120 CATALOGUE OF FISH. 



Family IV. SYNBRANCHIDiE. 



Tlie members of this small family are conKned to Asia and South 

 America. Their two gill-openings are so enclosed by a common 

 skinny border that they appear as one externally. They want the 

 pectoral fins and all the other fins, in this respect resembling seve- 

 ral genera of Muranidcs. 



Genus 47. AMPHIPNOUS, J. MJiZ^m 



Unibranchapertura, Hamilton. 

 Synb ranch us, Cuv. 



As in Monopterus, the gill-openings are separated by a cutaneous 

 membrane. Branchise four, tlie third one having short fringes, the 

 fourth merely traces of notches on its e.'ctremit3\ Teeth, 8 on each 

 row of the vomer, short, curved, and standing rather widely apart. 

 Palatine teeth small and thin, longer on the point of the bone. 

 Mandibulars pluriserial at the commencement, uniserial towards the 

 corner of the mouth. 



An occipital cavity holds an air-bladder, which is connected with 

 the gills.* A number of longitudinal raised lines on the body are 

 formed of minute scales. The only trace of a fin is at the slender 

 point of the short, tapering tail. 



209. Amphipnous cuchia. 



Amphipnous cuchia, J. Midler, Vergl. Anat. der Myxindiden ; Ahh. 



der Mad. zu Bed. 1839, p. 244. 

 Unibranchapertura cuchia, Hamilton^ Fish, of Ganges, 16, pi. 16, 



f. 4. 

 Synbranchus cuchia, Cuvier, Begn. An. ii., p. 354; Swainson, ii., 



336. 

 Ophichthys punctatus, et Pneumabranchus striatus, leprosus, et 



albinus, McClell, Calc. Journ. iv., 411, v., 192, 219, pi. 13, 195, 



196, 219. 

 Dondoo paum, Russell; Cantor, Mai. F^i7^, 338; Bleeker, Muran. 



&c. 



This fish, says Hamilton Buchanan, is found in rivers and ponds 

 in the south-east parts of Bengal. It is said to grow to two feet in 

 length, and six inches in circumference ; but those that I have seen 

 were shorter and thinner in proportion to their length. It is a 

 cylindrical fish, devoid of scales (this is a mistake), and lubricated 



* These lung-like sacs were discovered by James Taylor, Esq., Civil Surgeon 

 of Dacca. 



