474 PHYSOSTOMI. 



length of head, and about 1/2 a diameter from the end of snout. The greatest width of the head equals 

 two-thirds of its length. Upper jaw a little the longer. The median longitudinal groove on the head broad, 

 Bhallow, and reaches to the base of the occipital process, which is four times as long as broad at its base and 

 extends to the basal bone of the dorsal fin. Barbels — the nasal slightly longer than the head, the maxillary 

 reach the base of the anal (in some Madras specimens only to the ventral) fin, the mandibular pair are 

 ratlicr longer than the head. Teeth — in the premaxillaries usually anterior to those in the mandibles : in a 

 narrow, uninterrupted, crescentic band across the palate. Fins — dorsal spine two-thirds as long as the head, 

 anteriorly rugose, finely serrated posteriorly. Pectoral spine rather longer and stronger than that of the 

 dorsal, with about ten denticulations internally. Ventral half as long as the head. Caudal deeply forked. 

 Colours — silvery, greenish along the back, and -svath three or four bands along the sides formed by black spots. 

 Occiput and anterior portion of dorsal fin dark coloured. 



In a specimen from the Deccan a rather elongated anal papilla exists. I have found the number 

 of anal rays in diiierent localities as follows : Sind, 38-39 ; Punjab, 35-39 ; Assam (lower) 38, (upper) 41-44 ; 

 the Sone river, 38-44 ; Orissa, 38-41 ; Madras, 35-36. Some of the higher numbers, as at Debrooghur in Upper 

 Assam and a single specimen with 44 anal rays at the Sone river, I have omitted from the above formula. 



Hahitat. — Throughout Sind, India (excluding the western coast) and Assam ; rarely attaining to above 

 4 or 5 inches in length. P. urua is said to come from rivers and ponds of the northei-n parts of Bengal. 



8. Pseudeutropius garua, Plate CIX, fig. 6. 



Silurus garua, Ham. Bnch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 15G, 375, pi. 21, f. 50. 



Schilbe garua, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 379, pi. 413; Bleeker, Beng. pp. 54, 110; Blyth, Proc. A. S. of 

 Beug. 1858, p. 283. 



Clupisoma argentata, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 306. 



Schilbichthys garua, Giinther, Catal. v, p. 57. 



Pstideutropius garua. Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 307. 



Punia biichna, Ooriah ; Puttosi, Beng. ; Buchua, Hind. ; Dhon-ga-nu, Sind. ; (Eocha, Testa, H. B.) 



B. vi, D. 1 P. 1/11, V. 6, A. 29-36 (^'33), C. 17. 



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

 partly on the lower surface of the head, having a broad, circular, adipose lid, diameter 35- to 4 in the length of 

 the head, li diameters from the end of snout, and 2^ apart. The greatest width of the head equals its length 

 excluding the snout. Upper jaw the longer, the width of the gape of the mouth is 2/5 in the length of the 

 head. Occipital process about four times as long as it is wide at its base, and does not quite reach the basal 

 bone. Barbels — nasal from 1/3 to 1/2 as long as the head, the maxillary extend to the middle or end of the 

 ventral fin, the two mandibular ones are about as long as the head. Teeth — in a semilunar band across the palate, 

 those of the vomer contiguous to those of the palatines, and each patch being semicircular internally : some- 

 times the two vomerine patches have an interspace between them. Fins — dorsal spine rather slender, rugose 

 anteriorly and feebly serrated posteriorly, as long as the head behind the nostrils, whilst the pectoral is of equal 

 length or a little longer, stronger and denticulated internally. The adipose dorsal generally only exists in the 

 immature, and becomes almost imperceptible in the adult : as its non-existence forms the chief distinction of the 

 Genus Schilblchthi/s from that of Pseudeutri/iJtus, whilst its absence is merely the result of age, I have not adopted 

 the former designation. Lower caudal lobe the longer. Air-vessel — small, somewhat heart-shaped, and closely 

 attached to the front surface of the anterior vertebras. Colours — silvery, fins stained with gray. 



Hahitat. — Found generally throughout the larger rivers of Sind, India, Assam, and Burma. Attains 

 upwards of two feet in length. The specimen figui-ed (7 inches long) was from Calcutta. 



Genus, 11 — Olym,* McClelland. 



Branchiosteus, Gill. 



Body elongate and low, the dorsal profile nearly horizontal : head depressed and covered superiorly with soft 

 shin. Qill-openings ivide, the gill-membranes not being confluent with the shin of the isthmus, but notched nearly to 

 the chin. Mouth terminal and transverse : jaws of about equal length, or the lower the longer. Nostrils remote from 

 one another, the posterior provided with a barbel. Barbels eight. Eyes small. Villiform teeth in the jatrs and on 

 the p)alate. First dorsal 'fin withou,t a spine,f and with from six to eight rays : adipose dorsal long and lo)". Anal 

 of moderate length {15 to 23 rays): ventrals inserted below the dorsal and having six rays: caudal rounded or 

 lanceolate. Air-vessel not enclosed in bone. Shin smooth. 



Gill subdivided the Genus into (a) those species which have the jaws subequal in length : anal with more 

 than 20 rays: caudal lanceolate (Olyra) ; (b.) others in which the lower jaw projects : anal with le-iS than 20 

 rays : caudal rounded (Branchiosteus). 



Geographical distribution. — Small fishes from the Khasya hills and British Burma. 



* Preoccupied by Linn, in order Graminew. 

 t Dr. Giinther observes "dorsal fin short with a splae." McClelland sa^-s "no dorsal spine," and I have found uoue in 

 0. Burmanica. 



