490 PHTSOSTOMI. 



with a spine. Ventral with six rays awl situated helow the rayed dorsal. Anal long (47-50 rays). Caudal forked. 

 Air-vessel tuliform, and as in Ailia. No axillary pore. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Eutropiichthys vacha, D. |, A,:jf:*y. Silvery. India and Burma. 



1. Eutropiichthys vacha, Plate CXIV, fig. 6. 

 Pimelodus vacha, Ham. Buch. Fish. Gang. pp. I',i6, 378, pi. 19, f. 64. 

 Barjrus vacha, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 392 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 56. 

 Pachypterus punctatus, Swain.son, Fishes ii, p. 306. 



EntropiicMkys vacha. (Bleekev), Giinther, Catal. v, p. 38 ; Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 306. 

 Butchua and Nandi-bidchua, Ooriah ; Chel-lee, Sind. ; Nee-much, N". W. Prov. ; VucM, Beng. ; Nga-myen- 

 Ttouhan and Katha-houmj, Burmese. 



B. xi, D. i I 0, P. 1/13-16, Y. C, A. ^^ify, C. 17. 



Length of head 5^ to 5f, of caudal 5, height of body 5 to 5^ in the total length. Eyes — with broad 

 adipose lids, diameter 3-J- to 3| in the length of the head, 1 diameter from the end of snout, aiid 1 to 1\ apart. 

 Width of the head equals its length behind the middle of the eyes. Cleft of mouth rather oblique, its extent 

 bemg 1/4 more than the width of the gape : the angle situated under the middle or hind third of the eyes : 

 snout compressed and pointed, the upper jaw being slightly the longer. Barbels — the nasal pair reaching to 

 the hind edge of the head or even slightly further : maxillary ones to the end of preopercle or even as long as 

 the head : the mandibular ones, which arise on a transverse line across the chin, are rather shorter. 

 Teeth — .sharp ones in the jaws, in a pyriform band on the palatines, which with those on the vomer form an 

 uninterrupted band, that nearly touches the band on the upper jaw. Fius — dorsal spine thin, serrated 

 posteriorly, and usually as long as the head excludiug the snout. Pectoral fin reaches the base of the ventral, 

 its spine is rough externally, serrated internally, and as long as that of the dorsal. Ventral situated under the 

 posterior dorsal rays, and only extends half-way to the anal. Free portion of the tail as high as long. 

 Colours — silvery, grayish along the back : pectoral and caudal usually edged with black. 



Variety Entropiichthys Burmannicus has A. ^, and its nasal barbels almost reach to the dorsal fin : the 

 maxillary to the middle of the pectoral spine, whilst all the others are longer than the head. The pectoral 

 spine is serrated externally, and reaches the anal fin. 



Habitat. — From the Punjab through the large rivers of Sind, Bengal, Orissa, and variety E. Burmannicus 

 in Burma. It attains upwards of a foot in length. It is good eating. 



Genus, 23 — Ambltceps, Blyth. 



Branchioster/ah twelve. Gill-openings wide, the gill-memhranes not confluent ivith the shin of the isthmus, 

 notched as far forwards as the chin. No thoracic adhesive surface. Head covered idth soft skin. Eyes small, 

 subcutaneous. Mouth anterior : gape ivide. Nostrils close together, the posterior having a barbel. Teeth in jaws 

 viUifonn : pialate edentulous. Anterior dorsal fin enveloped in skin, having one spine and six rays. Pectoral 

 with a concealed spine. Ventral loith six rays, inserted behind the veHical from the posterior margin of the rayed 

 dorsal. Anal rather short (9 to 12 rays). Caudal forked. Air-vessel almost entirely enclosed in bone. No 

 axillary piore. 



Geographical distribution. — Small fishes inhabiting the fresh waters of India and Burma, usually on or 

 near hills. Griffith obsei-\-es (Cal. Jouru. N. Hist, ii, p. 664) respecting certain fish from the Mydan Valley in 

 Afghanistan, " the most remarkable fish is a dark coloured loach-like Silurus, which is not uncommon about 

 Jubraiz." 



I have a large series of this fish, and they show such diversities that it appears to me that all are varieties 

 of (me species. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Amhlyceps mangois, A. 9-12. Maxillary barbels to end of pector.al spine. Himalayas from Nangra 

 and Darjeellng. Jumna and the Behar district, also Burma. 



1. Amblyceps mangois, Plate CII, fig. 6, and CXVII, fig. 1. 



Pimelodus mangois. Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 199, 379 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 58. 



Ambhjceps mangois, Blyth, P. A. S. of Beng. 1860, p. 153 ; Giinther, Catal. v, p. 190 ; Day, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. 1869, p. 524. 



Amhlyceps caictdiens, Blyth, P. A. S. of Bengal, 18."i8, p. 282 ; Gunther, Catal. v, p, 190. 

 Amblyceps tenuispinis, Blyth, 1. c. 1860, p. l.')3 ; Giinther, Catal. v, p. 190. 

 Akysis Kurzii, Day, Proc. Zool. Society, 1871, p. 703. 

 Billi, "a cat," and Sudaal, Punj. 



B. sii, D. 1 I 0, P. 17, V. 6, A. 9-12 (=:-^), C. 19, Vert. 12/23. 



