i32 A. Alcock — Recent Collection of Bathybial Fishes. [No. 2, 



Ber]., 1876, p. 845), and Solea haiana, Gthr. {'Challenger' Shore 

 fishes, p. 49, pi. XXI., fig. C.) — all being comparatively deep-water 

 forms of the East Indian Seas. 



Aphoristia, Kaup. 



20. Aphoristia trifasciata, n. sp., PI. VII., fig. 4. 



D. 87-89. A 75-77. V. 4. C. 12. L. lat 80 to 82. L. tr. 38 to 40. 



The length of the head, which is a trifle less than the height of 

 the body, is one- fourth the total Avithout the caudal. The length of the 

 snout, which is about one-third more than the major diameter of the 

 eye, is from one-fifth to one-sixth the length of the head. The eyes 

 are in contact and are situated between the same verticals. The cleft 

 of the mouth reaches beyond the middle of the lower eye. A row of 

 small equal setiform teeth in each jaw on the blind side. The nostrils, 

 the gill-openings and gill-membranes, and the form and arrangement 

 of the scales, are as in the other Indian species. 



The longest (posterior) rays of the dorsal fin are more than half 

 the greatest body-height, the corresponding anal rays being not quite 

 so long. The ventral fin is about one-fourth the length of the head, 

 and is separated from the anal by an interval equal to the length of 

 the snout. 



Colours : warm olive brown with three broad blackish cross-bands. 



The largest specimens measure 4 to 4| inches. 



Loc. Bay of Bengal, Station 162 ; 145-250 fms., and Station 164; 

 195-210 fms. 



This species is akin to Aphoristia septemstriata and to Symphurus 

 leei, Jordan and BoUman, Syinphurus fasciolaris, Gilbert, and Symphurus 

 atranientatus, Jordan and Bollmann. Its difi^erence . from the other 

 Indian species, all of which also inhabit deep water, is shown in the 

 following synoptical table. 



Synopsis of the Indian Speciks of Aphoristia. 



1. The mouth-cleft extends to or 

 beyond the middle of the lower eye, 

 owing, not to the greater size of the 

 mouth, but to the more anterior posi- 

 tion of the eyes : the origin of the 

 ventral fin is hardly an eye-length 

 distant from that of the anal A. gilesii. 



I. Both sides coloured, no 

 cross-stripes: height of the< 

 body rather over one-fourth 

 the total (with caudal). 



2. The mouth-cleft, owing 

 to the more posterior position 

 of the eyes, hardly surpasses 

 the front edge of the lower eye : 

 the origin of the ventral fin is 

 more than two eye-lengths dis- 

 tant from that of the anal. ,,, A, wood-masoni. 



