nrers. 



FAMILY, I— SILURID^. 4g3 



Genusv^S — Osteogeniosus, Bleeker. 

 Branchiostegalsjwe. Gill-memlrcmes rmUed at the throat, miwrgmate and overlappmg the isthrms not beina 

 confluent with It J wpper swface of the head covered with very thin shm: mouth anterior: upper jaw the lonaer 

 Nostrils a^roaym.atm,g, the posterior provided with a valve. Barbels, a single pair of semi-osseous maxUlwnj ones 

 Teeth m thejOMS vilhform : obtusely corneal on the palate, where they form tivo widely sepa/rated patches Dorsal 

 with one spme amd seven rays, mseried amterior to the ventrals : adipose fin short. Anal of moderate lenath not 

 united imth theca/udal, which is forked. Ventral with six rays. Air-vessel in the abdominal cavity not enclosed in 

 hone. An aaula/ry pore. " 



Geographical distribution.— Be&B and estuaries of India to the Malay Arcliipelago, sometimes entering 

 Uses. — Eaten by the poorer classes. A coarse isinglass is made from its air-vessel. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Osteogeniosus militaris, A. 19-22. Length of head 4i to 4| in the total length. Greatest width of 

 head equals its length behind the angle of the mouth. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



2 Osteogeniosus sthenocephalus, A. 20. Length of head 4f in the total length. Greatest width of head 

 equals 1/2 its length. Burma. 



1. Osteogeniosus militaris, Plate CVIII, fig. 4. 



Silurus milita/ris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 503 ; Bl. Schn. p. 375. 



Arias militaris, Cnv. and Val. xv, p. 114, pi. 430 ; Cantor. Catal. p. 259. 



Ageniosus militaris, Swainson, Tishes, ii, p. 305. 



Osteogeniosus Cantoris, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. pp. 130, 582 ; Blyth. P. A. S. of Beng. 1858, p. 286. 



Osteogeniosus militaris, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 58 : Giinther, Catal. v, p. 181 ; Kner. Novara Fische, 

 p. 314; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 18L r , . > , f , 



Pone Tceliti, Tarn. 



B. V, D. i/0, P. 1/LO-ll, y. 6, A. 19-22 {-^-h-^ C. 17, Vert. 18-29. 



Length of head 4i to 4|, of caudal 7^, height of body 5^ to 6i in the total length. -Byes— diameter 7 

 in the length of head, 2 diameters from the end of snout and 4 apart. The greatest width of the head equals 

 its length behind the angle of the mouth : its height 2/3 of its length : the width of the gape of the mouth 

 equals half the length of the head. Occipital process 2\ times as long as wide at its base, and its length equals 

 1/3 of that of the head. Median longitudinal groove of moderate width not extending so far as the base of the 

 occipital process. Upper surface of the head almost or quite smooth, a few granulations generally present 

 between the posterior end of the median longitudinal groove and the base of the occipital process, which last is 

 roughened in ridges which are sometimes granular : there also usually exists a patch of granulations above the 

 upper edge of the opercle on the head. Ba/rbels — rather longer than the head. Teeth — on the palate ia two 

 somewhat crescentic patches converging anteriorly. Fvns — dorsal spine as long as the head excludiug the snout, 

 serrated in its upper portion anteriorly and in its whole extent posteriorly. Pectoral spine somewhat stronger 

 than that of the dorsal, the fin reaches about half way to the ventral. Anal highest anteriorly where it equals 

 half the length of the head. Colours — silvery, darkish siiperiorly, fins tinged with red. 



'Habitat. — Seas, estuaries and tidal rivers of India to the Malay Archipelago. A specimen in the 

 Calcutta Museum is 14 inches long. The specimen figured was from Bombay and is 8 inches in length. 



2. Osteogeniosus sthenocephalus, Plate CVIII, fig. 3. 



B. V, D. i/0, P. 1/9, V. 6, A. 20 (^V), C. 17. 



Length of head 4f, of caudal 5|, height of body 7^ in the total length. Ijyes — diameter 6| in the 

 length of head, 2 diameters from the end of snout, and 3 apart. The greatest width of the head equals half its 

 length : the width of the gape of the mouth equals half the length of the head. Occipital process three times 

 as long as wide at its base, its length equals 1/3 of that of the head. Median longitudinal groove rather wide 

 and does not extend quite to the base of the occipital process. Upper surface of the head with a few 

 granidations between the posterior end of the median grove and the base of the occipital process, which last is 

 roughened in ridges. Barbels — as long as the head. Fins — as iu the last species, except that the anterior 

 portion of the anal fin is as deep as the head excluding the snout is long. Colours — silvery, darkest superiorly. 



This fish differs from the preceding species in having a much narrower head, deeper anal fin, and flatter 

 snout. 



Sabitat. — A single specimen captured at Moulmein. 



Genus, 9 — Pangasius, Cuuier aiid Valenciennes. 

 Pseudopangasius and Uelicophagas, Bleeker. 



Branchiostegals from about seven to twelve. Gill-openings wide, the membranes not confluent with the skin of 

 the isthmus and rather deeply notched. Upper jaw the longer. Eye with a free orbital margin. Nostrils at some 



