608 PHTSOSTOMI. 



Genus, 2 — Acanthopsis, v. Easselt. 



ProstheaccmtJius, Blyth. 



Body very elongated, snout long and compressed. Bwrhels eight, two being mandibular. A small, bifid, 

 erectile spine, situated m advance of the orbit. Dorsal fm, opposite to the ventrals; coMdal forked. 

 Geographical distribution. —Burma to the Malay Archipelago. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Acanthopsis choirorrhynchms. D. 11, A. 8. Burma, &c. 



1. Acanthopsis choirorrhynchus, Plate CLV, fig. 1. 



Gohitis choirorrhynchus, Bleaker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. vii, p. 95. 

 Prostheacanthus spectabilis, Blyth, Proc. A. S. of B. 1860, p. 167. 



Acamthopsis cTioirorrhynchMS, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Cyp. p. 9, t. i, f. 3 ; Giinther, Catal. vii, p. 365 ; Day, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 549. 



Nga-tha-lay-doh, Burmese. 



B. iii, D. 11(f), P. 11, V. 7, A. 8(1-), C. 11. 



Length of head 6, of caudal 6, height of body 9 in the total length. Eyes— Aiameter 1/6 of the length of 

 head, 4 diameters from the end of snout, 1/2 a diameter apart. Body elongated and compressed, a rise from 

 the snout to the occiput. Snout produced : nostrils nearer the end of the snout than to the anterior margiti of 

 the orbit. An erectile bifid spine situated between the nostrils and the orbit, and on a level with its lower 

 margia. Barbels— eight, all short. Fins — dorsal commences midway between the snout and the base of the 

 caudal fin, it is slightly in advance of the ventral. Caudal lobed, the lower slightly the longer. Scales — minute. 

 Lateral-line — complete. Colours — brownish, with 12 bands across the back, and the same number of blotches 

 along the lateral-line : two rows of blotches along the dorsal, and three across the anal fins. 



Habitat. — Burma, and the eastern portion of Sumatra. 



Genus, 3 — SoMiLEPTES (Swainson) Bleeher. 



Body elongated and compressed, dorsal profile nearly horizontal : snout elongated. Eyes prominent. Six 

 barbels— fou/r on the snout, amd two on the upper jam. A small erectile, bifid, suborbital spine. Dorsal fin inserted 

 slightly behind the ventral : caudal entire. 



Geographical distribution. — From Orissa through Bengal to Assam. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Somileptes gongota, D. 10, A. 8. Barbels short. Assam. 



1. Somileptes gongota, Plate CLV, fig. 2. 



Cobitis gongota, Ham. Buch. Fish. Gang. pp. 351, 394 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 70 ; Giinther, Catal. vii, p. 363. 

 Cobitis cucwra. Ham. Buch. pp. 352, 394 ; McCleUand, Ind. Cyp. pp. 303, 434, t. 51, f. 2 (from H. B.'s 

 MSS.), young ; Cuv. and Val. xviii, p. 70 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 73. 



Cobitis omlata, McClelland, Ind. Cyp. pp. 303, 433, t. 61, f. 1, (from H. B.'s MSS.) adult. 



? Cobitis anmiaola, Cuv. and Val. xviii, p. 68 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 70. 



Canthoph/rys albescens, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 310. 



Somileptes bispinosa, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 311 ; Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Cyp. p. 3. 



Beetah, Assam. 



B. iii, D 10(f), P. 10, V. 7, A. 7(1), C. 16. 



Length of head 5 J, of caudal 6 J, height of body 7 in the total length. Eyes — high up, situated rather 

 behind the middle of the length of the head. Snout with its upper edge rather concave, it and the rest of the 

 head covered with fine warty excrescences. Suborbital spine bifid, and reaching to below the first half of the 

 eye. Barbels — rather short, extending nearly half way to below the eyes. jFms— origin of dorsal opposite 

 the root of the inner ventral ray, and midway between the hind edge of the eye and the base of the caudal fin : 

 caudal entire. Scales — small, 17 rows between lateral-line and base of ventral fin. Colours — an undulated 

 band along the side of the body, giving off vertical bars towards the back, or else oblique blotches with light 

 edges descending from the back or placed irregularly on the body. Dorsal and caudal fins with transverse rows 

 of blackish dots. 



Habitat. — Assam, Bheer Bhoom, and Khasia hills. The example figured (life-size) was from the Khasia 

 hUls. 



