Origin of the Fauna of Celebes. 127 



Opbiocephalus striatus, Bl. Symbranchus bengaleDSis, M'Clell. 



Anabas scandens, Bald. Atiguilla mauritiana, Benn. 



? oligolepis, Blkr. sidat, Blkr. 



Haplochilus celebensis, M. Web. Ophichthys Kaupi, Blkr. 



Hemiramphus orientalis, M. Web. Doryichthys caudatus, Pet. 



? Notopterus kapirat, Lac. Tetrodon erythrotoenia, Blkr. 

 Monopterus javaueusis, Lac. 



This great poverty in the fish-fauna of fresh water in 

 Celebes and its marine character cannot be explained by the 

 present hydrographical condition of the island. 



3. Has the Fish-fauna of Celebes an Australian 

 Character ? 



In his invaluable ' Handbook of Ichthyology ' Gunther 

 divides the equatorial zone, in respect to the distribution of 

 freshwater fishes, into a Cyprinoid and an Acyprinoid region. 

 In the Acyprinoid he includes the tropical American and 

 tropical Pacific regions, characterizing the latter by the 

 presence of Dipnoi, while, in contradistinction to the Indian 

 region, the Cyprinidse and Labyrinthici are absent. "This 

 tropical Pacific region embraces all islands to the east of 

 Wallace's line, New Guinea, Australia (with the exception of 

 its south-eastern portion), and all islands in the tropical Pacific 

 as far as the Sandwich group." The importance of Giinther's 

 views on this question is so great that we will quote further 

 from him : — " Comparing the area of this region with that of 

 the others, we find it to be not only the poorest in point of 

 the number of its species generally, but also in that of the 

 possession of peculiar forms." Then follows a short list, 

 after which he says, " The paucity of freshwater fishes is due 

 in the first place to the arid climate and the deficiency of 

 water in the Australian continent, as well as to the insigni- 

 ficant size of the freshwater courses in the smaller islands. 

 Still this cannot be the only cause ; the large island of 

 Celebes, which by its mountainous portions, as well as by its 

 extensive plains and lowlands, would seem to offer a favour- 

 able variety of conditions for the development of a freshwater 

 fauna, is, so far as has been ascertained, tenanted by seven 

 species of freshwater fishes only, namely, two Anus, two 

 Plotosus, one Anabas, one Ophiocephalus, and one Mono- 

 pterus, all of which are the commonest species of the Indian 



region Finding, then, that even those parts of this 



region which are favourable to the development of freshwater 

 fishes have not produced any distinct forms, and that the few 

 species which inhabit them are unchanged or but slightly 



