1244 Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. [Nov. 



lips completely hide the teeth ; the upper jaw projects beyond the 

 lower. In each jaw appears a single series of closely set, small, flat- 

 tened teeth, resembling a fine comb. To the naked eye the apex of 

 the teeth appears to be truncated, trenchant, but under a lens it is 

 bluntly trilobate. The cirri are very fine : the maxillary reach to the 

 preopercle, the mandibular pairs are so short as to easily escape ob- 

 servation. The nostrils open closely in front of the orbit. The latter 

 occupies the second fourth of the head, a little nearer to the jaw than 

 to the forehead ; the greatest diameter, obliquely downwards, is a little 

 less than J of the length of the head. Of the four branchiostegous 

 rays, the two upper ones are longer and broader than the lower. The 

 dorsal spine is strong and nearly as long as the head, the two sides 

 are striated, the lower half of the anterior margin is granulated, the 

 upper half of this and of the posterior margin is finely toothed ; the 

 first ray is a little longer than the spine. The pectoral spine is a little 

 shorter than the dorsal, which it otherwise resembles. The ventrals 

 are § of the length of the head. The extent of the base of the anal 

 is f , the eighth ray § of the length of the head. The adipose dorsal 

 fin is placed opposite the middle of the anal ; its base and length are \ 

 of the latter. The posterior margin of the caudal is nearly crescent- 

 shaped ; the upper lobe slightly longer than the lower, is A\ in the 

 total length. The lateral line resembles that of Arius truncatus. A 

 single individual was observed at Pinang in August 1844. The yel- 

 lowish white oval spot on the forehead is in some other Silnroidce cha- 

 racteristic of immaturity. It may perhaps also be so in this species, 

 notwithstanding the worn appearance of the trilobate teeth. 



Gen. Clarias, (Gronov. 1763,) Valenciennes, 1840. 



(Cossyphus, McClelland, 1843.*— Phagorus, McClelland, 1844.) 

 Head with a long, granular helmet, formed by the cranial and supra- 



* Sir John Richardson in his Report, 1845, p. 287, observes, that " Cossyphus 

 ater, McClelland, (Calcutta Journ. IV. p. 403, PI. 22, Fig. 3,) is apparently an 

 injured example of this genus," (Plotosus, apud Richardson.) 



Cossyphus ater, McClelland, is founded upon ^.mutilated specimen of either Cla- 

 rias jagur, (Macropteronotus jagur, Buch. Hamilton, 145, 374,) or upon a closely 

 allied species, but more probably upon the former. Mr. McClelland later substi- 

 tuted Phagorus for Cossyphus (Calcutta Journ. V. 225, Errata). 



