1 88 



x. distance between dorsal and occipital pro- 

 cess 41/2 5V2 in distance from lastnaraed 

 to snout; length of head to occipital process 



3/ 2 3% in length (without caudal) . . C. batrachus. p. 190. 

 /3. distance between dorsal and occipital pro- 

 cess about 2 '/ 2 in distance from lastnamed 

 to snout; length of head to occipital 



process 4 5 in length (without caudal). C. teysmanni p. 191. 

 b. occipital process triangular, its top rounded, 



its height nearly three times in its base, 



anterior border of frontal fontanel nearly 



reaches a line through the hindborder of 



the eyes C. kiacanthus p. 192. 



i. Clarias melanoderma Blkr. 



Clarlas meladerma Bleeker, Nat. Geneesk. Arch. Ned.-lnd. III. (2). 1846, p. 



178, 288; Verh. Bat. Gen. XXI. I. 1847. Silur. batav. consp. diagn. p. 44. 

 Clarias melasoma Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Ned.-lnd. III. 1852, p. 427. 

 Clarias melanoderma et melanosoma Bleeker, Act. Soc. Sc. Indo-Neerl. v. 1858 



1859, p. I. 



Clarias melanoderma Bleeker, All. Ichth. II. 1862, p. 102. 

 Clarias melanoderma Giinther, Cat. Brit. Mus. v. 1864, p. 19. 

 Clarias melanoderma Vinciguerra, Ann. Mus. Civ. Geneva, XIV. 1879, p. 386. 

 Clarias melanoderma Volz, Zool. Jahrb. Abth. Syst. XIX. 1903, p. 381. 



B. 89; D. 6872; A. 5261; P. I. 9; V. 6. 



Elongate. Height 5 J / 2 7, head (to gillopening) 5' 5 3 / 4 , 

 4 4 ! / 4 measured to the occipital process. Head as long as 

 broad, its greatest breadth above opercles. Head flat, dorsal 

 profile slightly sloping down. Head granular above. Occipital 

 process very obtuse and very broad at base and very little 

 prominent. Frontal fontanel longer than the occipital one, its 

 frontborder behind the <!yes. Eyes 10 12. Eye-distance nearly 

 equalling the mouthopening, about i ! / 2 1 3 / 4 in head. Nasal 

 barbels reach dorsal, maxillary ones surpass pectorals and may 

 even extend to the ventrals, mandibulary barbels extending 

 to the top of the pectorals or nearly so, mental barbels some- 

 what shorter. Distance between first dorsal and occipital pro- 

 cess equalling ! / G of the distance of lastnamed to the snout. 

 Dorsal and anal or both may be united in exceptional cases 

 with the base of the rounded caudal. Ventrals rounded, reaching 

 on anal, about 2 / 3 of length of pectorals. Pectorals rounded, 

 conspicuously longer than head without snout, their spine 

 very strong, about ! / 4 shorter than the longest rays, with 



