452 PHYSOSTOMI. 



In Ham. Buch. MSS. P. chmol/ramara is said to be found in the Eangpur district in the Mahananda 

 and also in the Dinajpur district. In Purniah he records it as termed Thmika-pdtasi of the Kusi and 

 Khamam at Bholahat. In the " Fishes of the Ganges," he remarks that P. rama is from the Brahmaputra. 

 The fish I have here described from the same locality, appears to be a link between the two forms, as the 

 Assam raie is said to have on the nape a large black spot divided into four lobes, and which is not present 

 in my specimens, whilst it is stated to difier from -P. chcmd/rama/ra, chiefly in the latter being deficient 

 in this mark. I have referred my specimen to the P. rama, as it came from Assam. 



Blyth, who appears to have seen H. B.'s figure of Pimelodus chamdrama/ra, now missing from the Calcutta 

 series of drawings, observed "P. chand/ramwra is referred to Silundia by Valenciennes, and is described by 

 Hamilton Buchanan to have only two cirri ; but his unpublished figure represents six cirri distinctly, and in all 

 this group the minute cirri' are discernible with difficulty and are extremely liable to be overlooked."* 



Habitat. — Eastern Bengal and Assam. The specimen figured (twice life-size) was from Assam. This fish 

 appears not to exceed 2 or 3 inches in length. 



Genus, 3 — Eeethistes,! Mull, amd Trosch. 



Sara, Blyth. 



Head osseous superiorly, somewhat depressed. Mouth small, terminal or suh-imferrior, besides the 

 occipital and huniero-cuhital processes there is a strong scapula/r one, none of which a/re covered by shm. 

 Gill-openings narrow, the mermbra/ties leimg confluent with the sJcin of the isthmus. Eyes small, subcutaneous, 

 not having a free orbital margin. Nostrils close together, separated by a barbel. Barbels eight, the mamillary ones 

 with broad basis. Villiform teeth in the jaws, palate edentuloust First dorsal fm arising OMterior to the ventrals, 

 having an osseous, serrated spine and five or six branched rays : adipose dorsal present. Pectoral' with a serrated 

 spine. Air-vessel not enclosed in bone. 



Geographical distribution. — From the Mahanuddee river in the "West to the Salwein in British Burma. 

 This genus extends inland to the Moora river at Bheer Bhoom. in Bengal, to Assam (where in the Brahmaputra 

 and waters in its vicinity the finest specimens are procured), and also as high as Mandalay in upper Burma. It 

 has been reported from Chusan by McClelland. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. JErethistes hara, D. ^ | 0, A. 10. Blunt spinate ossicles in the skin. Serrations on outer edge 

 of pectoral spine, directed alternately forwards and backwards. No elongated caudal ray. Bengal, Assam, 

 and Burma. 



2. Erethistes conta, D. ^ | 0, A. 10. Skin tuberculated. Serrations on outer edge of pectoral spine 

 directed backwards. Upper caudal ray elongated. Bengal and Burma. 



3. Erethistes Jerdoni, D. ^ | 0, A. 10. Skin smooth. Serrations on outer edge of pectoral spine directed 

 backwards. Spine elongated. No prolonged caudal ray. Sylhet. 



4. Erethistes elongata, D. ^ | 0, A. 10. Skin tuberculated. Head 6| in the total length. Dorsal spine 

 serrated on both edges. Both caudal lobes elongated, l^aga hills. 



1. Erethistes hara, Plate CII, fig. 1 (adult), fig. 2 (half-grown). 

 PimelodMS hara, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 190, 378 ; Cuv. and Val. xv, p. 162. 

 Erethistes pusillus, Miill. and Trosch. Horae Ich. 1849, p. 12, t. i, f. 2 ; Gunther, Catal. v. p. 263 ; Day, 

 P. A. S. of Beng. 1872, p. 122. 



Hara Buchamani, Blyth, P. A. S. of Beng. 1860, p. 162 ; Gunther, Catal. v, p. 189 ; Day, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 369. 

 Nga-hyouh-pah, Burmese. 



D. i I 0, P. 1/6, y. 6, A. 10-11 (^!3), C. 15. 



Length of head 4 to 4|^, of caudal 6, height of body 4i- to 5 in the total length. Eyes — diameters about 

 10 in the length of head, situated in the commencement of the hind half of the head, 3 diameters apart. The 

 greatest width of the head equals its length, and one-third or 1/4 more than its height. Upper jaw 

 slightly the longer, the width of the mouth equal to 1/3 of the length of the head. A semilunar subcutaneous 

 bone surrounds the anterior and lower margin of the nasal orifices, which are close together but divided by a 

 barbel. Median longitudinal groove on the head shallow and reaches to opposite the hind edge of the 

 eye. Occipital process from twice in the adult to about three times in the young, as long as wide at its base : 

 hnmero-cnbital process elongated and rugose, having two rounded osseous projections posteriorly: between the 

 humero-cubital and occipital process is a third intermediate one, the scapular, directed somewhat downwards : 

 the basal bone of the dorsal-fin considerably dilated externally. Barbels— the nasal ones short, the maxillary 

 ones reach the base of the pectoral fin, the mandibular ones arise on a transverse line, the external reach 

 the gill-openings, whilst the internal are shorter. Teeth— none on the palate. J^ms— dorsal spine stout, from 

 3/4 to nearly as long as the head (in the adult colnparatively longest as is also the pectoral spine) serrated 

 posteriorly, and sometimes rugose ■ anteriorly : length of the base of the adipose dorsal 4/7 of that of 



* So difficult is it to distinguish the minute barhels in this fish, that I have only been able to do so, by floating the specimens 

 m water oyer a dark substance > v = r 



t See i'roc. Asi. Society of Bengal, 1872, p. 122. 



