FAMILY, IX— STMBRAKCHID^. 667 



a band tapering towards the angle of the mouth : the palatine band resembles those in the ja-ws. Fms— dorsal 

 commences above or a little before the vertical from the vent. OoZomt*— light-greenish, -with br without dark 

 spots ; or else the whole body nearly black. 



" This eel is numerous at Chusan, in streamlets, canals and estuaries. As it is a favourite article of food 

 it is kept by the inhabitants of Chusan in large jars, with fresh water. But it is capable of living a consider- 

 able time out of water. It is of voracious habits, feeding on smaller fishes, and it takes hooks baited with 

 earth-worms." (Cantor, 1. c.) 



Habitat.— ThiB &8h is confined to fresh or brackish waters of Burma, the Malay Archipelago and China. 



Genus, 3 — Stmbeanchus, Bloch. 

 Unibrcmohapertwra, Lacepede ; Fneumabranchus and Ophidernon, McClelland ; Tetrahranchus, Bleeker. 

 Branehiostegals six. Oill-membranes not attached to the isthmus, having a single transverse opemng. Four 

 branchial arches with well-developed gills. Palatiifie teeth in a hand. Scales absent. No accessory breathing sac. 



Geographical distribution. — Fresh and brackish waters of India to the Malay Archipelago and Australia. 

 Also tropical America. 



1. Symbranchus Bengalensis, Plate CLXVII, fig. 2. 



Ophistemon Bengalensis, McClelland, Cal. J. 1^. H. v, pp. 197, 220, t. 2, f. 1, 2 : Kaup, Apod. p. 121, 

 f. 76; Bleeker, En. Pise. p. 179. 



Symbromchus immaoulatus, Cantor, Catal. p. 337. 



Tetrahranchus mdorophthalmus, Bleeker, Borneo, p. 69 Cyoung). 



SymhranchMs Bengalensis, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, p. 119, t. 192, f. 1 ; Day, Fishes Malabar, p. 251, 

 Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 16. 



Length of head 9 to 12 in the distance between the end of snout and anus. Eyes — diameter about 1/20 

 of length of head. The girth of the body is equal to about three times its height. Snout anteriorly rounded, 

 lips fleshy, the upper jaw rather the longer : cleft of mouth extending to some distance behind the orbits. 

 Teeth — in upper jaw fine and pointed, and do not meet at the symphysis, those on either side terminating in 

 a triangular patch, with a narrow edentulous interspace : those in the lower jaw rather larger, with a narrow 

 edentalous interspace between those of each side, laterally they are in a single row : palatine teeth in a band, 

 l^ms— the dorsal commences before the anal, which is situated in the last fourth or fifth of the total length, 

 the caudal is hardly conspicuous : all the fins are low. Lateral-line — conspicuous. Colours — of a dull dirty 

 brownish red in estuaries, lightest on the abdomen. In clearer water it is greenish or blackish green, the 

 abdomen being the Ughtest. 



Habitat. — Estuaries and fresh waters within the influence of the tides along the coasts of India and Malay 

 Archipelago, to the Philippines : attaining to several feet in length. It appears to be more common in Bengal 

 than in Malabar. 



4 V 



