62 LOPHOBRANCHII. 



Descr. — Snout short, the head more stretched out and finely 

 warty. In the oblong operculum there is no distinct trace of a 

 medial line. Before the dorsal fin there are 13 rings, and 1/ up 

 to the anal ring ; each ring being interrupted at its extremity. 

 From 30 to 33 caudal rings. The nape and long breast-ring 

 keeled. A crest more or less distinct exists on the hind-head. 

 In the young fish there is a prominent line between the orbit 

 and hind-head. 



Rad.— P. 17; D.58; A.3; C. 9. 



Large specimens have the following dimensions : — Total 

 length 7'29 inches; length of head 063 inch ; of the distance 

 between the tip of the snout and anal fin 2-99 inches ; of dorsal 

 fin 1-46 inch; of tail 429 inches. Greatest height from the 

 middle of the round acutely-ridged belly to the border of the 

 back 0'35 inch. 



A male measuring 6-32 inches has an egg-pouch 1*01 inch 

 long. Its colour is smutty-brown with paler breast and belly. 



The Leyden Museum possesses one male and three female 

 specimens'from Java, and in the Parisian collection there are four 

 female examples from Madagascar, procured by M. Goudot. 



Genus novum, 5. Doryrhamphinarum. 



Syngnathus heterosoma, Bleeker, Bijdr. p. 15. 



£)iagn.— Body lower in the middle than more anteriorly or 

 posteriorly. 



D escr . — Body much elongated, anteriorly heptagonal, poste- 

 riorly tetragonal, having a height varying from the 28th to the 

 35th part of its length, somewhat higher than broad, and in the 

 middle distance between the eye and the anus seeming as if 

 separated into two parts by a thickish waist. Length of the head 

 contained five times or five times and a quarter in that of the 

 body. The rostro-frontal profile is concave before the eyes, 

 which latter have a diameter amounting to the 10th or 12th part 

 of the length of the head. Snout about thrice the length of the 

 post-ocular portion of the head, compressed, and with a height 

 at its slenderest part equal to the ninth or tenth of its length. 

 Crown of the head flattish and wrinkled, with a very low medial 

 crest. The orbits, and short lateral rostro-ocular, and post-ocular 

 toothed-crenated. A medial slightly denticulated crest traverses 

 the operculum longitudinally, and on each side of it there are 

 more or less divergent acseiidiug or descending striae. Body- 

 rings 26; caudal ones 31 to 38; each ring being transversely 



