TAMILT, I— SILUEID^. 489 



AiUa coila, Bleeker, Beng. p. 54, ; Blyth, P. A. S. of Beng. 1858, p. 283. 

 Ailia affkds, Guntlier, Catal. t, p. 56. 



Futtuli and Brnis putta, " Bamboo leaf," Ooriah ; Mun-glee-ah-nee, Sind. ; Vella kalada, Telugu ; 

 "Kajoli, Rangpnr, Bascmguti, Gorakpur, Batausi, Bhagulpur," H. Buch. 



B. viii, P. 1/14, V. 6, A. 59-75, C. 19. 



Length, of liead 6 to 7, of caudal 5 J to 8, height of body 5i to 6 in the total length. Eyes — diameter 

 3\ to 3| in the length of the head, If diameters from the end of snout, and 1 apart. The greatest width of the 

 head equals its length excluding the snout : the width of the gape of the mouth equals 1/3 of the length of the 

 head. Upper jaw the longer, and rather overhung by the snout. Cleft of the mouth reaching 1/2 way to the 

 orbit opposite the centre of the eye. Barbels — extend to the first 1/3 or middle of the length of the fish 

 excluding its caudal fin. Teeth — generic. Fms — pectoral spine slender and about as long as the head. Ventral 

 short. Anal with from 59 to 75 rays in. my specimens, and most of the intermediate numbers may be found 

 {A. affinis is given A. 60-61 : A. Bengodensis, A. 70-72. One of the first specimens I captured at Delhi had 

 A. 67). Caudal forked. In many specimens the neural spines just appear above the skin along the back. 

 Colours — silvery, some of the fins often stained gray at their margins. The caudal, especially in Orissa specimens, 

 is commonly orange edged with black. 



This fish is excellent eating. There is a figure of it amongst Sir W. EUiot's drawings from the Telugu 

 country, probably the Kistna. 



Habitat. — From the Kistna and Orissa, throughout the Indus, Jumna, and Ganges, after they leave the 

 hills to their termination ; also Assam. It attains at least 7 inches in length. Ham. Buch. records it to 8 or 

 12 inches in length. 



Genus, 21 — Ailiichthts, Day. 



Sindla/r to AiUa except that the ventral fins a/re absent.* 



SYNOPSIS OP INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. AOiiohthys pimetata, A. 76-90. A black spot at the base of the caudal fin. Indus, rivers of the Punjab 

 and the Jumna, 



1. Ailiichthys punctata, Plate CXIV, fig. 5. 



Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 713. 

 Put-tas-si and Put-tu-ah, Punj. 



P. 1/12, A. 76-90, 0. 17. 



Length of head 6 to 7, of caudal 6, height of body 5| in the total length. Eyes— situated more than 

 half below the angle of the mouth, being partly on the lower side of the head, diameter 4/11 to 1/3 ot 

 length of head, 1/2 to 2/3 of a diameter from end of snout, 1 diameter apart. Body compressed, upper profile 

 of the head slightly concave. Width of the head equals its postorbital length. Width of the gape of the mouth 

 equals 1/3 of the length of the head. Upper jaw somewhat the longer, the cleft of the mouth only extending 

 about half way to the anterior margin of the eye, and to opposite its' centre. Bwrbels— much the same length 

 and extend to the middle of the length of the fish. Terf^^villiform in the jaws. J-ms— adipose dorsal mmute. 

 Pectoral spine nearly as long as the head : ventrals absent. Caudal forked, lower lobe the longer. Coloms— 

 silvery, upper surface of head nearly black, a large black spot before the base of the caudal fan. 



Habitat.— SvLmaa, below Delhi, also from the Indus in Sind, where I obtained numerous specimens up to 

 4 inches in length. 



Genus, 19— Buteopiichthts, Bleeker. 



BrancMosteqals eleven. Oill-ovenings wide, the membranes not being confiMerd with the shin of the isthmus, 

 hut sepa/rated by a deep notch. Body wnd head compressed. Head covered with soft shm Eyes with broad adipose 

 Uds. Cleft of mouth deep, extmdmg to below the eyes : upper jww slightly the longer. Nostrils wide_ and patent the 

 amterior Ld outer one being at the side of the snout. Eight barbels. Teeth m jaws sharp : and ^J^Jroad band 

 across the vomer amd palatines.f First dorsal short, homing one spine amd seven rays : the adipose stiort. reatorai 



• Professor Troschel (Wiegm. Arch. 1871, pp. 276-280) remarked upon having received a f^^/.^^™^" f jJ^^^J^^^^^^^ 

 Co^glams Ir^mdorsaUs destitute of a ventral fin, and considered such might be.a sexual charactCT Dr. Gunt^^^^^^ 

 D. 104 Wave his oninion that the aDodal soecimen was more likely an instance of individual monstrosity, adducmg as one reason that he 



p. 104) gave his opinion that the apodal specimen was more likely an 

 had seen such in ~ ' ~ ' ' " " —"••■> 



fact " that in numerous 



.™. ..„ ^rous groups of fishes which live in mud, forms occur devoid of or with only ^"'i™«.7°f„^' .^j^, fish described 



wise found in Ireland abnormal examples of aasterostms pwngitms, in which the centrals were absent In the case of ^ 

 above, out of many specimens, the ventral was absent in all. It however becomes a question ^.^ff «J *«;^^^°^^ °* supprLed 



sufficient characteristic on which to found a Genus. If not, the Genera Chamia, ^P?"' &«• ^^^ ^„^" l*S]^'(|*°„f of 'C^^^ 

 J. TT-..i ,T,..-. rc-.i c ,.,,,« _ one^ j_.„„ „;+„„*;,,„ tr.+.>iB atntj>ment m the definition ot this Uenus, or no leeii 



t Havtag ProcrZoTsoc. 18^^^^ attention to the statement in *« definition of "^^^^ ., CnT^eceived 



palate," in the " Catalogue of Fishes of the British Museum," Dr. Giinther (Zool. Record, 1869 pJ34) °^™,*^^^^™e ^^^^^^ 

 an example from ColoSel Playfair some years ago, the Recorder has found the palatme teeth, which may be disimguisttea on a very 

 ' superficial examination.' " g j. 



