1 84 9 .] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes, 1257 



brane is narrow, but it projects behind the posterior radiated angle of 

 the opercle. The branchiostegous rays are excessively slender and 

 flexible like hairs, and they gradually increase in length backwards. 

 The posterior ones may be seen through the lower part of the opercle, 

 The nostrils open vertically in front of the anterior margin of the 

 orbit ; the anterior opening is the larger. The upper part of the head 

 is arched from side to side, and cellular, covered by a thin membrane, 

 and like the rest of the head and body by diaphanous, deciduous scales. 

 The latter are of moderate size, oval with concentrical rings. The 

 lateral line, a little nearer the back than the abdomen, is slightly raised 

 or keeled, and consists of about 44 rectangular membranous pieces, 

 covered with scales like the rest of the body. The line is continued 

 over the central pointed lobe of the caudal, and this portion contains 

 6 to 8 additional membranous pieces. All the scales are diaphanous 

 and flexible, and cannot but with difficulty be distinguished in the 

 fresh fish. The vertical diameter at occiput is £, at the anterior 

 dorsal J, at the root of the caudal J^ of the total length. The 

 anterior dorsal is placed in the middle of the back, at equal distance 

 from the muzzle and the root of the caudal. The third ray, the 

 longest, is 4f in the total length ; the rest gradually decrease ; the 

 last is a little more than ^ of the third ray, of which the extent of 

 the base slightly exceeds J. The first ventral ray is placed opposite 

 the first dorsal ray, at equal distance from the muzzle and the last anal 

 ray. The fin extends to the middle of the anal, its length being ^ of 

 the total. Outside the root appears a very thin elongated scale. The 

 first anal ray is placed at equal distance from the last dorsal and the 

 root of the caudal ; the third ray, the longest, is 7 J in the total length, 

 and twice the length of the last ray ; the extent of the base equals that 

 of the anterior dorsal. The adipose dorsal is rather large, elongated 

 and placed opposite the posterior third of the anal fin. The caudal is 

 divided in three pointed lobes, of which the upper and lower are about 

 £ of the total length ; the central lobe, composed of the three elongated 

 central rays, is either equal to, or a little shorter than the former two ; 

 almost the whole of the fin is covered with minute scales. The pecto- 

 rals are falciform and extend in the young to the last dorsal ray, but 

 they become shorter with age, and then vary from a little less than 

 ^ of to 3J in the total length. They appear to have no axillary scale. 



7 y 2 



