1909.] fishes of the family axabaxtid.ie. 773 



3. Hblostoma. 



TIelostoma Oiiv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. vii. p. 341 (1831); 

 Cmestr. Yerh. Zool.-Bot. Ges-Usch. x. I860, p. 705 ; Giiiith. 

 Cat. Fish. iii. p. 377 (1861); Bleek. Verh. Ak. Amst. xix. 1879, 

 p. 14. 



Body rather deep, compressed. Lips thick, with small movable 

 teeth ; palate toothless. Prseorbital serrated ; prfeoperculum 

 entire. Dorsal with XII-XVIII 13-16 rays ; origin in advance 

 of that of the anal, which has VIII-XY 17-49 rays; soft dorsal 

 and anal scaly at the base and with the rays branched. Pelvics 

 inserted below the pectorals, of a spine and 5 branched rays, the 

 first of which is bifid and somewhat prodnced. Scales of moderate 

 size, regnlarly arranged ; lateral line interrupted below the soft 

 dorsal, commencing again lower down. 



One species from Siam, the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago. 



1. Helostoma temminckii. 



Helostoma temminchii Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. vii, p. 342, 

 pi. cxciv. (1831); Giinth. Oat. Fish. iii. p. 377 (1861); Bleek. 

 Atl. Ichth. pi. cccxcvi. fig. 5 (1878) and Verh, Ak, Amst. xix. 

 1879, p. 15. 



Depth of body | or a little more than h the length. Doi^sal XVI- 

 XVIII 13-16. Anal XIII-XV 17-19. 43 to 48 scales in a 

 longitudinal series. Dark longitudinal stripes along the series of 

 scales. 



Hah. Siam ; Malay Peninsula ; Java, Sumatra, and Borneo 



Five specimens, measuring up to 200 mm. in total length. 



A specimen from Java with XII 14 dorsal and VIII 17 anal 

 rays received the name H. oligacanthum^ but was alterwai'ds 

 regarded by Dr. Bleeker as merely an abnormal example (Verli. 

 Ak, Amst. xix. 1879, p, 16). 



4, OSPHROMENUS. 



Ospliromenus Lacep. Hist. Nat, Poiss. iii. p, 117 (1802); Cuv. 

 & VaL Hist. Nat. Poiss. vii. p. 377 (1831) ; Canestr. Verh. Zool.- 

 Bot. Gesellsch. x. 1860, p, 706 ; Bleek, Verh, 'Ak, Amst. xix. 

 1879, p. 17. 



Osphromenus (part.) Giinth. Cat. Fish. iii. p. 382. 



Body deep, compressed. Jaws with fixed conical teeth ; palate 

 toothless. Prteorbital, prfeoperculum, and interoperculum seirated. 

 Dorsal with XI-XIII 11-13 rays; origin above that of the anal, 

 which has IX-XII 16-22 rays; anal scaly at the base and with 

 most of the rays branched. Pelvics inserted below the pectorals, 

 of a spine and 5 soft rays ; first soft ray produced into a 

 filament. Scales large, regularly arranged ; lateral line complete^ 

 continuous. 



A single species from the Malav Archipelago. 



53* 



