24 SILURID^E. 



in the lower jaw mixed. Barbels eight : one immediately before 

 the posterior nostril, which is distant from the anterior, the latter 

 being quite in front of the snout. Cleft of the mouth transverse. 

 Eyes small. The gill-membranes are separate from each other, not 

 attached to the isthmus. Branchial arches without particular carti- 

 laginous posterior processes and without posterior membrane. Ven- 

 tral fins many-rayed. Head depressed. 



Coasts of the Indian Ocean and Archipelago ; Western Polynesia. 



1. Plotosus anguillaris. 



Valent. Amb. iii. p. 502. fig. 496 ; Renard, Poiss. Mol. i. tab. 3. fig. 19 ; 



Russell, ii. p. 51. pi. 166. 

 Silurus arab, Forsk. Descript. Anim. p. xvi. no. 36. 

 Platystacus anguillaris, Block, viii. p. 61. tab. 373. fig. 1 ; Bl. Schn. 



p. 373. tab. 74; Shav, Zool. v. p. 30. pi. 99. 

 Plotosus anguillaris, Lacep. v. p. 130. pi. 3. fig. 2 ; Riipp. N. TV. Fische, 



p. 76 ; Cant. Mai. Fish. p. 264 ; Peters, in Wiegm. Arch. xxi. p. 267 ; 



Bleek. Silur. p. 314. 

 Plotosius ikapor, Less. Voy. Couu. Zool. ii. p. 132. pi. 31. fig. 3. 

 Plotosus marginatus, Bennett, in Life of Raffles, p. 691. 

 lineatus, Cttv. k Vol. xv. p. 412 ; Richards. Fish. Chin. p. 286 ; 



Schleg. Faun: Jap. Poiss. p. 228. pi. 104. fig. 3 ; Bleek. in Verh. Bat. 



Gen. xxi., Silur. Batav. pp. 4, 17, 57. 



castaneus, Cuv. fy Vol. xv. p. 421. 



castaneoides, Bleek. Nat. Tydschr. Nederl. Ind. ii. p. 490. 



arab, Bleek. Atl. Lchth. Silur. p. 98. tab. 95. fig. 2. 



B. 12. ID. 1/4-5. 2D. + C. + A. 169-189. P. 1/11. V. 12. 

 Vert. 12/35. 



The length of the head is about one-fifth of the total length 

 (with the caudal), the height of the body one-seventh or one-eighth. 

 Barbels not very long : those of the nostril extend to the eye, and 

 those of the maxillary are about half as long as the head. Brown 

 or black, generally with two white longitudinal bands, the upper oi 

 which commences at the snout, and runs above the eye along the 

 base of the dorsal fin ; the lower proceeds from the maxillary barbel 

 along the middle of the side of the body. Vertical fins with dark 

 margin. 



From the eastern coasts of Africa to Japan and Polynesia. 



a. Adult : skin. Pinang. From Dr. Cantor's Collection. 



b-c. Adult: not good state. Sumatra. From the Collection of Sir 



T. S. Raffles. — Types of PL marginatus. 

 d-f. Half- grown. Borneo. Presented by Capt. Sir E. Belcher. 

 g, h, i. Adult- East Indian Archipelago. 

 k. Adult. Amoy. From Consul Swinhoe's Collection. 

 Z-o. Adult : stuffed : bad state. China. 



p. Adult. Philippine Islands. From Mr. Cuming's Collection. 

 q-r. Adult. Feejee Islands. Voyage of the ' Herald.' 

 s. Adult. Moreton Bay. Presented by Mr. Strange. 

 t, u, v. Many half-grown and young specimens. 

 tv. Adult: skeleton. Presented by the Royal College of Surgeons. 



