ELEOTEIS. 11 



Eleotris butis, Cantor, Cat. Mai. Fish. p. 196 (1850) ; Gunth. Cat. Fish. iii. p. 11(5 

 (1861) ; Playf. & Gunth. Fish. Zanzib. p. 73 (1866) ; Day, Fish. Ind. p. 315, 

 pi. lxvii. fig. 3 (1876) ; Steind. Sitzb. Ak. Wien, lxxxii. i. 1881, p. 244. 



Eleotris melanopterus, Bleek. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. iii. 1852, p. 706. 



Butis melanopterus, Bleek. Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. ii. 1865, p. 150. 



Butis butis, Bleek. Versl. Ak. Amsterd. (2) xi. 1877, p. 62. 



Eleotris butis, part., Sauv. Hist. Madag., Poiss. p. 380 (1891). 



Body strongly compressed, its depth 4tj to 5 times in total length, 

 length of head 2§ to 3 times. Head much depressed, flat above, 

 broader than deep, nearly twice as long as broad, nearly entirely scaly, 

 with finely serrated ridges above ; a groove on each side behind the 

 eye ; snout broad, rounded, 1^ (young) to 2 times as long as eye, which 



Fig. 6. 



Eleotris butis. 

 India, after Day (op. cit.). ji. 



is 5 to 0^ times in length of head and 1 to 1§ times in interorbital 

 width ; lower jaw projecting ; maxillary extending to below anterior 

 third or centre of eye ; no canine teeth ; no prieopercular spine. 

 Dorsals VI, I 8, rather widely separated from each other, longest 

 branched rays \ to § length of head. Anal I 8, its origin slightly 

 behind that of dorsal. Pectoral f to § length of head, longer than 

 ventral. Caudal rounded, shorter than head. Caudal peduncle If to 

 2j times as long as deep. Scales ciliated, 29-32 in longitudinal series, 

 10-11 between dorsal and anal. Brown, fins with small dark and light 

 spots ; anal with a light edge ; a large black spot, between two light 

 ones, at the base of the pectoral. 



Total length 135 millim. 



East Africa to Malay Archipelago *. 

 1. Ad. Johanna, Comoro Ids. Sir L. Piayfair (P.). 



* In this, as in other species of wide distribution, only African specimens are listed. 



