588 PHTSOSTOMI. 



Leno-tli of head 5^ to 6, of caudal 3f to 4, lieiglit of body 3 to 3i in the total length. Eyes — diameter 

 3 to 3i in' leno-th of head, 3/4 of a diameter from end of snout, 1^- -diameters apart. Lower jaw slightly 

 the shorter. Dorsal profile much elevated, a shght concavity over the nape in Bengal specimens. Preorbital 

 of moderate width, the rest of tlie suborbital ring narrow. Tfei/t— pharyngeal, 4, 3, 2/2, 3, 4, with the outer 

 one in each row serrated on its edges. Gill-rakers rudimentary. Fins — dorsal commences about midway 

 between the base of the caudal and the end of the snout, its osseous ray is strong and serrated posteriorly, the 

 bony portion being as long as the head. Caudal deeply lobed, the lower sliglitly the longer. Lateral-line — 

 14 rows of scales between it and the base of the ventral fin : 25 rows before the base of the dorsal fin. 

 Colours — silvery, back grayish, and the Indian variety is partially banded in tlie young. Sometimes a dark 

 streak from tlie shoulder to the base of the pectoral fin. The very young have a black band over the free 

 portion of the tail. 



The late Dr. Bleeker and Dr. Giinther who have not seen this fish, have considered it the type of a genus 

 f,SOTiZiO(/(w^j;9 , which is said to have the entire abdominal edge trenchant. Valenciennes expressly observes, 

 " mais sans aucune dentelure, comme celles des clupees." 



Habitat. — The Godavery river, and throughout Burma, but the specimens from the latter locality are 

 darker in colour and want the vertical bands. It attains 15 inches and more in length. 



6. Rohtee Ogilbii, Plate CXLVII, fig. 5. 



Sykes, Trans. Zool. Soc. 1841, p. (34, pi. 63, f. 2. 



Osteobravia Or/ilhii, Heckel. in Russ. Reis. i, p. 1033 ; Giinther, Catal. vii, p. 324. 



Systomus Ogilbii, Bleeker, Beng. p. 62. 



Abramis Ogilbii, Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1849, p. 319. 



B. iii, D. 11(f), P. 15, V. 10, A. 16(J ), C. 20, L. 1. 55, L. tr. 13/11. 



Length of head 5 to 6, of caudal 4 to 4i, height of body 3 to 3f in the total length. Etjes — diameter 

 2f to 3^ in length of head, 2/3 to 1 diameter from end of snout, 1^ diameters apart. Dorsal profile rather 

 more convex than that of the abdomen. Cleft of mouth extending to below the anterior edge of the orbit, lower 

 jaw the shorter. Barbels — absent. Teeth — pharyngeal, curved, pointed, 5, 4, 2/2, 4, 5. M/is— dorsal commences 

 midway between the snout and the base of the caudal, its osseous ray strong, and coarsely serrated. Pectoral 

 reaches to above the ventral. Caudal lobed in its last two-thii-ds. Lateral-line— 9 or lU rows of scales between 

 it and the base of the ventral fin. Colours — purplish silvery along the back, becoming silvery-white from about 

 four rows of scales above the lateral-line. The young sometimes have a dark spot at the base of the caudal fin, 

 and 4 or 5 narrow black bands descending from the back to the middle of the side. 



Habitat. — Deccan, the Kistna and Godavery rivers, attaming 6 inches or more in length. 



Genus, 24 — Bapjlius, Hamilton Buchanan. 



Opsarms, sp. McClelland ; Pachystomus, Heckel; Ghedrus, Swains. ; S/tacra, Bleeker ; Opsaridium, Peters ; 

 Pteropsarion and Bola (not H. B.) Giinther. 



Abdomen rounded. Pseudobranchiie jiresent. Mouth anterior, sometimes oblitiue, having a moderate or deep 

 cleft. Jaws compressed, the lower usually with a hioh above the symphysis, and an eniargination to receive it in the 

 upper jaw. Suborbital ring of bones generally broad, more especially the third, which may even he entirely behind 

 thevertical from the posterior margin of the orbit. Barbels four (Pachystomus, "Heckel," Bleeker), or two (Bendilisis, 

 Bleeker), or none (Barilius, Ham. Buch.) ; occasionally very rudimentary ones are present. Pharyngeal teeth in two or 

 three rows, hooked, 5, 3 or 4, 2 or 1/1 or 2, 4 or 3, 5 ; or else 5, 2 or 3, 4/4, 3 or 2, 5. Dorsal fin without osseous 

 ray, of moderate length, inserted posteriorly to the ventrals, sometimes extending to above the anal, which latter is 

 somevjhat elongated. Scales of moderate or small size. Lateral-line concave, continued on to the middle or lower 

 half of the caudal,* or incomplete, or absent. Gill-ralcers very short, or even absent. 



The genera Barilius and Danio are somewhat difBcult to diagnose apart, from descriptions alone : the 

 former however has the snout compressed, the mouth anterior, and usually spots or vertical bars on the body. 

 In Danio the upper jaw is rather broad, the mouth directed obliquely upwards, the apex of the lower jaw being 

 nearly or quite on a level witli the dorsal profile : the body with longitudinal Ijands. Adult specimens of Barilius 

 have usually open pores or glands on the snout and jaws. 



Geograpihical distribution. — Fresh waters of Inifia, Ceylon, and Burma, extending to the Malay Archipelago ; 

 also found in the Nile and East Africa. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



A. With four barbels. (Pachystomttsj. 



1. Barilius vagra, D. 9, A. 13-15, L. 1. 42-44. AVith 10 vertical bars. Siud Hills, Himalayas, Ganges, 

 Jumna and Brahmaputra. 



* Where this line terminates evidently cannot have very great signification, for I have observed it in B. gattnsis on one side of 

 an example going to the middle ot the base of' the caudal tin, and on the other side to iis lower lobe. 



