308 TELEOSTEI. P1IYS08TOMI. 



This fish is the celebrated " Maha seer " (or Mahseer) of sportsmen 

 in India. The various large barbels in Assam are termed 

 "Petiah," with a specific name prefixed to denote the species 

 alluded to. 



llab. Generally throughout India, but found of the largest size 

 and iu the greatest abundance in mountain-streams or those which 

 are rocky ; also found in Ceylon. 



354. (16.) Barbus hexastichus. 



Barbus hexasticlius, McClelland, A*. Res. xix, pt. 2; Inil. Cyp. 

 pp. 209, 333, pi. 39, tig. 2 ; Day, Fish. India, p. 505, pi. cxxxvi, 

 tig. 4 (see synon.). 



Lobura, Assam. 



B. iii. D. ] 2-13 (3- 4/9). P. 17. V. 9. A. 7 (2/5). C. 19. 

 L. 1. 25-26. L. tr. 4/5. 



Length of head 5 to 6, height of body 4| to 5 in the total 

 length. Eyes diameter one fifth of length of head, 1| diameters 

 from end of snout, 2 diameters apart. Lips moderately thick, the 

 lower one without or with a badly developed lobe, but having a 

 shallow and continuous transverse fold. Sometimes pores on the 

 cheeks. Barbels longer than the eye. Fins dorsal fin with its 

 osseous ray strong, smooth, and from half as long as the head to 

 as long as the head without the snout, it commences somewhat 

 nearer the snout than the base of the caudal, the latter being 

 deeply forked, with the lower lobe the longer. Pectoral as long as 

 the head excluding the snout. Lateral line complete, 2 to 2| rows 

 of scales between it and the base of the ventral fin; 10 rows before 

 the dorsal fin. Colour brownish, tinged with green along the 

 upper edge of the body, becoming dull white shot with yellow on 

 the sides and below ; caudal and anal reddish. The fry have a 

 black spot before the base of the caudal fin. 



Hob. Eivers on and around Himalayas, Kashmir, Sikhim, and 

 Assam ; growing to 3 feet in length. Specimens from the plains 

 appear to have the head comparatively longer than those from the 

 hills. 



355. (17.) Barbus bovanicus. 

 Barbus bovanicus, Day, Fish. India, p. 566, pi. cxxxviii, fig. 1 . 



B. iii. D. 12 (3/9). P. 17. V. 9. A. 8 (3/5). C. 19. 



L. 1. 24-26. L. tr. 4^/4^. 



Length of head 4|, height of body 3| in the total length. 

 Eyes diameter 3| in the length of the head, 1 to 1| diameters 

 from the end of snout, and If apart. Dorsal profile somewhat 

 more convex than that of the abdomen. Lower labial fold in the 

 adult complete, with a moderately developed median lobe, which 

 is not apparent in the young. Barbels rostral pair extend to 

 beneath the first third of the eye, the maxillary pair to the posterior 

 edge of the preopercle. Fins dorsal two thirds as high as the 





