442 PHTSOSTOMI. 



spine. Anal sliort (six rays). Ventral with seven rays. Upper caudal ray very elongate. Jumna and 

 Ganges rivers. 



25. Gagata. Gill-openings rather narrow, the membranes being confluent with the skin of the 

 isthmus. Eyes subcutaneous. No teeth on the palate. Barbels six or eight. Dorsal with one spine and six 

 rays : a pectoral spine. Anal rather short. Ventral with six rays. Throughout India, (except its southern 

 portion) Assam and Burma. 



26. Bagcmus. Gill-openings wide, the membranes confluent with the skin of the_ isthmus. Eyes with 

 free orbital margins. No teeth on the palate. Barbels eight. Dorsal fin with one spine and six rays. A 

 pectoral spine: anal rather short. Ventral with six rays. Throughout large rivers of India and Burma 

 to Java. 



27. Glyptosternvm. Gill-openings wide, the membranes confluent with the skin of the isthmus. Eyes 

 subcutaneous. No teeth on the palate. Barbels eight. Dorsal fin with one spine and six or seven rays. A 

 pectoral spine. Anal short. Ventral with six rays. An adhesive apparatus formed of longitudinal plaits of 

 skin situated on the chest between the bases of the pectoral fins. Hill streams and rapid rivers of the plains 

 of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



28. Eualptost&rmtm. As in last Genus but having palatine teeth. Syria, Assam. 



29. Pseudechends. Gill-openings narrow, not extended on to the lower surface of the head. Eyes 

 small. No teeth on the palate. Barbels eight. Dorsal fin with one spine and six rays r a pectoral spine. 

 Anal rather short (eleven rays). Ventral with six rays. An adhesive apparatus formed of transverse folds of 

 skin situated on the chest between the bases of the pectoral fins. Himalayas at the head waters of the Ganges, 

 also the Kasya hills. 



30. Exnstoma. Gill-openings narrow, not extending on to the lower surface of the head. Eyes 

 subcutaneous. No teeth on the palate. Barbels six or eight. Dorsal fin with one spine and six rays. 

 Pectoral sub-horizontal with a spine. Anal short. Ventral with six rays. Head waters of Indus along the 

 Himalayas to Assam, Pegu, Tenasserim, and the confines of China. 



Genus, 1 — Maceones, Vvmeril. 



Bagrus, pt. Cuv. and Val. ; Eypselolagrus, Hemihagrus, Pseuddbagrm and Aspiddbagrns, Bleeker. 



BrancJdostegals from six to twelve. Month terminal, transverse. Upper jaw generally the longer. Gill, 

 openings wide, the gill-membranes overlapping the isthmus and heimg separate to the chi/n. Eyes with free ci/reular 

 lids. Barbels eight, one nasal, one mamillary, and two mamdibula^ pairs. A distinct and separate interneural 

 shield on the nape, closely connected to the basal bone of the dorsal fin : or no such shield. Villiform, teeth in the 

 jaws, and in a more or less wninterrwpted curved land across the palate. Bayed dorsal fin with one spine and seven 

 rays : adipose dorsal of varying length : pectoral with a strong serrated spine : anal short or of moderate 

 length : ventral loith six rays : caudal forked. Ai/r-vessel of moderate or large size, attached to the under surface of 

 the bodies^ of the anterior vertebrae. An axillary pore generally present. 



These fishes have been divided as follows : — 



Pseudobagrus. Anal fin with 20 rays or upwards, as M. chryseus. 



Hypselobagrus. Adipose dorsal much longer than the anal, as M. ca/vasius. 



Macrones. Adipose dorsal not much longer or shorter than the anal : a separate interneural shield on 

 the nape, as M. seenghala. ' 



Hemibagms. Adipose dorsal as in Macrones, no separate interneural shield as If. gulio. 



As we find the number of rays in the anal fin vary in specimens taken in India from M. Bleeheri with 

 A. 9-10, M. Malaba/ricus, A. 10-11, M. tengara, A. 11-13, M. gulio, A. 12-15, or in fact a smaller difference in 

 ths number of anal rays between the first mentioned with A. 9, and the last with A. 15. than exists between 

 the last {M. gulio) and a species with 20 anal rays I have not employed this arbitrary division of the genus. 

 Whether M. aor or M. seenghala which have a separate interneural shield and an air-vessel with a posterior 

 elongated extremity, should not be separated from the remainder which have no such distinct shield and 

 no prolongation of the air-vessel, may be open to question. 



The ova of these fishes are small, consequently very difierent to what we perceive in their marine 

 relatives, the Arius and neighbouring Genera. 



Geographical distribution. — ^These fishes extend through most parts of Asia, and are numerous in the 

 fresh waters of India and Ceylon, one species (If. gulio) often being captured in the sea. 



Uses. — Employed as food by the poorer tiatives, but are of inferior quality, being rather insipid. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Macrones chryseus, A. 26-28. Golden, with a large black shoulder spot. Malabar coast of India. 



2. Macrones aor, A. 12-13. Maxillary barbels reach caudal fin. A black spot on adipose dorsal fin. 

 Throughout Sind and' India to Burma. 



3. Macrones seenghala, A. 11-12. Maxillary barbels reach hind edge of first dorsal fin. Punjab, Sind, 

 Jumna, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers, also Deccan and Kistna river to its termination. 



4. Macrones Blythii, A. 12. Maxillary barbels reach front edge of eye. A dark shoulder spot, another 

 on the adipose dorsal, body with indistinct cross bands. Tenasserim provinces. 



5. Macrones gulio, A. 12-15. Occipital process half longer than wide at its base, a long interspace 



