44« 



Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



fVoi,. V, 



Ophichthus hijala (Hamilton Buchanan). 

 (Text-figure 14.) 



1822. Ophisurus hijala, Hamilton Buchanan, Fish. Gang., pp. 20, 363, pi. v, fig. 5. 



1832. Ophisurus hyala, Cuvier, Reg. Anim. Poiss., p. 317. 



1845. Ophisurus rostratus, M'Clelland, Cal. Jour. Nat. Hist., V, pp. 184, an. 



1845. Ophisurus vermiformis, M'Clelland, ibid., V, pp. 184, 212, pi. xii, fig. 2. 



1845. Ophisurus minimus, M'Clelland, ibid., V, pp. 185, 212, pi. x, fig. 3. 



1845. Ophisurus caudatus, M'Clelland, ibid., V, p. 185, pi. xii, fig. 3. 



1845. Ophisurus hijala, M'Clelland, ibid., V, p. an. 



1849. Ophisurus grandoculis, Cantor, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1849, p. 1306, pi. v, fig. 3. 



1856. Pisoodonophis boro (in part), Kaup, Cat. Apod. Fish Brit. Mus., p. 17. 



1870. Ophichthys hyala, Günther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VIIT, p. 60. 



1878. Ophichthys boro (in part), Day, Fish. Ind., 664. 



1889. Ophichthys boro (in part), Day, Faun. Brit. Ind. Fish., I, p. 95. 



There is only one specimen in the collection, secured on the 31st August, 1913, 

 at Balugaon. It is twenty-two inches in length. The round dark grey blotches 



Fig. 13. — Ophichthus chilkensis, Chaudhuri. 

 Teeth of upper jaw, palate and lower jaw. 



Fig. 14. — Ophichthus hijala (Ham. Buch.). 

 Teeth of upper jaw, palate and lower jaw. 



(larger than the eyes) on the anterior portion of the lateral line, which are character- 

 istic markings of the species, are very conspicuous along the lateral lines ; they begin 

 a little in front of the gill-opening and continue to the region of the vent, and are 

 twenty-four in number.' These markings are not found in 0. boro (Ham. Buch.) in 

 any stage of development. The position of the eyes is lateral in the specimen, but 



1 Similar ovate or elliptical spots, twenty-six in number, have been noticed in a recently described 

 species belonging to the genus, i.e. Ophicthus biserialis (Garman) from Chatham Island, Galapagos. The 

 spots are placed above and along the lateral line. This species, however, differs from 0. hijala (Ham. 

 Buch.) in almost all other particulars {Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, XXVI, p. 311). 



