Pimelodus. gangetic fishes. 179 



15th. Species. — Pimelodus batasio. Plate XXIII. Fig. 60. 



A Pimelodus with the fin of the tail bifid ; with eight tendrils 

 shorter than the head ; with a diaphanous body, having on each 

 side two stripes dotted with black ; with sixteen rays in the fin 

 behind the vent ; and with nine in that of the back. 



This small fish I found in the river Tista. It grows to about 

 three inches in length, and its skin is smooth. The cavity con- 

 taining the viscera is lined with a silver coloured membrane ; 

 and, besides the two stripes, the fish has on each shoulder a 

 spot composed of black dots. The first back fin is spotted, the 

 second is dotted. 



The head is oval, small, and covered with skin, and along its 

 summit there runs a cavity. There are eight tendrils, much 

 shorter than the head. The mouth is small, and extends di- 

 rectly backward from below, and from a little behind the ex- 

 tremity of the nose. The lips are fleshy. The teeth in both jaws 

 are minute and crowded. The nostrils are in the middle be- 

 tween the jaw and eyes, which are small and high. The gill- 

 covers expose part of their membranes, which are diaphanous, 

 and each contains about six rays. There is no slit under the 

 throat. 



The back slopes down from the fin to the head, forms a sharp 

 ridge, and, on its fore part, is covered by a bony plate, shaped 

 like a heart, and marked by a longitudinal cavity. On each side, 

 above the pectoral fin, is an oblong tumour. The shoulder-bones 

 are naked, and end in a sharp point. The lateral lines run 

 straight along the middle of each side. The belly is straight, 

 and transversely obtuse. The vent is near the middle of the 

 fish, and a furrow runs from it to the commencement of the 

 fin. 



The first ray of the foremost fin of the back is a very short 

 bone ; the second is a strong prickle, smooth on both edges, and 



