1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. 1 0/3 



caudal fin not included. The distance from the last dorsal fin to the 

 upper caudal appears to be constantly equal the length of the head. 

 The longest dorsal, caudal and anal rays seldom exceed the length of 

 the head, but are frequently a little shorter. The first ventral ray in 

 some reaches the termination of the anal, in others beyond that of the 

 caudal. The anal rays are either all undivided or a few of the posterior 

 are divided, and the last connected to the caudal. The length of the 

 pectoral is § of that of the head. The lateral line consists on each 

 scale of a central transversal tube, above and below which appears a 

 short elongated furrow. A straight line from the gill-opening to the 

 root of the caudal contains from 44 to 46 scales ; a vertical at the 

 deepest part of the body from 20 to 25. The lower margin of the in- 

 fraorbitals and of the preopercle are closely and rather strongly toothed. 

 The stomach is rounded, contracted in the middle, and as well as the 

 spirally twisted intestines almost entirely hid by the large light brown 

 liver. There are two rather long ccecopyloric appendages. The gall- 

 bladder is rather large, the spleen small. Between the vertebral 

 column and the abdominal cavity appears a very short air-vessel, silvery 

 like the peritoneum, but much thinner. The intestinal canal is nearly 

 double the length of the fish. The labyrinth-form organ (Plate II. Fig. 

 5,) is less complicated than in Osphromenus olfax : it consists of three 

 laminae of which the central is the largest, entirely hiding the third, the 

 inner one. Like the rest of the family, this species is capable of sus- 

 taining life out of water, particularly if kept in wetted fresh leaves, or 

 occasionally sprinkled with water. At Pinang it is numerous in stream- 

 lets and ponds, where it is eaten by the poorest classes. The exquisite 

 beauty of the metallic irridescent colours make these fishes acquisitions 

 in garden tanks. Like Osphromenus olfax they are very pugnacious 

 among themselves. 



A second species of Trichopodus has been discovered by Mr. 

 Campbell, Superintendent of Darjeeling, in the rivers at the Sikkim 

 passes on the northern frontier of Bengal. An incorrect and defective 

 description and figure have been published by Mr. McClelland, who 

 imagining the fish to belong to the Family of Chcetodontidce, and the 

 genus to be new, denominated it Ctenops nobilis.* 



* Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist. V. 281, PI. 21, Fig. 1. 



6 y 2 



