1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes, 1183 



the anal, is £ of the total ; of which that in front of the caudal is T V« 

 The vertical section at the occiput is nearly square, from thence the 

 sides of the head are gradually compressed towards the truncated 

 muzzle, the breadth of which is \ less than that of the occiput. The 

 upper part of the head is flattened, gently declining to between the 

 eyes, when it becomes arched and abruptly declining. The length of 

 the head is i of the total, the depth at occiput about \ of the length. 

 The distance from the muzzle to the orbit is i of the length of the 

 head. The upper part of the orbit forms a part of the profile ; the dia- 

 meter of the eye is \ of the length of the head. The mouth is rather 

 large : as the jaws are truncated in front, they consist of a central and 

 two lateral portions. The central or transversal supports a single close 

 series of minute setaceous trenchant teeth : those of the upper jaw are 

 placed vertically ; those of the lower, the shorter, horizontally. In 

 the upper jaw their number varies from 30 to 40 ; in the lower from 

 32 to 50. The number appears to be independent of age : of two 

 individuals measuring 5 inch, in length, one had f f, the other f f inci- 

 sors, while two others, about 3 inches in length, had f £ and \ f . On 

 each side of the lateral part of the upper jaw, a short distance behind the 

 incisors, appears a small caniue. A much longer canine, equalling the 

 diameter of the eye, is placed on each side of the lower jaw immediately 

 behind the incisors. When the mouth is closed each of the lower 

 canines is received into a large oval cavity in the palate. Behind the 

 canines the jaws are toothless. There is no tongue ; under the throat 

 are two excessively minute filaments. Just above and a little in 

 front of the root of the pectorals appears a short crescent-shaped 

 fissure, the opening of the gills. On the upper part of the head 

 are several pores, of which one above the anterior part of each 

 orbit, appears to be constant. The body appears to be naked with 

 numerous minute pores secreting mucus. The lateral line proceeds 

 from the posterior part of the opercle obliquely upwards to about the 

 fifth dorsal ray, from whence it follows close to the base of the fin 

 towards the eleventh ray, when it turns for a short distance obliquely 

 downwards and suddenly terminates. The dorsal fin commences on a 

 line with the posterior margin of the preopercle ; the first ray is a little 

 shorter than the rest, which are nearly equal, f of the greatest diame- 

 ter of the body. The dorsal, like all the other fin rays, are undivided, 

 but the first 1 1 dorsal are simple, not jointed ; the last one is connected 



7 n 



