187 



CHRYSOPHRYS GIBBICEPS, C. & V. (RED 

 STUMPNOSE). 



The male can as a rule be distinguished from the female by 

 the greater prominence of the frontal region. Exceptional 

 cases are, however, met with where this feature is absent in the 

 male, and others in which it is highly developed, the head 

 projecting considerably beyond the vertical from the end of 

 the snout. 



The egg resembles that of the White Stumpnose in size and in 

 having only one oil globule. Of 50 eggs, from a number taken 

 in November from a female 39 inches in length, 20 measured 

 •85 mm. which was also the mean, one "88 and one '82 mm. 

 The oil globule measured very uniformly '19 mm. It appears 

 therefore this egg may be distinguished from that of C. ^ibbiccps. 

 The diameter is not sufficiently diagnostic, but taken along 

 with that of the oil globule the specific determmation could 

 always be made with considerable confidence. Fig. 1 1 represents 

 an egg 7^ hours after fertilization, and fig. 12 a stage about 12 

 hours later, showing the embryo well developed. The embryo 

 (fig. 13) after hatching (which commenced 2 days and 3 hours 

 after fertilization) can be distinguished from that of the White 

 Stumpnose at the same stage. The rectum is somewhat 

 further removed from the yolk, perhaps, however, a sign of a 

 further stage of development, for the embryo seems to hatch 

 out at different stages of growth. The oil globule is as a rule 

 situated further forward than in the C. globiceps, but is 

 occasionally in a more posterior position. The origin of 

 the dorsal is also different. The colour, which is the 

 chief distinguishing feature, is as follows : Yellow spots : One 

 to three behind the head, between the eye and the otocyst, 

 one on the body over centre of yolk, one at the angle between 

 the body and the posterior margin of the yolk in front of 

 rectum (in C. globiccps there was one behind), one superior to 

 the latter on the body, one (sometimes two or more) on 

 inferior caudal region of body. Two, one above and the 

 other below, sending out branches towards each other over the 

 trunk, as in the case of the C. globiccps, were never observed in 

 C gibbici'ps. Dark spots : There are dark stellate somewhat 

 faint pigment spots on the head and extending along the dorsal 

 side of body. At a later stage a few black dots had appeared 

 on the ventral surface of the caudal region. The notochord 

 is multicolumnar. 



