226 
head or a little shorter. Second dorsal and anal rather high. 
Ventrals reaching the andl, as long as snout and eye, '/, shorter 
than pectorals, about t'/, in length of head. Pectoral spine nearly 
Fig. 90. Paraplotosus albilabris (C. V.). 
equal to that of first dorsal. Uniform black, undersurface of 
head and abdomen greyish, lips white. Length more than 
350 mm. 
Habitat: Java (Batavia); Bintang; Biliton; Singapore!; 
Celebes (Bulukomba). Aru islands! New Guinea (Sorong!). 
In sea. 
2.6P lotos ws lacepede: 
(LACEPEDE. Hist. Nat. Poissons V. 1803, p. 129). 
Elongate, tail tapering, head depressed, covered with thin 
skin. Mouth transverse, rounded in front. Lips thick with 
papillae or small laminated folds. Upperlip prominent, ante- 
riorly perforated by the anterior nostril, which forms a short 
rounded tube. Posterior nostril a slit between eye and lip, in 
front of which a nasal barbel. A maxillary barbel near the 
end of the upperlip, a mandibulary barbel near the corner 
of the mouth and two mental ones between the mandibulary 
ones. Eye not covered by skin. First dorsal short, behind 
origin of pectorals, with few rays and a strong spine, den- 
ticulated at both edges. Second dorsal beginning between 
origin of ventrals and anal. It is similar to lastnamed and 
both are many-rayed and confluent with the caudal. Ventrals 
with as many as 12 rays. Pectorals with a denticulated spine. 
Conical teeth in upper jaw in a narrow, square band, those 
in the mandible mixed with molar teeth, in a semicrescentic 
band. Vomerine teeth molarlike in a crescentic band. Lateral 
line well developed. 20—28 gillrakers on the total first bran- 
chial arch, similar ones on the second arch, those on the two 
