1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. 1303 



a little larger than the rest. A little behind this cluster commence 

 the teeth of the middle line of the palate which resemble the former, 

 and are arranged in the shape of a short dagger. On each side of the 

 jaw is an elongated, pointed and backwards diverging band of teeth. 

 They commence with a narrow interval from the handle of the dagger 

 and are all globular, except a single series of minute pointed teeth along 

 the internal margin of each band. The lower jaw is one diameter of 

 the eye shorter than the upper, leaving uncovered the point of the 

 muzzle with its teeth and the nasal tubes. The teeth resemble 

 those of the upper jaw with a similar internal series of pointed 

 ones ; the band of each branch is separated by a narrow interval on 

 the symphysis. The tongue is oval and tied to the floor of the cavity 

 extending but little in front of the posterior third of the mouth. 

 The vertical diameter at the occiput is ^, at the anus 3^, at the 

 termination of the dorsal and anal T ^ of the length of the head. All 

 the fin rays are double ; those of the dorsal and anal undivided. The 

 rounded pectorals are placed obliquely a little behind the gill-opening ; 

 their length is J of the head; the distance from the muzzle to the root 

 of the upper ray is contained 8£ times in the total length. The dorsal 

 commences above the end of the anterior third of the pectorals and 

 terminates rather abruptly at a distance from the compressed point of 

 the tail equal to the diameter of the eye ; the largest rays do not exceed 

 the distance from the muzzle to the anterior orbital margin. The anus 

 opens two diameters of the eye behind the termination of the second 

 fifth of the total length. The fin commences immediately behind the 

 anus, and terminates opposite the dorsal which it resembles in length. 

 The lateral line commences from the side of the occiput, occupying 

 the upper third of the side till it reaches the anus, from whence it 

 continues in the middle to the point of the tail. Beneath it is accom- 

 panied by a series of pores, one diameter of the eye distant from each 

 other. This species is numerous at all seasons. In external appear- 

 ance it resembles O. cancrivorus, Richardson (Zool. Erebus and Terror, 

 Fishes. PL 50, Fig. 6,) but the latter is more slender, the teeth of 

 the jaw and palate appear in front to coalesce ; there are no pores 

 behind the eyes, but four along each branch of the lower jaw. The 

 heart is placed immediately behind the gill-openings. The apex of the 

 heart is clasped by the bifid anterior extremity of the broad, thick, 



8 E 



