6 



SECOND TAEKAND MISSION. 



space flat. The greatest width of the head equals its length behind the middle of the eyes ; 

 its height equals its length excluding the snout. Mouth broad, anterior, with the upper 

 jaw the longer, and overhung by the snout; the cleft of the mouth nearly horizontal ; it 

 extends to below the hind nostril, and is scarcely above half the extent of its gape ; lower 

 labial fold interrupted in the middle. A thin horny covering to the lower jaw. Barbels : 

 the rostral ones reach to below the hind edge of the eye, the maxillary ones to the hind 

 edge of the preopercle. Fins : dorsal anteriorly nearly as high as the body, commencing 

 slightly nearer the snout than the base of the caudal fin, or midway between the two ; its 

 last undivided ray weak, articulated, and with some very small obsolete denticulations 

 posteriorly about its centre (absent in some specimens). Pectoral as long as the head behind 

 the front nostril, and reaching rather above half-way to the ventral, which latter is shorter 

 than the pectoral, reaching about half-way to the base of the anal. Anal almost reaching base 

 of caudal when laid flat, the length of its base being only one-third of its height. Caudal with 

 rounded lobes. Free portion of the tail rather longer than high. Scales : in the first third 

 of the body those along the lateral line are larger than those above or below them, but 

 posteriorly they are of the same size ; the tiled row equal about half the diameter of the 

 eye. Colour silvery. 



M'Clelland says of S. edeniana that its spine is slender, soft, and denticulated at its 

 base, but the reflected fold of the lower lip is uninterrupted. Sacoma gobioides, M'Clell., 

 from, the Bamean River, shows the head almost as short as in this species ; but it has a strong 

 serrated dorsal spine, whilst that fin is on an elevated base. The anal does not appear to reach 

 above half-way to the base of the caudal. 



Hab. The specimens are from Panjah (9,000 feet) in Wakhan, the waters going to the 

 Oxus. The dorsal spine approaches that of Ptychobarbus. 



8. SCHIZOTHORAX IRREGULARIS. Plate IV, fig. 1. 

 Day, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1876, p. 787. 

 ? Schizothorax edeniana, M'Clell., Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist, ii, p. 579. 



B. iii, D. f, P. 18, V. 9, A. f, C. 20, L. 1. 98, L. tr. 26/. 



Length of head 5, of caudal 6, height of body 6 in the total length. Eyes : diameter 6^ 

 in the length of head, 2| diameters from the end of snout, and about 2 apart. Interorbital 

 space nearly flat. The greatest width of the head equals its height or its length behind the 

 orbit. Mouth narrow ; the upper jaw slightly the longer, and only slightly overhung by the 

 snout. Cleft of mouth a little oblique, its width equal to its length, and the maxilla reach- 

 ing to beneath the front nostril. Lips very thick, lobed in the centre, and with an interrupted 

 labial fold. Barbels : the rostral ones reach to below the front edge of the eye ; the maxillary 

 ones are one-half longer than the diameter of the eye. Fins : dorsal anteriorly about two-thirds 

 as high as the body below it : its last undivided ray weak, very feebly serrated posteriorly, 

 whilst the extent of its osseous portion does not exceed one-third of the length of the 

 head; the fin commences midway between the front edge of the eye and the base of the 

 caudal fin. Pectoral as long as the head excluding the snout, and reaching half-w r ay to the 

 ventral, which latter is rather shorter and extends rather more than half-way to the base of 

 the anal. Anal two-fifths as long at its base as it is high ; when laid flat it almost reaches the 

 caudal, which latter is slightly forked. Eree portion of the tail rather longer than high at its 

 base. Scales : those behind the pectoral region to as far as the end of the anal, and below the 

 lateral line, are much smaller than those above the lateral line. The tiled row small, not above 



