igiS-] B. L. Chaudhuri : Fish. 245 



The head and snout are naked and considerably depressed. The posi- 

 tion of the lateral line is much higher than the middle of the sides, 

 the depth of the bod}' above it being almost half of the depth 

 below it. The mouth is wide, inferior, surrounded by a cir- 

 cular suctorial lip which is deficient in the middle below. There are 

 three pairs of barbels, two on the snout and one at each side of the 

 mouth. The ej^es are small, without suborbital spine. The gill open- 

 ings are not restricted to the sides. The dorsal fin is short, with 

 nine rays, and is situated behind the vertical from the anterior 

 root of the ventral. The vent is situated very far forward, its 

 distance from the root of the caudal being five-sixths to eight-ninths 

 of its distance from the snout. The position of the pectorals and 

 ventrals is very low, their lengths being very much shorter than the 

 intervals between the root of each and that of the next succeeding 

 fin. The anal fin is short, with seven rays. The air-bladder is 

 entirel}^ enclosed in a bony capsule open at the sides. The fonte- 

 nelle between the frontal and parietal bones is not large. The 

 intestinal canal is short and broad, forming only one loop. 



The new genus differs mainly from the two allied genera 

 Nemachilus and N emachilichthys , both of which are without sub- 

 orbital spine, in having (i) the vent situated far forward close to 

 the middle point, (2) the dorsal fin situated behind the vertical 

 from the anterior limit of the root of the ventral fin, and (3) the 

 lateral line much higher upon the bod3^ 



Aborichthys kempi, sp. nov. 



(PI. vii, figs. 1, irt, lb.) 



The depth of the body is contained seven times in the total 

 length, the length of the head five times. The head is depressed, 

 and a little less than one and a half times as long as broad. The 

 snout is a little shorter than the post-orbital part of the head. The 

 e3'es are small ; their breadth is contained seven and a half times 

 in the length of the head and is two-fifths of the interorbital width. 

 The mouth is inferior, half as wide as the length of the head, 

 and is surrounded by a circular suctorial lip, fringed in front and 

 dilated into two flesh^^ knobs in the middle of the lower lip, 

 where it is deficient. The two nostrils are separated by a thin 

 partition, tubular below, open and tapering above. There are 

 three pairs of barbels, two on the snout not superimposed but 

 with a considerable interval between, and one at the side of the 

 mouth; all are nearly equal, the maxillary being the longest and 

 two and a half times the diameter of the eye. The covering flaps 

 of the gill openings are continuous with the skin of the isthmus, 

 leaving less than half the width of the ventral surface between. 

 The lateral line is incomplete, ending in front of the vertical 

 from the anterior part of the root of the ventral, and is less 

 than one-fourth of the total length; the distance of the lateral 

 line from the dorsal profile is only half of its distance from the 

 ventral profile. The scales are extremely minute and deciduous. 



