1909.] 



FISHES OF THE FAMILY AXABANTID^. 769 



Wallace's Line into Celebes, Amboina, and Halmahera*. As a 

 group they are remarkable for the time they can live out of water 

 and for their habit of migrating overland from one pond or 

 stream to another. One species, Anahas scandens, is said 

 habitually to climb trees. 



Family Anabantid^. 



Synopsis of the Asiatic Genera. 



I. Each pelvic fin of a spine and 5 soft rays. 



A. First soft ray of pelvic fin bifid ; two lateral lines, 

 the lower commencing below the end of the upper 

 and separated from it by a series of scales ; dorsal 

 spines numerous. 



1. Jaws with fixed conical teeth. 



Vomerine teeth ; pelvic fins inserted a little behind the 



base of the pectorals 1. Anahas. 



Palate toothless ; pelvic fins inserted below the base of the 



pectorals ". 2. Folyacantlms. 



2. Jaws witli small movable teeth attached to the 



thick lips 3. Helostoma. 



B. First soft ray of pelvic fin produced into a single 

 filament. 



1. Lateral line present, complete and continuous ... 4. Ospliromenus. 



2. Lateral line vestigial or absent. 



D. XIII-XVII 5-8. A. XVI-XX 9-15; pvaeorbital ser- 

 rated ; dorsal and anal scaly at the base 5. Macropodus. 



D. XIII 7. A. XIII 9; prteorbital entire; dorsal and 



anal scaleless 6. Par ospliromenus. 



D. VIII-XII 7-10. A. VIII-X 18-22; prajorbital and 

 lower limb of praaoperculum serrated; origin of dorsal 

 over spinous part of anal 7. Spharichthys. 



D. Il-VI 6-8. A. IV-VIII 21-28; prajorbital and pr»- 

 operculum serrated; origin of dorsal over soft part of 

 anal 8. Ctenops. 



D. I 7-10. A. IV 20-37 ; priEorbital and praeoperculum 



entire 9. Betta. 



II. Each pelvic fin of a vestigial spine adnate to a long 

 filamentous ray, which has 2 or 3 small branched rays 



in its axil 10. TricJiopodus. 



III. Each pelvic fin reduced to a single long filamentous 



I'ay 11. Triclioffaster. 



* All available evidence is strongly against the supposition that these three 

 islands have been connected with each other and with Borneo or the Philippines 

 during the life-time of these two species. Both are common and widely distributed 

 fishes, much appreciated as food, and are so easily kept alive that the natives carry 

 them about in jars, either with or without water, in order to have a supply of fresh 

 fish ready. Thus nothing is more likely than that both species were introduced 

 into Celebes, Amboina, and Halmahera by man ; once introduced tlieir peculiar 

 powers of migration would soon enable them to spread all over these islands. 

 These remarks apply also to Monopterus javanensis, another Indian species found 

 in (."elebes, an important food-fish able to live for a long time out of the water, 

 which is kept alive in jars b}' the natives of the countries in which it occurs. 



An Indian Symbranchoid eel, Symbranchus hengalensis, is known not only from 

 Celebes but from Western Australia; this is essentially a brackish-water fish and 

 there can be little doubt it sometimes descends to the sea. 



An endemic Cyprinodont, Baplochilns celehensis, is the only remaining fish 

 which has been supposed to indicate the Indian afiinities of the freshwater fish fauna 



