2o6 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XIX, 



(ii) One specimen in a stream flowing through a swamp, 

 Wentworth Estate, Cherrambadi, at an altitude of 2,750 ft., Nilgiri 

 district. 



(iii) One individual in a stream on the Nellimunda Estate, 

 at an altitude of 1,800 ft,, Malabar district. 



Homaloptcra, v. Hasselt. 



This genus is characterised by the shape of the body, which 

 instead of being flat, as in the other two genera, is subcylindrical. 

 The head although a little depressed is far from having the 

 same flattened shape. The snout is long and pointed. The eyes, 

 which in Balilora and Bhavania look upwards and outwards, are 

 here turned laterally. This genus, in the Indian Empire, is 

 probabl^r restricted to Lower Burma and especially to the Tenas- 

 serim districts. Only two Burmese species are known, i.e. Homalop- 

 tera bilincata, Blyth, and Homaloptera {Helgia) modesta ^YmcngMQrxdi. 

 I have examined only one specimen of H. hilineata ; it probably 

 served for the original description of Blyth and later on for that 

 of Day's Nemachilus serpentarius. The .specimen (No. 1226) is 

 in a very bad state now. I have not examined any specimen of 

 H. modesia. 



The fish belonging to this genus are so very like Nemachilus 

 and so different from the two preceding genera that an Ichthy- 

 Icgist of Day's standing was led to describe Homaloptera hilineata^ 

 Blyth, as a Nemachilus. I have no specimen from Java for com- 

 parison, but a short footnote on page 9 of Weber and Beaufort's 

 Fishes of the I ndo- Australian Archipelago, Vol. Ill, makes the 

 matter clear. It runs — ''Through the kindness of Dr. R. Gestro, 

 Director of the Musco Civico di Genova,we had the opportunit}^ 

 to study 2 specimens of Helgia modesta, Vinciguerra from Burma. 

 They are closely allied to Homaloptera wassinki, Blkr.," etc., etc. 

 This note shows that Helgia of Vinciguerra is not distinct from 

 Homaloptera as known from Sumatra and Java. 



Homaloptera modesta according to Fowler ^ will go to his genus 

 Homalopteroides^ because the origin of the dorsal fin is behind 

 the origin of the ventrals, while Homaloptera hilineata in which 

 the origin of the dorsal is before the origin of the ventrals belongs 

 to Homaloptera (s. sty.). Weber and Beaufort do not recognize two 

 distinct genera merely on the position of the dorsal fin relative to 

 that of the ventral, and as I have not examined any specimen 

 of H. modesta I do not feel myself justified in separating it from 

 H. hilineata generically. 



The two Indian species are distinguished by Vinciguerra by 

 the following key : — 



Insertion of dorsal fin posterior to the ventrals. Eight 

 pharyngeal teeth on either side. Colour grey with 

 black spots ... ... ... ... H. modesta. 



^ Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. (2) LVII, p. 475 (1905). 



