SYNGNATHIDS FROM CEYLON. 25 
ON SOME SYNGNATHIDS (“PIPE FISH’’) FROM CEYLON. 
By Georce DunckEeR (Hamburg). 
(With one Plate.) 
YNGNATHIDS or pipe fishes are known to inhabit the fresh 
waters of East Africa as well as of continenta! India, but, 
strange to say, not as yeb from Ceylon. Last summer (1909) 1 
determined to investigate some Ceylon rivers with reference to the 
occurrence of Syngnathids, with the result of finding four species, 
viz., Microphis brachyurus, Bleeker, Doryichthys cunculus, Ham.- 
Buch., Doryichthys ocellatus, n. sp., and Syngnathus spicifer, Rupp., 
var. djarong, Bleeker. : 
A review of all Syngnathids hitherto observed in Ceylon may be 
combined with the description of the species mentioned above ; 
further investigation certainly will lead to the discovery of many 
more. especially marine species. 
Gastrotokeus, Kp. 
Brood organ of male abdominal, nob covered by cutaneous folds. 
Eggs isolated in open cutaneous cells. Upper as well as lower 
lateral edges of trunk and tail continuous ; middle lateral edges of 
trunk nearly or entirely reaching upper ones of tail behind the 
dorsal fin. Interstitial scutella and lateral line absent. Dorsal, 
anal, and pectoral fins (referred to as D, A, and P) present, caudal 
fin (C) absent ; tail prehensile. Trunk much depressed, its ventral 
surface bordered by middle lateral edges. 
1. Gastrotokeus biaculeatus, BI. 
Kaup, 1856, p. 19; Duméril, 1870, p. 528 ; Giinther, 1870, p. 194; 
Day, 1878, p. 681, Pl. 174, fig. 5 ; Day, 1889, p. 467, fig. 167. 
Syngnathus blochii, Bleeker, 1853, p. 24. 
Truncal annuli (abdcminal plus caudal) 15-18 plus 40-55. Annuli 
below dorsal fin (annuli subdorsales) 0-2 plus 8-10. Dorsal rays 
(D) 37-47. Anal rays (A) 4-5. Pectoral rays (P) 19-23. Fre- 
quently with numerous short immovable cutaneous appendages, 
similar to alge. Chin with two simple or little ramified short 
movable tentacles of reddish-brown colour. Anus papilliferous. 
Eggs rather large, ovoid, generally in 8 longitudinal and 23-28 
transverse rows. Total length up to 25-7 cm. Mature males 164 
to 25:7 cm. 
i 9(6)10 
