FAMILY, I-SYNGNATHID^. 677 



First group — Stngnathina. 

 Tail not prehensile : caudal fin usually present. 



A. — Humeral bones untied : male with ecjij-pouclt, oil tail : a caudal fin. 

 Genus, 1 — Stngnathus, Artedi. 

 CorythoieJdhys, Trachyrhaiivplius, and Halicampus, Kaup. 



Body with more or less distinct ridrjes : the dorsal edge of the trunk not being continuous with that on its 

 caudal portion : humeral bones firmly united into the breast ring. The opercle may be entirely crossed by a distinct 

 rid^e, of it may be only at its base, or the ridge absent. Dorsal fin either opposite or nearly so to the vent : its base 

 may be raised or not so : pectorals well developed : caudal present. An egg-pouch on the tail of the males, the eggs 

 being covered by cutaneous folds. 



Geographical distribution. — Tropical and temperate seas, some entering fresh waters. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIAN SPECIES. 



A. — Bony ridge on opercle, when present, only almig its base : base of dorsal fin elevated. 



1. Syngnathms serratus, D. 25-27, Eings 21-25 + 45-47, Trunk 1/2 to 2/.3 of total length. Snout less than 

 1/2 of length of head, and with a serrated crest. Body banded. Seas of India to China. 



2. Syngnathus longirostris, D. 27, Rings 23-}- 49? Snout more than 1/2 length of head and without a 

 serrated crest. Body banded. Ceylon and Madras to China. 



3. Syngnathus intermedius, D. 28, Rings 24-25 + 48-49. Snout 1/2 as long as head and without any 

 crest. Body banded : dorsal fin spotted. Madras. 



B. — A bony ridge entirely crossing the opercle. 



4. Syngnathus spicifer, D. 23-27, Rings 15-16 + 39-42. Trunk 2/5 of the total length. Dark spots on 

 lower jaw : body and dorsal fin barred. Seas, estuaries, and fresh waters, fi'oni the Red Sea and East eoast of 

 Africa through the seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



5. Syngnathus cyanospilos, D. 20-23, Rings 12-15 + 33-35. Body banded, each crossbar with a white 

 posterior edge. East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



A. — Bony ridge on opercle, ivhen present, only at its base : base of dorsal fin elevated. 



1. Syngnathus serratus, Plate CLXXIII, fig. 4. 



Syngnathus typle, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 21 (not Linn.) and Goorahpoo subboohoo, pi. 30, f. 2. 

 Syngnathus serratus, Schleg. Faun. Japon. Poiss. p. 272, pi. 120, fig. 4 ; Bleeker, Japan, p. 56 ; Giinther, 

 Catal. viii, p. 167. 



Syngnathus subbooleoo, Bleeker, Beng. p. 80. 



Trachyrhamphus serratus, Kaup, Lophobr. p. 2.3 ; Dumeril, Hist. Poiss. ii, p. 538. 

 Traehyrhamphus cultrirostris, Peters, Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, 1869, p. 710 (young). 

 Kadil cudray and Oul-pambuo, Tamil. 



D. 25-27, P. 17, A. 4, C. 6, Osseous rings 21-25 +45-47. 



Length of head from 5 to 6 in the distance between end of snout and vent : trunk from above 1/2 to 

 nearly 2/3 of the total length. Eyes — large, situated in the middle of the length of the head. A spinats or 

 serrated crest along the upper edge of the posterior 2/3 of the snout. Length of snout less than 1/2 of length 

 of head : interorbital space broad, with the orbital edges prominent, smooth : occiput and nape with a median 

 ridge : opercle finely striated. Body scarcely deeper than broad : shields without spines : vent nearly below 

 the middle of the dorsal fin, the base of which is elevated, it stands on 5 or 6 rings, 2 of which are anterior to 

 the anal ring : caudal fin extremely small : egg-pouch more than half as long as tail. Lateral-line — bent 

 downwards and passes into the lower edge of the tail. Colours — light brown with light spots along the side, 

 and the body bnnded in rings : tail fin black with a white lower edge : a dark mark at base of anterior dorsal 

 rays ; and a dark line along the middle of the fin. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to China. The example figured, a male, was from Madras, where it is very 

 common. 



2. Syngnathus longirostris, Plate CLXXIII, fig. 5. 



Trachyrhamphus longirostris, Kaup, Lophob. p. 24; Dumeril. Hist. Poiss. ii, p. 538. 

 Syngnathus longirostris and .'' Ceylonensis, Giinther, Catal. viii, pp. 167, 168. 



D. 27, P. 18, A. 4. Osseous rings, 23 + 49 + x. 



Length of head 3f in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : the end of the tail i.s 

 injured in the single example procured at Madras, but the length of the trunk from the end of the snout to the 

 vent is scarcely more than 1/3 of the total length. Egg pouch not 1/2 as long as the tail. Eyes — 1/4 of length 

 of snout and situated in the posterior 1/2 of the distance between the end of the snout and base of the pectoral 

 fin. Body deeper than broad. No elevated ridge along the upper surface of the snout. Length of snout 



