﻿682 GANGETic FISHES. Order IV. 



yellow belts, and the belly is white. The hinder extremities of 

 the vent and back fins are yellowish, with many black spots 

 between the rays. 



The head is broader than the body, with large angular scales, 

 on which are, irregularly scattered, several small circular t^avi- 

 ties. On the lower part of the head are scattered many dots, 

 collected into irregular clusters. The uppers/ate? has a notch at 

 the end, and is protruded, when the mouth opens ; both have 

 a membranous veil, as it were, on their inside. The teeth are 

 imbricated in a double row in each jaw, with many large coni- 

 cal ones intermixed. There are folds on the palate. The gill- 

 covers end in a point, and each of their membranes contains six 

 rays. 



The lateral lines are plainly distinguishable. The vent is ra- 

 ther behind the middle. The scales on the body are imbri- 

 cated, orbicular, large, and smooth on the edge, but rather 

 rough on the surface. 



The rays of the back fin are all jointed : the foremost are 

 undivided, but nine or ten behind are branched. Each pecto- 

 ral fin contains seventeen dichotomous rays. Each ventral fin 

 contains six rays. The anal fin contains from twenty-six to 

 twenty-eight rays like those of the back. The tail fin contains 

 fourteen long rays, with some short ones on each side, 



2d Species. — Ophiocephalus chena. 



An ophiocephalus with from forty-three to forty-six rays in 

 the back fin ; with the back of an uniform colour, and with no 

 spots on the back and anal fins. 



This is no doubt the Muttah of Dr Russell, (Indian Fishes, 

 Vol. II. No. 162,) which he considers as the same with the 

 Ophiocephalus striatus of Bloch ; but its colours differ much 

 both from those of that author, and from those of the solf 



