666 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XXII, 



D. 2'8. A. 2/5. P. 13. V. 8. 



In this fish the head and body are greatly' depressed and 

 flattened so that the dorsal and ventral profiles are slightly arched 

 in front of the ventrals, beyond which they gradually slope to the 

 base of the caudal fin. The tail is thick and narrow and almost 

 whip-like. The head is almost squarish, its breadth being con- 

 tained 1-2 times and its height r6 times in the length. The depth 

 of the body is contained $'6 times and the length of the head 

 4-5 times in the length of the fish without the caudal fin. The 

 eyes are small, occupy a dorso-lateral position, and are invisible 

 from below. They are situated somewhat in the posterior half 

 of the head; their diameter is contained 5 times in the length 

 of the head, 2 times in the length of the snout and 2-4 times in 

 the interorbital width ; their superior margin is in line with the 

 dorsal profile of the head. The snout is broad and semicircular ; 

 the nostrils are situated in its posterior half. Slightly in front of 

 the nostrils on both sides is a whitish bony area which is some- 

 what raised from the general surface. There are two pairs of short 

 thick barbels, the rostral being; slightly longer than the diameter of 

 the ej^e. The mouth-opening is greatly arched and is as wide as the 

 breadth of the head. The mental disc is well-developed and is 1-5 

 times as broad as long. The tubercles on the labial fold and on 

 the free border of the mental disc are minute. The gill-openings 

 extend on the under surface for a short distance and the branchio- 

 stegal rays are not visible. 



The origin of the dorsal fin is nearer to the tip of the snout 

 than to the base of the caudal fin. Its first divided ray is the 

 longest and is higher than the depth of the body below it. The 

 ventrals originate sl-'ghtly behind the dorsal and their origin is 

 also slightly nearer to the anterior end of the snout than to the base 

 of the caudal fin. The paired fins are broad and horizontally 

 situated. The pectorals are as long as the head and are provided 

 with thick pads of m.uscles on the ventral surface of some of the 

 outer rays ; they are separated from the ventrals by a considerable 

 distance. The ventrals extend beyond the anus, but do not reach 

 the base of the anal fin which in its turn does not reach the base 

 of the caudal fin. The anus is raised on a papilla and is situated 

 almost midway between the origin of the ventral and anal fins. 

 The lateral line is almost in the middle of the body and runs 

 straight from the angle of the operculum to the middle of the 

 base of the caudal fin. The scales are rather small ; there are 

 39 scales along the lateral line and 8 longitudinal series of scales 

 between the bases of the dorsal and the ventral fins. The scales 

 are absent on the chest and are much reduced on the belly along 

 the middle line. The caudal peduncle is i'8 times as long as high. 

 The air-bladder, though greatly reduced, does not show any 

 special modification in the form of a thick coating, etc. The 

 following are the measurements of the bladder in the type-specimen 

 which is about 9 cm. in length including the caudal : — 



