270 ON NEW FRESHWATEK FISHES EEOM NINGPO. [Mar. 19, 



the cheek, below the eye. Dorsal II 7, a little nearer the occiput 

 than the root of the caudal ; longest ray nearly | length of head. 

 Anal III 8-9, anterior soft rays more or less produced, longer 

 than the head. Pectoral nearly as long as head, not quite 

 reaching base of ventral. Caudal forked. Caudal peduncle 1| to 

 1| as long as deep. Sq. 49-51 ^ ; 2 series of scales between 

 lateral line and base of ventral. Brown on the back, greyish 

 or plumbeous with irregular whitish vertical bars on the sides ; 

 belly white ; large, purplish-black spots on the membrane between 

 every two rays of the dorsal ; other fins immaculate. 



Total length 130 millim. 



Several specimens. 



The nuptial excrescences on the head in this species are quite 

 unique. In describing specimens of 0. bidens. Dr. Giinther^ 

 observes : — " During the spawning-season the male develops 

 brown horny tubercles on the snout and head ; they are arranged 

 in several rows on the mandible, and in a single row along the 

 prseopercular margin, below the eye, along the lower margin 

 of the suborbital ring and on the intermaxillary. After the 

 breeding-season the tubercles drop oft", leaving a circular scar 

 which after some time disappears entirely." This description 

 applies very well to 0. platypus Schleg., from Japan, Formosa, 

 Hainan, of which examples measuring up to 160 millim. were 

 obtained at >«"ingpo by Mr. Styau. A figure of the head of one 

 of these specimens is here given (PI. XXIV. fig. 2) for comparison 

 with 0. acanthogenys, in which a fusion of the tubercles has taken 

 place, the enlai'ged bases forming a large plate which is only com- 

 parable to the nuptial horny plates on the breast of some South 

 American Progs of the genus Leptodactylus. The scar left by 

 each of these plates is in the form of a series of large pits, corre- 

 sponding to the number of cusps. 



HoMALosoMA STENosoMA, sp. nov. (Plate XXIII. fig. 3.) 



Body feebly depressed, its depth 6 times in total length, length 

 of head 5| times. Snout much longer than postocular part of 

 head, a little longer than broad, with rounded edge ; diameter of 

 eye 6 times in length of head, 3 times in interorbital width; upper 

 lip not fringed ; barbels short, simple, subequal. Dorsal with 9 

 rays (7 branched), originating a little in advance of ventral, equally 

 distant from occiput and from root of caudal. Anal with 7 rays 

 (5 branched). Pectoral as long as head, not reaching ventral. 

 Caudal truncate. Caudal peduncle a little deeper than long. 

 Scales extremely small ; lat. 1. 85. Brown above, white beneath ; 

 head vermiculate with blackish ; some dark bars on the caudal 

 peduncle ; dorsal and caudal fins spotted with black. 



Total length 105 millim. 



A single specimen. 



Pishes allied to the one here described have been figured by 



1 Ann. Mus. St. Petersb. 1896, p. 216. 



