlapping the isthmus not heing 

 confluent with it : upper surface of the head covered with very thin skin: mouth anterior: upper jaiu the longer. 

 Nostrils approximating, the posterior provided with a valve. Barbels, a single pair of semi-osseous maxillary ones. 

 Teeth in the jaws villiform : obtusely conical on the palate, where they^ form two widely separated patches. Dorsal 

 with one spine and seven rays, inserted anterior to the ventrals : adipose fin shoH. Anal of moderate length not 

 united with the caudal, which is forked. Ventral ivith six rays. Air-vessel in the abdominal cavity not enclosed in 

 bone. An axillary pore. 



Geographical distribution.— Seas and estuaries of India to the Malay Arcliipelago, sometimes entering- 



rivers. 



Uses. — Eaten by tLe poorer classes. A coarse isinglass is made from its air-vessel. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Osteogeniosus militaris, A. 19-22. Length of head ii to 4^ in the total length. Greatest width of 

 head equals its length behind the angle of the mouth. Seas of India to the Malay Arehipelago. 



2. Osteogeniosus sthenocephalus, A. 20. Length of head 4f in the total length. Greatest width of head 

 equals 1/2 its length. Burma. 



1. Osteogeniosus militaris, Plate CVIII, fig. 4. 



Silurus militaris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 503 ; Bl. Schn. p. 375. 



Arius militaris, Cuv. and Val. xv, p. 114, pi. 430 ; Cantor. Catal. p. 259. 



Ageniosus militaris, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 305. 



Osteogeniosus Cantoris, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. pp. 130, 582 ; Blyth. P. A. S. of Beng. 1858, p. 286. 



Osteogeniosus militaris, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 58 ; Giinther, Catal. v, p. 181 ; Kner. No vara Fische, 

 p. 314 ; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 181. 



Tone keliti. Tarn. 



B. V, D. I/O, P. 1/10-11, V. 6, A. 19-22 (^^Zh^), C. 17, Vert. 18-29. 



Leno-th of head 4i to U, of caudal 7*, height of body 5J to 6i in the total length. .B)/es— diameter 7 

 in the lentrth of head, 2 diameters from the end of snout and 4 apart. The greatest width of the head equals 

 its leno-th°behind the angle of the mouth : its height 2/3 of its length : the width of the gape of the mouth 

 equals'half the length of the head. Occipital process 27^ times as long as wide at its base, and its length equals 

 113 of that of the head. Median longitudinal groove of moderate width not extending so far as the base of the 

 occipital process. Upper surface of the head almost or quite smooth, a few granulations generally present 

 between the posterior end of the median longitudinal groove and the base of the occipital process, which last is 

 rouo-hened in ridges which are sometimes granular : there also usually exists a patch of granulations above the 

 upper edo-e of the opercle on the head. ^arieZs— rather longer than the head. Teeth— on the palate m two 

 somewhat crescentic patches converging anteriorly. Fr/js— dorsal spine as long as the head excluding the snout, 

 serrated in its upper portion anteriorly and in its whole extent posteriorly. Pectoral spme somewhat stronger 

 than that of the dorsal, the fin reaches about half way to the ventral. Anal highest anteriorly where it equals- 

 half the length of the head. Co/owrs— silvery, darkish superiorly, fins tinged with red. 



Habitat.— Seas, estuaries and tidal rivers of India to the Malay Archipelago. A specimen m the 

 Calcutta Museum is 14 inches long. The specimen figured was from Bombay and is 8 inches m length, 



2. Osteogeniosus sthenocephalus, Plate CVIII, fig. 3. 



B. V, D. i/O, P. 1/9, V. 6, A. 20 (A), C. 17. 



Length of head 4|, of caudal 5^, height of body 7h in the total length, ^es— diameter G'i in the 

 leno-th of head, 2 diameters from the end of snout, and 3 apart. The greatest width of the head equals halt its 

 length • the width of the gape of the mouth equals half the length of the head. Occipital process three times 

 as lon<^ as wide at its base, its length equals 1/3 of that of the head. ]\Iedian longitudmal groove rather wide 

 and does not extend quite to the base of the occipital process. Upper surface of the head with a tew 

 granulations between the posterior end of the median grove and the base of the occipital process, which last is 

 roughened in ridges. Barbels— as long as the head. i^/»s— as in the last species, except that the anterior 

 portion of the anal fin is as deep as the head excluding the snout is long. Colours— siXyevj, darkest superiorly. 



This fish differs from the preceding species in having a much narrower head, deeper anal fin, and flatter 



snout. 



Habitat. — A single specimen captured at Moulmein. 



Genus, 9 — Panqasius, Cuvier and Valencienyies. 

 Pseudopangasius and Relicophagas, Bleeker. 



Branchiostegals from about seven to twelve. Gill-openings wide,_ the membranes not confluent with the skin of 

 the isthmus and rather deeply notched. Upper jaw the longer. Eye with a free orbital margin. Nostrils at some 



