182 TELEOSTEI. PHTSOSTOMI. 





heads. Fins dorsal higher than the body, its spine as long as the 

 head behind the angle of the mouth, anteriorly roughened in its 

 lower two thirds, and serrated in its upper, posteriorly very feebly 

 serrated; base of the adipose dorsal three fourths of that of the 

 rayed fin. Pectoral reaching the base of the ventral, the spine 

 stronger than that of the dorsal but of equal length, serrated on 

 both sides. Ventral almost reaching the anal ; upper caudal lobe 

 the longer. Colour silvery along the back, lighter on the sides 

 and below, pectoral and dorsal edged posteriorly with blackish ; 

 adipose dorsal with a well-defined black spot. 

 Hob. Hooghly at Calcutta ; also in Burma. 



192. (14.) Arms falcarius. 



Arius falcarius, Richardson, Voy. Sulphur, Ich. p. 134, pi. Ixii. 

 figs. 7-9; Day, Fish. India, p. 463, pi. cvi, fig. o (see synon.). 



B. vi. D. 1/7 | 0. P. 1/10. V. 6. A. 18-20 (5-6/13-14). C. 17. 



Length of head 4 to 5, of caudal fin 6, height of body 5| to 6 in 

 the total length. Eyes diameter 5i to 6 in the length of head, 

 2 diameters from end of snout, and" 3 to 3^ apart. The greatest 

 width of the head equals its length behind the angle of the mouth, 

 and exceeds its height by about one sixth. Upper jaw the longer, 

 the width of the gape of the mouth equal to three sevenths of the 

 length of the head. The median longitudinal groove on the head, 

 which is wide anteriorly, becomes suddenly narrow midway between 

 the front edge of the eye and the hind edge of the opercle, and 

 does not quite reach the base of the occipital process, which is 

 keeled, rather longer than wide at its base, and reaches the basal 

 bone of the dorsal fin, which is V-shaped, narrow 1 , and short. 

 Upper surface of the head behind the eyes (except in the groove) 

 strongly granulated, as is also the occipital process. Barbels the 

 maxillary pair, which are black, reach to the hind edge of the head, 

 the outer mandibular to the gill-opening, while the inner are 

 shorter. Teeth the villiforrn band in the premaxillaries four times 

 as long as wide ; those on the palate granular anteriorly, becoming 

 globular posteriorly, in two elongated subtriangular patches, longer 

 than wide, parallel to one another along the median line, their 

 external edge is convex, anteriorly they nearly reach the pre- 

 maxillary teeth. Fins dorsal higher than the body, its spine 

 usually ending in a soft point, it equals the length of the head 

 excluding the snout, anteriorly it is serrated in its upper, rough 

 in its lower half, and serrated posteriorly ; the base of the adipose 

 fin equals three sevenths of that of the rayed fin. Pectoral spine 

 a little longer than the dorsal, serrated externally in its outer half, 

 rough in its lower; externally it is denticulated; it nearly reaches 

 the ventral, whilst the latter extends to the anal or even to as far 

 as the third ray of that fin. Colour bluish grey above, becoming 

 dull white beneath ; fins greyish, dorsal black-tipped ; a black blotch 

 on the adipose dorsal, and sometimes one on the anal. 



Hob. Calcutta, and seas of India, to China. Very numerous 

 along the Malabar coast. 



