3i6 



Ophiocephalus iiiarttliiis Boulenger, I'loc. Zool. Soc. London 1890. p. 38 (nee H.B.). 

 Ophiocephaliis marii/itis Volz, Revue Suisse de Zool. XII. 1904, p. 460 fnec II.B.). 



D. 44—47; A. 28—31; r. 17—18; V. 1.5; L.i. 54—57; 



3 — 'Su 

 L. tr. I . 

 10 



Cylindrical anteriorly, compressed posteriorly. Height 5.9 — 6.3, 

 7 — 7.2 in length with caudal. Head 3.5 — 3.8, 4 — 4.6 in length 

 with caudal. Head depressed, its upper profile sloping in a 

 nearly straight line from occiput to snout. Eye 7 — 8.2, about 

 2.5 in interorbitai space. Snout less than twice length of eye, 

 its tip about in the horizontal through middle of eye. Cleft 

 of mouth somewhat oblique. Maxillary reaching behind eye. 

 Lower jaw somewhat prominent. Bands of small teeth in both 

 jaws and on palatines and anterior part of vomer, those of 

 palatines and that of vomer subcontinuous. No enlarged teeth 

 except a row of distant, strong but short canines in the lower 

 jaw, behind the band of small teeth, which is only well developed 

 near the symphysis and consists of only two rows or even 

 one row laterally. About 5 rows of scales between eye and 

 hindborder of praeoperculum, 3 or 4 on operculum. Lateral 

 line with an abrupt curve downwards at about the i6th per- 

 forated scale. Dorsal beginning behind base of pectorals and 

 ending somewhat behind end of anal, its origin separated by 

 13 — 15 scales from snout. Origin of anal about below i6th 

 dorsal ray. Pectorals about equal to postorbital part of head. 

 Ventrals originating below origin of dorsal, more than half as 

 long as pectorals. Dark brown or bluish above, lighter below; 

 along the sides, just below the lateral line, there are groups 

 of about 6 scales which are black, forming a longitudinal series 

 of irregular dark patches. Dorsal, anal, pectorals and caudal 

 blackish; dorsal and anal somewhat freckled with whitish. Ven- 

 trals more or less dusky, as also sometimes the pectorals. 

 Length 650 mm. 



Habitat: Sumatra (Palembang! Indragiri, Gunung SahilanI, 

 Djambi!, Deli?); Borneo (Pontianak) '). 



i) According to Bean & Weed (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 42, 1912, p. 607), 

 this species is also found on Java (Buitenzoig. Palabuan Ratu). We suppose 

 that some mistake is made, as it is hardly believable that Bleeker and so many 

 other ichthyologist after him, who collected at Buitenzorg, would have over- 

 looked this species. 



