128 TELEOSTET. PIIYSOSTOMI. 



135. (1.) Eutropiichthys vacha. (Fig. 55.) 



Pimelodus vacha, Ham. Buck. Fish. Gang. pp. 100, 378, pi. 19, fig. 64. 

 Eutropiichthys vacha, Day, Fish. India, p. 490, pi. cxiv, fig. 6 (see 



synon.). 



Butchua and Nandi butchua, Ooriah ; Chel-lee, Sind. ; Nee-much, N.W. 

 Prov. ; Vdchd, Beng. ; Nga-myen-kouban, Kfttha-boung, and Nya-myee-yiny, 

 Burmese. 



B. xi. D. 1/7 | 0. P. 1/13-16. V. 6. A. 3-4/41-47. C. 17. 

 Length of head 5| to 5|, of caudal fin 5, height of body 5 to 5| in 

 the total length. Eyes with broad adipose lids, diameter 3 to 3 

 in the length of the head, 1 diameter from the end of snout, and 

 1 to 1^ apart. "Width of the head equals its length behind the 

 middle of the eyes. Cleft of mouth rather oblique, its extent 

 being one fourth more than the width of the gape ; the angle 

 situated under the middle or hind third of the eyes ; snout com- 

 pressed and pointed, the upper jaw being slightly the longer. 

 Barbels the nasal pair reaching to the hind edge of the head or 

 even slightly further ; maxillary ones to the end of preopercle, or 

 they may be even as long as the head ; the mandibular ones, which 



Fig. 55. Eutropiichthys vacha. 



arise on a transverse line across the chin, are rather shorter. 

 Teeth sharp in the jaws, in a pyriform band on the palatines, the 

 latter with those on the vomer forming an uninterrupted band, 

 that nearly touches the band on the upper jaw. Fins dorsal 

 spine thin, serrated posteriorly, and usually as long as the head, 

 excluding the snout. Pectoral fin reaching the base of the ventral ; 

 pectoral spine rough externally, serrated internally, and as long as 

 that of the dorsal. Ventral situated under the posterior dorsal 

 rays, and only extending halfway to the anal. Free portion of 

 the tail as high as long. Colour silvery, greyish along the back ; 

 pectoral and caudal usually edged with black. 



Variety Eutropiichthys burmannicus has A. 4/55, and its nasal 

 barbels almost reach to the dorsal fin, the maxillary to the middle 

 of the pectoral spine, whilst all the others are longer than the head. 

 The pectoral spine is serrated externally, and reaches the anal fin. 



7/o6. From the Punjab through the large rivers of Sind, Bengal, 

 and Orissa, and variety E. burmannicus in Burma. This species 

 attains upwards of a foot in length. It is good eating. 



