1340 Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. [Dec. 



Dark bluish green slate-coloured ; filament of the chin black ; spine 

 of the anterior dorsal pale bluish green, membrane hyaline, minutely 

 dotted with black ; posterior dorsal, anal and pectorals transparent 

 brownish white, rays pale yellowish brownish yellow ; caudal rays 

 yellow, membrane black. Pupil black, horizontally oval ; iris silvery. 



ri— 44, T65, 



Ll— 51, 159, 



Habit. — Sea of Pinang, Singapore. 



Total length : 9f inch. 



The form of the body is narrow, very elongated, resembling the blade 

 of a knife ; the sides compressed, the abdomen nearly trenchant. The 

 head is very elongated, gradually attenuated towards the muzzle ; its 

 length from the chin to a little behind the orbit is | of the total, or very 

 little more or less. The eye occupies the commencement of the posterior 

 fifth of the head : it is situated beneath the spine of the anterior dorsal, 

 close to, without encroaching upon the profile ; the horizontal diameter 

 is -i, rarely J of the length of the head ; the horizontal distance between 

 the eyes is but § of their diameter. The two apertures of each nostril 

 are minute, tubular, opening side by side immediately in front of the 

 anterior margin of the orbit. The lower jaw is longer than the upper^ 

 beyond which the rounded chin projects ; the mouth is a small trans- 

 versal cleft which opens vertically on the upper part of the muzzle ; 

 the lips are thin, membranous ; the teeth, apparently 8 in the upper, 

 6 in the lower jaw, do not differ from those of the preceding species 

 of Alutarius. To the chin is attached a vertical, soft, fleshy filament,, 

 tapering from the base into a sharp point, its length exceeds \ of the 

 head. Between the branches of the lower jaw, from behind the fila- 

 ment to the lower extremity of the gill-opening, the skin of the throat 

 is lax and forms a kind of narrow, slightly downwards arched dewlap. 

 The floor of the mouth rises gradually towards the second third of the 

 head, where the three very elongated branchial arches commence. The 

 rest of the cavity is a very narrow tube which closely follows the gently 

 backwards ascending profile of the forehead. No distinct tongue is 

 visible. The gill-opening is linear, downwards arched, and very 

 oblique ; it commences beneath the anterior angle of the orbit, on a le- 

 vel with the root of the pectorals, the distance from which, as well as 



