FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 755 



Notarius Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1863, p. 171. (Type, Arius 



ffrandicassis Valenciennes, monotypic.) 

 Pseudarius Bleekek, Nederland. Tijdschr. Dierk., vol. 1, p. 91, 1863. (Type, 



Aritis arius Valenciennes, orthotypic.) 

 Cathorops Jordan and Gilbert, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., vol. 11, p. 39, 1882. 



(Type, Arius Jiypophthalmus Steindachner.) 

 Cinetodtis Ogilby, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, vol. 23, p. 32, 1898. (Type, 



Arius froffgatii Ramsay and Ogilby.) 

 Nemapteryx Ogiubt, Ann. Queensland Mus., No. 9, p. 10, 1908. (Type, Arius stir- 



lingi Ogilby.) 



Body elongate. Eye largely free. Mouth moderate, upper jaw 

 longer. Barbels 6, close together, usually short maxillary pair terete 

 or compressed. Teeth in villiform bands in jaws. Vomer with 1 or 

 2 patches of granular teeth, also palatines sometimes confluent as one 

 band. Skull with fontanel. Dorsal buckler sparingly granular. 

 Skin smooth, naked, on occipital nuchal region covering bony 

 bucklers. Dorsal fin short, before ventrals, with pungent spine and 

 7 rays. Adipose fin well developed, free behind. Anal short. 

 Caudal deeply forked. Pectoral with spine. Ventral rays 6. 



Marine catfishes, with numerous species on sandy tropical shores, 

 but not about coral reefs. Many of the species have been set apart 

 for generic distinction, though for the present those belonging in the 

 old group called Arius are here assembled under the earlier name of 

 Tachysurus. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES 



a'. Teeth on palate villiform, conic or pointed. 

 W. Tachysurus. Teeth in one group on each side of palate. 

 c\ Head shields granular. 



d'. Pectoral spine longer than dorsal spine, 

 e'. Palatine teeth strong, coarse, conic, with pointed ends, in 2 small 



ovate-triangular widely separated patches dispar 



C-. Palatine teeth villiform, with 2 large nearly equilateral patches. 



maculatus 



d'. Pectoral spine shorter than dorsal spine ; palatine teeth villiform, in 



2 widely separated triangular patches, anterior rounded base longer 



than their height caelatus 



c^ Head shields smooth or nearly so ; pectoral spine long as dorsal spine. 



venosus 

 l/. Hexanematichthys. Teeth in 2 groups on each side in a transverse row 

 on palatines. 



f. Outer palatine groups rounded or oval, larger than inner groups, 

 which generally distant ; occipital process hemispherically 



rounded sagor 



f. Outer palatine groups triangular, with emarginate hind edge, 

 greatly exceed in size very small contiguous inner groups; occi- 

 pital process triangular sona 



6'. Netuma. Teeth in 3 groups on each side on palate, forming large tri- 

 angular patch with base anteriorly thalassinus 



