105. LEPIDOCEPHALFS. 369 



thrice and one-third. Snout much pointed, a little longer than the 

 remaining portion of the head. Suborbital spine smaU, extending 

 only to below the middle of the eye. Interorbital space narrow, not 

 much wider than the orbit. Body with from thirteen to fifteen 

 brownish cross bars edged with blue (in preserved examples the 

 bluish edges only are visible). Dorsal and caudal iins with trans- 

 verse lines, the former generally with a blackish blotch on its antero- 

 superior angle, 



Java ; Sumatra ; Borneo ; Siam. 



a. Type of the species. From Dr. Bleeker's Collection. 

 h—e. Adult and young. Java. 



A variety of this species from Siam has only eleven cross bands, 

 which do not appear to be edged with blue, and the last cross band 

 terminates in a black spot superiorly on the root of the caudal fin, 



a-A). Fine specimens. Pachebon (Mouhot). Purchased of Mr. Stevens. 



104. OREONECTES. 



Head depressed, body scarcely compressed. No spine below the 

 eye. Six barbels round the upper jaw. Dorsal fin placed far back- 

 wards, at some distance behind the root of the ventrals ; caudal fin 

 rounded. Air-bladder enclosed in a paired bony capsule. 



China. 



1. Oreonectes platycephalus. 

 D. 9. A. 7, V. 8. 



Scales very conspicuous. Body but slightly compressed, its depth 

 being one-sixth or one-seventh of the total length (without caudal). 

 Head much depressed, its length being nearly one-fifth of the total 

 (without caudal) ; interorbital space very broad and flat. Snout 

 depressed, shorter than the postorbital portion of the head. Eyes 

 very small. Barbels well developed. Origin of the dorsal fin con- 

 siderably nearer to the root of the caudal than to the opercle. 

 Caudal longer, pectoral rather shorter than the head; ventral ex- 

 tending to the vent. A brown band across the root of the caudal. 



China. 



a, b, c. Many specimens, to 2| inches long. From a small stream 

 near the top of Hongkong Mountains (?), 15,000 feet above the 

 level of the sea. 



105. LEPIDOCEPHALUS. 



Lepidocephalus, sp., Bleek. Prodi: Cypr. p. 68. 

 Lepidocephalus, Bleek. Atl. Ichthyol. Cypr. p. 12. 



Body compressed, elongate. An erectile bifid suborbital spine 

 below the eye. Six barbels, viz, four on the extremity of the snout 

 and the two others attached to the maxillaiies. Dorsal fin placed 

 far backwards, at some distance behind the root of the ventrals ; 

 caudal truncate. 



East-Indian archipelago, 

 VOL. vir. 2 B 



