FAMILY, I— SILUEID^, 47? 



Wallago miorocephahis, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 110. 

 Pseudosihtrus himacwlatus, Bleeker, Prod. Silur. p. 277. 

 Phalacronotus silmoides, Bleeker, Prod. Silur. p. 304. 

 Oalliohrous bimaoulatm, Bleeker, Atl. Icli. Silur. p. 84, t. 87, f. 31. 

 Callichrous Umaaulatm, Oeylonensis, chechra and ccmio, Giintlier, Catal. v, pp. 45, 46, 48. 

 Buka-MmA, Tel. ; Godla, Canarese ; Bmimon, Siad. ; Chotah-wahlah, Tam. ; Poh-tah, Ooriah ; Pcih-lohi 

 Assam. ; Piifia, Goongwah, aad Pallu, Punj. ; Ooong-wah-ree and Puf-ta, N. W. Provinces. 

 B. xii, D. 4, P. 1/13, V. 8, A. 60-75 (^fif^), C. 17. 



Length of head 5 to 7, of caudal 6f to 7, height of body 5J to 5| in the total length, i/yes— situated 

 opposite the angle of the mouth, diameter 4 to 5f in the length of the head, 1 to If diameters from the end of 

 snout, and 2f to 3| apart. The greatest width of the head equals its length behind the angle of the mouth. 

 The lower jaw very prominent, the width of the gape of the mouth equals the postorbital length of the head or 

 behind the middle of the eyes. Barbels — the maxUlary pair reach the middle of the pectoral or the 

 commencement of the anal. Teeth — in two small oval patches, one on either side of the vomer, and not 

 continuous. Fins — dorsal arises in the commencement of the second two-seventh's of the body, it is narrow 

 and two-thirds as high as the body. Pectoral as long as the head behind the angle of the mouth, its spine 

 of moderate strength, as long as the head behind the middle of the eyes or as the postorbital length of the head, 

 and strongly or feebly serrated internally, or even entire. Anal ceases close to, but is not continuous with, the 

 forked caudal. Colours — silvery shot with purple, a black spot on the shoulder behind the gill-opening 

 and above the middle of the pectoral fin. In some specimens this black spot is much better defined than in 

 others. Occasionally the caudal fin is tipped with black. 



Hamilton Buchanan observes that Callichrous duda only differs from C. eanio in having A. 73, instead 

 of A. &2, in his original report he considered them as one. In those reports C. canio is said to be identical with 

 the " Kdnipdbda of Godlpdrd." The figure of Kanipabda 4 inches in length, and of which Buchanan has left two 

 views, shows the pectoral spine serrated. Now C. ccmio with a serrated pectoral spine would be the same as 

 G. chechra. This brings us to uniting C. dm,da with G. canio, and also with C. chechra. In speaking of the 

 Bulaya of Gorakpur or the C. canio, he again observes that this fish is the " Chhotki chekra" of Purniah. 



McClelland (Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist, ii, p. 583) under the head of Silurus Indicus, McCleU. from 

 Loodianah, remarks that " it is identical with 8. canio, S. duda, and S. chechra, Buch. which would seem to be- 

 but varieties of a widely diffused and common species."* Subsequently (Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist, iv, p. 403) 

 McClelland remarked " the chechra may however be conceived to be a variety of 8. bimaeulatus." 



Buchanan remarked (Fish. Ganges, p. 151) that Callichrous canio " has a very strong resemblance to 

 Silurus bimaeulatus of Bloch and of La Cepede, but the tips of its tail fin are not black, a circumstance to which 

 Bloch's fish owes its name. Besides, in Bloch's fish the first ray of each pectoral fin is a very strong indented 

 prickle." 



These black marks on fins have little or no signification, especially in a skin, as such may be unnatural, 

 but dark tipped caudal fins are not rare in Madras though uncommon inland. As to the serrated pectoral 

 spine Buchanan himself does not appear whilst in India to have attached a specific value to it, and I 

 now propose to examine whether we are justified in doing so ? and whether the G. chechra or C. canio, H. B. 

 are not identical with C. bimaeulatus, Bloch ? 



In Orissa I found the number of anal rays varied from 66 to 74, the length of the head 5\ to 5f in the 

 total excluding the caudal fin, 50 per cent, had the pectoral spine smooth, 25 per cent, had it finely, whilst in 

 25 per cent it was coarsely serrated. At the Bowany I took some specimens, probably of 8. Mysoricus, C. V-, 

 50 per cent, had the pectoral spine denticulated, 25 per cent, had it very finely serrated, and 25 per cent, had 

 it smooth. The length of the head to that of the body averaged 4f to 5 in Madras : 5 to 5^ in Canara : 5J to 

 6| in the Bowany and also in the Punjab : and 4f to 51 in Assam. 



The following were the numbers of anal rays. Madras, 60-67 ; Canara, 67-70 ; Bowany river, which 

 goes to Mysore, 60-65 ; Punjab, 68-72 ; Assam, 73-74. In the Deccan and Sind the numbers ranged from 

 70-75. 



I think it is clear that the character of the pectoral spine, as to whether smoothf or serrated, is no 

 criterion as to species, and that Galliehrous bimaeulatus, Bloch, is identical with G. ehechra, H. B. 



Eabitat. — The fresh waters of Sind, and from the Punjab throughout India, Ceylon,_and Assam to the 

 Malay Archipelago and beyond. It attains at least a foot-and-a-half in length. Fig. 3 is from a Malabar 

 specimen, 8i inches long, having its pectoral spine finely serrated internally near its termination. Fig. 4 is 

 from an Assam specimen, 6-2 inches long, and with its pectoral spine finely serrated internally. 



4. Callichrous pabo, Plate CX, fig. 6, 



Sihmcspabo, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 153, 375, pi. 22, f. 48,- Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1849, 

 p. 335. 



* In Vol. IV, Cal. J. N. H. pp. 401, 402, McClelland appears to have altered his opinion, and considered a Callichrous frofa 

 Chusan identical with 0. clAula, H. B., and C. inysoficuS, C. V. 



t At Trichinopoly I opened eight specimens having entire pectoral spines; all were females, one had 47,844 eggs. 



