SYNGNATHIDS FROM CEYLON. 27 
ventral margin. Male with a blood-red vertical stripe on the opercle 
near its hind edge ; a longitudinal stripe of the same colour imme- 
diately beneath the anterior half of the middle lateral edge, both 
these stripes disappearing in spirit. Iris brown, with golden lustre. 
In fresh and brackish waters ; numerous amongst grassy weeds ; 
quickly and skilfully swimming. 
Distribution.—From Kast Africa to Polynesia. Several specimens 
in the Colombo Museum, from the Panadure river at Horetuduwa, 
near Moratuwa, 4 miles upstream. In the Hamburg Museum 
(No. 11,557) 10 males, 34 females and young from the Gin-ganga 
and Opata-ela at Wakwella (Duncker), (No. 11,558) 3 males and 
8 females from the Mahaweli-ganga, below Thalavai estate, near 
Trincomalee (Duncker). 
Sinhalese.—Loku ela theliya (Wakwella); vetakeyiya moralla 
(Panadure) ; mudha aspaya (Negombo). 
Doryichthys, raihi. 
Brood organ of male abdominal, entirely covered, when filled 
with eggs, by broad, not coalescent, lateral protective plates, which 
sometimes have a narrow cutaneous fold along their free margin. 
Eggs large, isolated in cutaneous cells. Upper lateral edges of 
trunk and tail discontinuous, lower either continuous or discon- 
tinuous ; in the latter case middle lateral edges of trunk continuous 
with lower ones of tail. All the body edges smooth in the adult. 
Scutella and lateral line present.. D, A, C, and P present; A 
situated anterior to middle of total legth. Fresh and brackish 
water fishes. 
3. Doryichthys cunculus, H.B. Ginther, 1870, p. 181; Day, 
1878, p. 679, PI. 174, fig. 4; Day, 1889, p. 465, fig. 166. 
Microphis cunculus, Kaup, 1856, p. 64; Dumeril, 1870, p. 591. 
Ann. 17-18 plus 25-28 ; ann. subdors. 3 plus 7-8 ; D 50-53, A 3, 
C 9, P 18-20. Lower lateral edges of trunk and tail continuous ; 
middle lateral edges of trunk subcontinuous with lower ones of tail. 
Anal fin just in front of middle of total length. Protective plates 
of brood organ well developed ; no cutaneous folds found (pouch 
empty). Eggs rather large, according to the remnants of cells in 
3—4 longitudinal and about 50—55 transverse rows. Opercle with a 
single longitudinal keel. Total length 13:9 cm. 
Colouration grayish-brown ; severat indistinct narrow dark longi- 
tudinal stripes on the side of the trunk. Diffuse dark spots on 
the upper lateral edges of trunk, most distinct on the ring borders. 
A dark stripe on each side from tip of snout through the eye over 
opercle, above its keel, to base of P ; ventral half of opercle silvery. 
Tris reddish-brown. 
Distribution.—I\ndia (Malabar, mouth of Ganges, Bengal, Orissa), 
Ceylon, 
