540 A COLLECTION OF FISHES FROM SUMATRA. 



snout. Eye small, high, circuhxr, and nearly midway in head. Mouth low, mod- 

 erately large, and corner falling about opposite anterior nostril. Jaws large, broad, 

 not much produced, though forming a blunt angle at lower anterior profile. Lips 

 broad, especially lower, thick and fieshy. Teeth uniserial, strong, conic, and front 

 of each jaw with two large curved exposed canines, lower pair fitting in between 

 upper and directed a little laterally. Tongue small, well back in mouth, and a 

 little free in front. Nostrils minute and high. Interorbital space convex, elevated, 

 and a little trenchant in middle. Margins of preopercle and gill-opening thin, 

 former rounded. 



Gill-opening extending forward till opposite front rim of pupil. Gill-rakers 

 5 + 8, short, uneven, and with small pricks on their inner surfaces. Gill-filaments 

 much longer, equal to at least three-quarters of eye-diameter. Pseudobranchise 

 smaller. Isthmus narrow, compressed, and membrane forming a rather broad fold 

 across. 



Scales large, thin, cycloid, and with exposed portions narrow. Fins naked, 

 except base of caudal which is closely scaled, but none of its scales enlarged. Head 

 naked, except occiput, a few scales on opercle above, and a few below and behind 

 eye. Lateral line convex at first and then more or less straight till below posterior 

 dorsal rays where it drops suddenly to middle of side of caudal peduncle, continu- 

 ing straiglit and medianly to base of caudal. Tubes mostl}^ simple, sometimes bifid. 



Dorsal beginning close behind eye, first two spines flexible, and membrane 

 uniting them with succeeding deeply incised. Other dorsal spines pungent, of 

 nearly uniform height, and margin of fin straight. Soft dorsal inserted nearly mid- 

 way between posterior end of maxillar}' and base of caudal, rays of about uniform 

 height, and most of them higher than pungent spines. Anal inserted a trifle in 

 advance of soft dorsal, spines small, pungent, second longest, and rayed fin similar 

 to soft dorsal. Caudal rather small and i^ounded. Pectoral long, broad, upper rays 

 pointed, and reaching below base of last pungent dorsal spine. Ventral long, 

 pointed, inserted below origin of pectoral, spine short, and a little less than a third in 

 length of fill. When depressed fin reaches nearly three-fourths of distance to anal fin. 



Color in arrack pale brownish-white. Each scale with pearly-leaden spot at 

 its base leaving a vertical exposed streak, and more whitish on lower surface. A pale 

 dusky-olive patch above eye. Side with five indistinct dusky-olive vertical trans- 

 verse bands. First band below second flexible dorsal spine. Second extends down 

 to large white patch Avhich covers a good portion of costal region. In front of this 

 a broad olive space merging in first transverse band. Second band begins below 

 middle of spinous dorsal. Several scales at bases of third and fourth dorsal rays 

 blackish, there third band begins. Fourth band begins below eighth, ninth and 

 tenth dorsal rays, and last band on base of caudal. First two flexible dorsal spines 

 and membranes dusky or blackish, dorsal fin otherwise pale yellowish-green, with 

 a broad pale dusky margin, and marked with pale irregular oblique bars. Anal 

 pale yellowish-green, with narrow oblique pale bars. Caudal pale, with several 

 indistinct cross-lines. Pectoral and ventral pale brown. 



