666 PHTSOSTOMI. 



Length of head from snout to gill-opening 7i in the length of the trunk : length of tail rather less than 

 that of the trunk. Head depressed. Eyes— neur end oi snout. Jaws of nearly equal length. Tee^A— pointed, 

 the maxillary and front vomerine ones in a double, the remainder in a single row. Fms— dorsal low, 

 commencing behind the end of the pectoral, the latter with 24 rays and about 1/4 of the length of the head. 

 OoZoMrs— irregular dark spots on the head. One transverse and two longitudinal rows of white spots on the 

 occiput : two curved whitish lines between the eye : sixteen to seventeen large, round, black spots along the 

 lateral-line which are separated by another band of spots of different sizes. Dorsal fin with black marginal 

 spots and stripes. 



Eahitat—Malahnr. An example 20-8 inches long, was obtained by Dussumier. 



e.— Heart placed a long distance behind the gills. Tail shorter tham the trwnh. Posterior nostril in front of 

 eye. Vertical fins little developed: pectorals, if present, rudimentary. 



Genus, 8 — Moeingua, Gray. 



Baitdborua, Gray : Ftyolranchus, McClell. ; Pterurus, Swainson : Aphthalmichthys, Kaup : Pseudo- 

 moringua, Bleeker. , _ _ 



Body sub-cylindrical vdth the trunk considerably longer than the tail. Gill-openings rather narrow amd 

 inferior : heart far posterior to the branohice. Cleft of mouth narrow. The posterior nostril situated in front of the 

 eye. Teeth in a single row. Vertical fins limited to the tail : pectorals, if present, small. Scales absent. 



Geographical distribution. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and Japan. 



SYNOPSIS OP SPECIES. 



1. Moringua raitdborua. Length of head 6 to 6i in that of the trunk : trunk longer than the tail. 

 Estuaries of Ganges to the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Moringua macrncephala. Length of head 6| in that of the trunk : trunk at least 2/3 longer than the 

 tail. Ganges to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Moringua raitaborua, Plate CLXX, fig. 3. 



Mwrrnna raitaborua. Ham. Buch. Pish. Ganges, pp. 25, 364. 



Baitaborua HamiUonii and Hardvnekii, Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 9, and 111. Ind. Zool. c, fig. (from H. B. MS.) 



Ptyobranchus anmdinaoeus, Guthrianus, erythreus, multidentata, hrevis (jyovMg), parvidentata, gracilis, 

 McClell. Gale. Joarn. Nat Hist, v, pp. 200, 201, 203, 223, and pi. 9, fig. 3, 4 {half grown), 6 and 6, pi. 10, 

 fig. 1 and 2. 



Pterurus maculatus, Swainson, Pishes, ii, p. 334. 



Anguilla (Moringua) raitaborua, Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. iv, p. 228, tab. 1. 



Moringua raitaborua, Bleeker, Beng. p. 154; Kaup, Apod. p. 106; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 90. 



Moringua macrochir, Bleeker, Batav. p. 71, or Atl. Ichth. iv, p. 15, pi. 147, fig. 4 (young) ; Kner, Novara 

 Pisohe, p. 389. 



Moringua lumbriciformis, Kaup, Apod. p. 107 {half grown). 



Length of head from snout to gill-opening 6 to 6| in the distance from snout to vent : length of tail 

 from 2/5 to 3/8 of the entire length. Height of body equals 1/3 of length of head. Eyes — rather high up, 

 and 2 to 3 diameters from end of snout : jaws of equal length in front, or the lower slightly the longer. Cleft 

 of mouth extends above 1 diameter of the orbit behind its posterior margin. Gill-opening a slit at the side of 

 the pectoral fin. Teeth — in a single row directed backwards, pointed. Fins — dorsal slightly developed, 

 it commences about the length of the head posterior to the anus : the anal arises a short distance behind the 

 orifice of anus : both fins are interrupted in their middle, but posteriorly developed and join the caudal. 

 Pectoral equals about one-sixth of its distance from the snout. Lateral-line — distinct. Golou/rs— coppery, olive, 

 or even purplish above, becoming silvery underneath : some black dots. Vertebrae 90 -|- 14. 



Murcena va/mos. Ham. Bach. Pish. Ganges, pp. 24, 364, may be the Moringua linearis. Gray, Zool. Misc. 

 p. 9, and Gray and Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. and Fachyurus linearis, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 336, it is placed by Dr. 

 Giinther as a doubtful synonym of Moringua lumbricoidea, Richardson. McClelland, under Ptyobranchus 

 linearis, C. J. N. H. v, p. 222, observes, " I suspect this species is fabricated from a drawing in the Buchanan 

 collection. Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, in which the dorsal and anal are both represented by mistake, winding 

 in a spiral form round the end of the tail, which has been accidentally twisted." Buchanan says of M. vamos, 

 head nearly twice as wide as body. Upper jaw blunt, projecting far beyond the lower, which is sharp pointed. 

 Nostrils tubular. Vertical fins confluent : pectorals present. Dull green above, dirty white beneath. Prom 

 the estuaries of the Ganges, where it is said to attain 7^ cubits in length. 



Habitat. — Estuaries of the Ganges to the Malay Archipelago : attaining at least 22 inches in length. 



2. Moringua macrocephala. 



Aphthalmichthys macroceph'alus, Bleeker, Ned. Tyds. Dierk. i, p. 165, and Atl. Ich. iv, p. 17, t. 147, f. 2^ 

 Moringua macrocephala, Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 92. 



