1868.] SURGEON F. DAY ON NEW FISHES FROM MADRAS. 195 



GOBIUS BLEEKERt, Sp. IIOV. 



B. iv. D. 6|i-. p. ir>. V. 1/5. A. 1/8. L. 1. 33. L. tr. 15. 



Length of specimen 2^jj inches. 



Length of head rather more than ^, of pectoral A, of base of first 

 dorsal i, of base of second dorsal |, of base of anal ^, of caudal I of 

 total length. Height of head 4, of body ^, of first dorsal i, of second 

 dorsal 4-, of ventral ^, of anal | of total length. 



Eyes directed upwards and slightly outwards, closely approxima- 

 ting superiorly ; diameter | length of head, f of a diameter from 

 end of snout. 



Body subfusiform. Cheeks much puffed out. Mouth antero- 

 superior. Lower jaw the longest. Cleft of mouth oblique ; the pos- 

 terior extremity of the maxilla reaches to beneath the anterior third 

 of the orbit. 



Interorbital space very narrow, and concave; prseoperculum as 

 broad as high. 



Teeth in numerous sharp villiform rows in both jaws, with an ex- 

 ternal conical series in the upper jaw, the largest of which are in the 

 centre of the jaw. Li the anterior half of the lower jaw there is an 

 external enlarged row of about twelve, the outer tooth of which is 

 much the largest, being a recurved conical canine. 



Fins. Dorsal spines fine, with hair-like prolongations. Two rows 

 of scales between the extremity of the first and the commencement 

 of the second dorsal, the posterior rays of the latter fin are its longest. 

 The centre rays of the pectoral have silk-like prolongations. The 

 ventral does not reach as far as the origin of the anal. The anal is 

 similar to the second dorsal. Caudal wedge-shaped, with the centre 

 rays the longest. 



Scales. Ctenoid, extended as far forwards as the posterior margin 

 of the orbit. None on the cheeks or the base of the pectoral ; those 

 anterior to the dorsal fin are rather smaller than the remainder. 

 There are eleven rows of scales between the origin of the second 

 dorsal and the origin of the anal fins. 



Colours. Olivaceous, clouded with darker blotches and irregular 

 spots, very fine black dots on the scales. First dorsal dusky in its 

 upper half, with a large bluish spot extending from the first to the 

 fourth s])ine, and a light mark along its base from the fourth to the 

 sixth. The spines orange. The second dorsal nearly black from a 

 number of fine points, which are most numerous towards its base ; 

 the first half minutely edged with white, and some blue spots on its 

 posterior half. The anal covered with minute black dots. The 

 pectoral orange, having a large blue ocellus on the upper half of its 

 base ; the lowest ray also deep blue. Ventral blackish. Caudal 

 nearly black, but with from three to four rows of bluish-white spots 

 between each ray. 



Hab. Madras backwater. Rare. 



I have named this pretty species after Dr. B'.eeker, the celebrated 

 ichthyologist of the east. 



