752 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Genus PARAPLOTOSUS Bleeker 



Paraplotosus Bleekeb, Atlas Ichth. Ind. Neerland., vol. 2, p. 100, 1862. (Type, 

 Plotosus albilabris Valenciennes, monotypic.) 



Body elongate, tail tapering. Head depressed. Eye not covered 

 by skin. Mouth transverse, rounded in front. Lips with close-set 

 papillae and vermiculated folds, upper very prominent. Maxillary 

 barbel near end of upper lip, mandibulary barbel below mouth 

 corner, 2 mental barbels between mandibulary barbels, nasal barbel 

 before hind nostril. Upper jaw teeth in 2 rhombic patches with 

 rounded lateral edges, conical with rounded tops, median strongest. 

 Lower teeth in 2 close-set partly crescentic areas, anterior row^ strong 

 and conic, posterior molars and mesially in 4 rows. Vomerine teeth 

 molar, in crescentic patch, 4 rows transversely in middle with poste- 

 rior strongest. Front nostril perforates upper lip near its front 

 border, directed downward. Hind nostril slit between eye and upper 

 lip. Gill membranes joined medially, only front part of confluent 

 portion joined with isthmus. Gill rakers 22 on entire arch. Sec- 

 ond and third branchial arches with series of long cartilaginous 

 rods covering bases of gill filaments on sides facing each other. 

 Branchiostegals 9 to 11. First dorsal short, behind pectoral origin, 

 with few rays and strong spine, denticulate on both edges. Second 

 dorsal origin before or above ventral origin, rays numerous, like 

 anal confluent with caudal. Pectoral with denticulate spine. Ven- 

 tral rays 12 or 13. Conspicuous dendritic organ behind vent, 



PARAPLOTOSUS ALBILABRIS (Valenciennes) 



Plotosus amiatris Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 15, p. 427, 1840 (type 

 locality: Java, Batavia). — Cantor, Journ. Asiat. See. Bengal, vol. 18, p. 

 1247, 1849 (Pinang, Malay Peninsula). — Bleeker, Atlas Iclith. Ind. Neer- 

 land., vol. 2, p. 99, pi. (48) 96, fig. 1, 1862 (Java, Bintang, Biliton, Singa- 

 pore, Celebes). 



Copidoglanis albilabris Gunther, Cat. Fishes British Mus., vol. 5, p. 26, 1864 

 (Pinang). 



Paraplotosus albilabris Weber and Beaufort, Fishes Indo-Australian Archi- 

 pelago, vol. 2, p. 225, fig. 90, 1913 (Singapore, Aru, Sorong, New Guinea). — 

 Beaufort, Bijdr. Dierk., Amsterdam, vol. 19, p. 96, 1913 (Sorong). — Herre, 

 Philippine Journ. Sci., vol. 31, p. 338, 1926 (Culion, Sitanki, Bantayan, 

 Jolo). — Fowler, Mem. Bishop Mus., vol. 10, p. 63, 1928 (compiled). — 

 Herre, Fishes Herre Philippine Exped. 1931, p. 22, 1934 (Culion; Sitanki).— 

 RoxAS and Martin, Dept. Agr. Comm. Manila Tech. Bull. 6, p. 46, 1937 

 (reference). — Herre and Myers, Raffles Mus. Bull., No. 13, p. 16, 1937 

 (Singapore). — Fowler, List Fish. Malaya, p. 45, 1938 (reference). 



Plotosus macrophthalmvs Bleeker, Verh. Batav. Genootsch. (Sil. Batav. Consp.), 

 vol. 21, pp. 565, 179, 1867 (type locality: Batavia). 



Depth 6% to 7%; head 4% to 5%, width li/o to I2/3. Snout 

 2% to 2% in head; eye 4% to 5%, 1% to 21/3 in snout, li/io to li/o in 



