264 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



bels; a pair of large, pointed flaps hang from snout down over 

 mouth opposite eyes; the body covered with cycloid scales, 70 

 to 90 in a longitudinal series, rather large near base of caudal, 

 becoming very small on anterior half, minute anteriorly; the 

 predorsal region naked along median line or only apparently 

 naked with the scales deeply embedded in the skin, and difficult 

 to make out with a strong lens, becoming more prominent on 

 the bony occiput; the top and sides of head entirely covered to 

 eyes, not naked as stated by Day; the dorsals separate but 

 very close together, or their membranes more or less connected 

 basally; the first dorsal of six flexible spines, the sixth one 

 widely spaced from the first five; the second dorsal and anal 

 elongate, nearly reaching caudal but entirely distinct from it; 

 the caudal lanceolate, shorter than head; the ventrals united, 

 not adnate to belly; the pectorals moderate, pointed; the gill 

 opening small, about half as wide as pectoral base, beginning be- 

 fore lower half of pectoral and running diagonally forward, the 

 isthmus broad ; branchiostegals 5. Dorsal VI, 1-24 to 26 ; anal 

 I, 23 to 26. 



Heretofore known only from the coast of Madras and the 

 Andaman Islands. 



.131. APOCRYPTICHTHYS SERICUS sp. nov. 



PLATE 21, PIG. 1 



Dorsal VI, 1-24 to 26 ; anal I, 23 to 26 ; scales in a longitudinal 

 series 75 to 85, in a transverse series about 22 to 24. 



The long, low body subcylindrical anteriorly, laterally com- 

 pressed on posterior half, the tail shorter than head and trunk 

 together, 42 to 44 per cent of total length, the depth 6:2 to 7.2 

 times in length; the low flat head depressed anteriorly, inclined 

 downward from nape to tip, its undersurface flat, 3.4 to 3.66 

 times in length; its breadth 1.8 to 2.18 times in its own length 

 and from a little more to nearly a half more than its own 

 depth; the snout short, truncate, 4.33 to 4.6 times in head, ex- 

 ceeding eyes which are or j of head, dorsal, prominent, from 

 f to more than an eye diameter apart; the upper lid of eye 

 wide, colored like the skin on top of head, the eyes in a large, 

 shallow, bony pit; a large angular, pointed, teatlike flap of skin 

 projects at each forward angle of snout opposite eye and hangs 

 down over lower jaw; the jaws equal; the very large mouth 

 commences below lower edge of eye, the posterior angle of 

 maxilla extending far beyond a vertical from posterior margin 



