from the Bay of Bengal. 441 



Synaptura altipinms, sp. n. 



D. 81. A. 66. C. 18. P. 9. V. 4. L. lat. 135 ♦. 

 L. tr. f 1. 



Body oval ; its heiglit a little over one third the total 

 measured to the tip of the caudal. Length of the head one 

 sixth of the same, one third higher tlian long. 



Snout obtuse, a little longer than the lower eye, which is 

 one fifth the head-length in the major diameter ; upper eye 

 smaller, about a third its diameter in advance of the lower. 

 Interorbital space less than half a diameter of the eye in 

 width, scaly. 



A very short tubular nostril on the coloured side ; the other 

 nostrils indistinguishable. 



The mouth-cleft reaches beyond the vertical through the 

 middle of the lower eye. Mid-mento-jugular line with thick- 

 set ciliiform barbules. 



Gill-opening very narrow ; the gill-membranes on both 

 sides expanded above and annexed to the bases of the pec- 

 torals. Scales very sharply ctenoid on both sides, slightly 

 increased in size in the posterior half of the body. Lateral 

 line as in 8. zebra, on both sides. 



Dorsal and anal tins confluent with the caudal up to its 

 tip ; the dorsal begins just in advance of the upper eye, its 

 rays, like those of the anal, increasing very gradually in 

 length from before backwards, the hindermost measuring 

 more than one third of the greatest body- height and a little 

 more than the corresponding anal rays. Caudal broad, fan- 

 shaped, its length 6i in the total. Pectorals symmetrical^ 

 very small, the longest rays being not quite | the major 

 diameter of the eye. Ventrals also very small, about as long 

 as the snout. 



Colours in life : — Right side of body and fins striped, in 

 the manner of S. quafiga, in alternate cross bands of purple- 

 brown and ash-brown, to the number of twenty-eight j caudal 

 purple-brown, with large ash-brown blots. 



One specimen, 7'25 inches long. 



Ofi' Vizagapatam coast, 25 fathoms ; bottom mud. 



• From origin on snout to base of caudal. 



Ann.d- Mag. .V. Ilist. Ser. G. Vol. vi, Z'2 



