440 Mr. A. Alcock on undescribed Skore-Fishes 



separated by a very narrow scaly space ; the upper nearly 

 half its length in advance of the lower. 



The anterior nostril of both sides is a slender tube ; the 

 one on the coloured side, which is the longer, measuring a 

 diameter of the eye. 



Mouth curved, to form a blunt truncated rostral hook, 

 which does not reach halfway to the vertical from the ante- 

 rior limit of the upper eye; its angle extends well behind the 

 vertical from the middle of the lower eye. Villiform teeth 

 on the blind side only. Mid mento-jugular line fringed with 

 eiliiform barbules. 



Gill-openings narrow ; the branch iostegal rays and mem- 

 brane project beyond the opercular margin. Scales uniformly 

 small, strongly ctenoid on both sides. Lateral line straight, 

 ending on the coloured side an eye-length behind the upper 

 orbit. 



The dorsal fin begins on the tip of the snout in the form of 

 a few filiform rays, and extends, as does the anal, to the base 

 of the caudal ; the highest rays are half the length of the 

 caudal, which is 5| in the total j all the vertical fin-rays 

 scaleless. No pectoral fins. Ventrals symmetrical, lateral, 

 separated from the origin of the anal by a wide interval. 



Colours in life : — Body and fins on right side very dark 

 olive, with some blackish flecks arranged in five cross series ; 

 on the left side uniformly clouded with blue-black. 



Length 3*8 inches. 



Off Ganjam coast, 33 fathoms ; bottom sand. Off Viza- 

 gapatam coast, 20 to 25 fathoms ; sand, mud. 



In spirit both sides dull blue-black, the left side being the 

 lighter. 



Synaptuba, Cantor. 



Synaptura quagga (Kaup) . 



^sopia qiiaffga, Kaup, in Wiegm. Archiv, 1858, p. 98. 

 Synaptura quayga, Giinther, Cat. iv. p. 485, 



In the Journ. As. Soc. Beng. vol. Iviii. pt. ii. p. 286, I 

 erroneously stated that this species was to be found in 7 to 

 10 fathoms on the east coast of India. This should have 

 applied to 8. zebra (Bloch). 8. quagga (Kaup) has been 

 taken by the ' Investigator ' only between 26 and 33 fathoms. 



