754 Memoirs of the Indian Museum. [Vol. V, 



tion the muscle fibres are seen running longitudinally underneath, the scales. Except 

 for these and certain other irregular interrupted markings I have not been able to make out 

 any special structure. 



The gill-openings extend for only a short distance on the under surface and the isthmus 

 is of moderate width. 



The anus is situated a short distance in front of the anal fin and this distance is almost 

 equal to the diameter of the eye. In both sexes a prominent anal papilla is present and 

 the gonads can be seen through the tissues of the body-wall. These facts are apt to give a 

 wrong impression that the male carries eggs in its brood-pouch. 



In the living condition the fish is transparent with a yellowish tinge. In the region of 

 the heart and the main blood vessels the colour appears to be reddish owing to the trans- 

 parent skin and body muscles. There are a series of black spots along the back and on the 

 under surface from the origin of the anal to the base of the caudal. There are a few black 

 spots irregularly scattered on the sides of the body as well. In alcohol the fish becomes 

 opaque and takes on a light olivaceous tinge ; the black spots are distributed as before. 

 In the ripe females the skin in the region of the ovaries becomes deeply pigmented with a 

 black colour. The tip of the lower jaw on the under surface is dark brown. 



The new species closely resembles Apocryptes brachypterus Bleeker 1 from the Grati 

 Lake in the province of Pasuruan, Java. I have not been able to consult the original des- 

 cription of this species and, therefore, I refer for relationships to Giinther's 2 description of 

 A. brachypterus. The Indian form differs from the Java species in the following charac- 

 ters : — 



(i) The number of anal fin rays in the Indian form never exceeds 12, while in 



M. brachypterus it is stated to be 13. 

 (ii) In the new species the number of scales along the lateral line is 27, while in 



M. brachypterus it is 25. 

 (in) The eyes in M. fragilis are more than one-fourth of the length of the head, 



whereas in the Javanese species the diameter of the eye is contained four times 



in the length of the head. 

 (iv) In M. brachypterus there are only sixteen teeth in the upper jaw whereas in the 



new species they are eighteen. 

 (v) The structure and arrangement of teeth on the lower jaw is totally different in 



the two species. 



The following statement gives the different localities whence the specimens were collected 

 and their number : — 



Numerous ... ... Baliaghata Canal, outskirts of 



specimens Calcutta ... ... 17 July 1916. 



1 specimen ... ... 1-9 miles N.E. of Kalidai ... 8 March 1914. 



1 „ ... ... OfiBalugaon ... ... 6 March 1914. 



4 specimens ... ... East of Barkul ... ... 29 November 1914. 



1 Bleeker, Nat. Ttjdschr. Ned. Ind. IX, p. 401 (1855). 



2 Günther, Cat. Brit. Mus. Fish. Ill, p. 84 (1861). 



