a new Genus of Ganoid Fish. 113 



he designated Erpetoichthys*, the reptile- or serpent-fish ; and 

 the species, from the locahty where it was found, he named 

 E. calabnricus. 



Since that time the author had received perfect specimens 

 from Old Calabar, and found that the accuracy of his previous 

 conclusions were confirmed. 



The fish is got in the freshwater streamlets which run into the 

 main rivers or creeks of the great Calabar River, and in the pools 

 of the marshy lands. It is occasionally sold in the markets, and 

 eaten by some of the natives. Its native name is U-nyang, 

 which the Rev. Mr. Robb explains by suggesting that it may be 

 derived from a verb signifying to struggle or scuffle for the 

 possession of a thing, and he therefore supposes it to mean the 

 struggler, or, using a Scottish word as more appropriate, the 

 *' wambler," the name being probably given to it on account of 

 the apparent struggling, wriggling, or undulating movements 

 of its elongated body as it swims in the water or mud of the 

 river. 



Summary of characters of the genus Calamoichthys, and its 

 relation to the genus Pulypterus : — 



Genus Calamoichthys. — Head small, depressed above, some- 

 what oval in shape (rounded and narrow in front, expands late- 

 rally behind orbits, and contracts again at the back part, towards 

 neck). Suboperculum wanting. (No small plates below pre- 

 operculum.) Body much elongated, anguiform (cylindrical for 

 about half its length, then becoming gradually more compressed' 

 laterally, and tapering slightly towards its caudal extremity). 

 Caudal extremity short, tapering rapidly. Caudal fin rounded, 

 homocercal; fin-rays hard. {Scales osseous, rhombic, sculp- 

 tured.) Fins small ; pectorals obtusely lobate ; fin-rays soft ; 

 dorsal finlets numerous, separate; anal (with fulcrum at base 

 anteriorly) in male large, in female small ; fin-rays hard ; ven- 

 trals wanting. 



The last character is rather an important one, as this fish thus 

 appears to be the only living ganoid yet known which has no 

 ventral fins. Van der Hoeven, in his * Handbook of Zoology,' 

 gives the presence of ventral fins as one of the characters of his 

 great Section III. of the class Pisces, the Ganolepidoti ; and 

 older naturalists, as Cuvier, place the Ganoids, for a similar 

 reason, among the Malacopteryii abdominales. The discovery of 

 this fish will therefore necessitate a change in this character of 

 the whole section. 



* Since this paper was sent to press, the author has learned that a closely 

 corresponding name to Erpetoichthys had been already used in ichthyology; 

 and accordingly he now changes the designation to Calamoichthys {KoKafios 

 and Ix^vs), which still bears a relation to the cylindrical shape of the fish. 



