19 16.] Fauna of the Chilka Lake : Fish. 453 



some cases that of the caudal fin is coloured black with a 3'ellow band inside. Most 

 of the specimens have twenty-six scales from the end of the snout to the origin of 

 the dorsal fin, and five scales between the post- orbital line and the origin of the 

 pectoral fin. Generally there are three to four scales from the top of the pectoral fin 

 to the mid-dorsal line of scales, and three scales also between the lower margin of 

 the root of the pectoral fin and the mid- ventral line (text-fig. 15). The ventral fins 

 cover the vent and almost reach the analpapila, which is thin. In adult specimens, 

 collected in November, mature eggs of one millimeter in diameter were found. 



The species occurs near the edge everywhere in the main area of the lake, but 

 appears to be entirely absent from the outer channel. It breeds freely in the main 

 area. 



Distribution; — Fresh waters (extending to estuaries) in Bengal, Behar, Orissa, 

 Assam, Burma, Siam, the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago and the Andamans. 

 The species has also been reported from Sind, Cutch and the Central Provinces of 

 India. 



Genus APLOCHEILUS McClelland. 



Aplocheilus melastigma, M'Clelland. 



(Text-figures 16, 18.) 



1839. Aplocheilus melastigma, M'Clelland, Asiat. Research., XIX, pt. 2, pp. 301, 427, pi. xlii, fig. 3. 



1839. Aplocheilus sp., M'Clelland, ibid., XIX, pt. 2, p. 302, pi. lv, fig. 4. 



1846. Poecilia latipes, Temminck and Schlegel, Faun. Japon. Pise, p. 224, pi. cii, fig. 5. 



1849. Aplocheilus camaticus, Jerdon, Madras Journ. Lit. Sc, XV, p. 331. 



1854. Aplocheilus macclellandi, Bleeker, Nat. Tijd. Ned. Ind., VII, p. 323. 



1858. Panchax cyanophthalma, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, XXVII, p. 288. 



i860. Panchax cyanophthalma, id., ibid., XXIX, p. in. 



i860. Aplocheilus latipes, Bleeker, Act. Soc. Sc. Indo-Neerl. VII, Japan, VI, p. 99. 



1866. Haplochilus latipes, Günther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VI, p. 311. 



1866. Haplochilus cyanophthalmus, Günther, ibid., VI, p. 312. 



1867. Panchax argenteus, Day, Proc. Zoo!. Soc, p. 706. 



1873. Haplochilus argenteus, id., Rep. Fr. Fish. Ind. Burma, p. eclxxvi. 



1878. Haplochilus melastigma, id., Fish. Ind., p. 522, pi. exxi, fig. 4. 



1889. Haplochilus melanostigma, id., Faun. Brit. Ind. Fish., I, p. 415- 



1895. Haplochilus melastigma, Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, XIX, p. 127. 



1895. Haplochilus latipes, id., ibid., XIX, p. 128. 



1901. Aplocheilus latipes, Jordan and Snyder, Proc U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIII, p. 350. 



1907. Oryzias latipes, id., ibid., XXXI, p. 289, text-fig. (p. 290). 



1912. Haplochilus melastigma, Sewell and Chaudhuri, Ind. Fish. Mos. Dest., p. 4. 



1913. Oryzias latipes, Jordan, Tanaka and Snyder, Journ. Coll. Sc. Univ. Tokyo, XXXIII, p. 91, 



fig. 67. 

 1913. Oryzias latipes, Jordan and Metz, Mem. Carnegie Mus., VI, p. 24, fig. 21. 

 1916. Haplochilus melanostigma, Sundara Raj, Rec. Ind. Mus., XII, p. 293.. pi. xxv, figs. 1 and 10. 



There are altogether one hundred and eighty-four specimens in the collection. 

 This fish has been found near the edge all over the lake including the outer channel. 

 The following table gives the distribution of the species in the lake. 



