538 A COLLECTION OF FISHES FROM SUMATRA. 



high, and its posterior margin midway in length of head. Mouth small, slightly 

 inclined, jaws equal, and free edge of preorbital nearly opposite anterior nostril. 

 Lips large, fleshy, and with inner surfaces plicate. Teeth uniserial, conic, and with 

 two canines in front of each jaw. Tongue broad, rounded, and entirely free in 

 front. Nostrils well separated, rather high and posterior on side of snout near 

 upper front of eye, small, and anterior in a small cutaneous tube. Interorbital 

 space broad, convex, and equal to a little more than one and one-half eye-diam- 

 eters. Opercular flap a little long and pointed. 



Gill-opening extending till within a little posterior to eye. Gill-rakers 5 + 16, 

 small, short, compressed, and broadly triangular rudiments. Gill-filaments much 

 larger, almost equal to eye-diameter in length. Pseudobranchise smaller. Isthmus 

 broad, and membrane forming but a narrow fold across. 



Scales large, cycloid, and crowded along bases of vertical fins. On bases of 

 soft dorsal and anal ^jointed, not forming a basal sheath, and on base of caudal 

 becoming small, especially on upper and lower elongated rays. A small patch of 

 scales on opercular region above, head otherwise naked. Two short pointed scales 

 at axillary region of ventral, and a single broad one between bases of two fins. A 

 large scale above opercular flap at shoulder girdle. Lateral line concurrent with 

 dorsal profile, sloping down below last rays of dorsal and continued along side of 

 caudal peduncle medianly to base of caudal. Tubes arborescent. 



Origin of spinous dorsal a little before that of pectoral, spines pungent, last 

 highest, and margin of fin entire. Soft dorsal inserted a little before tip of pectoral 

 or a little nearer base of caudal than posterior margin of eye, anterior part of fin 

 highest, and its posterior extremity rounded. Anal inserted about opposite base of 

 third dorsal ray or beyond tip of pectoral, spines small, pungent, and third longest. 

 Soft anal similar to soft dorsal. Caudal truncate medianly, upper and lower rays 

 produced in short points, and when expanded median rays form a convex margin. 

 Pectoral rather long, upper rays longest, tip of fin rounded, and its posterior margin 

 obliquely straight. Ventral small, inserted well behind pectoral, broad, pointed, 

 reaching a little over half way to anal, and small pungent spine about three-fifths 

 length of fin. 



Color in arrack olive-green above, lower surface of head, abdomen, and caudal 

 peduncle sky-blue white. Three broad deep purplish bands radiating from below 

 and behind eye, last extending across opercle to front of pectoral. Another broad 

 band extends along each side of snout to eye, and still another includes interorbital 

 space to eye and extends back along upper side of head to gill-opening. All of 

 bands on head narrowly margined with dusky-bluish. About seven jet-black trans- 

 verse bars along side of back. First continued from supracephalic band of purple 

 along upper shoulder girdle and down in front of base of pectoral, also a little below. 

 Second similarly oblique, and extending down on side of abdomen as far as first. 

 Several of scales between these two bands with centers largely black. Remaining 

 transverse bars all wedge-shaped, becoming narrow below, and smaller posteriorly. 

 A purplish longitudinal band along back above, parallel with first part of lateral 



