318 ACANTHOPTEEYGII. 



3. Gobioides caeculus, Plate LXVIII, fig. 1. 



Ccepola ocecula, Bl. Sclin. p. 241, t. 54. 



Amblyopus cceculus, Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 165 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 144 ; Giintlicr, Catal. iii, 

 p. 133; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 117. 

 Gogee ramah, Tel. 



B. v, D. 6 | 40-44, P. 15, V. 1/5, A. 38-45, C. 13. 



Length of head 7 to 7J, of pectoral 16| to 18, of caudal 10, height of body 13| to 15 in the total length. 

 Eyes^-high up, minute, in the anterior third of the head, and 5 diameters from the end of the snout. The 

 greatest width of the head equals its height or 1/2 its length. Body rounded, head as wide as the body. Lower 

 jaw the longer, with some small barbels on it : cleft of mouth oblique. Teeth — an outer row of more or less 

 curved teeth in either jaw, varying from 16 to 18 in the upper and 10 to 13 in the lower jaw, several villiform 

 rows internally : no posterior canines in the lower jaw. Fins — dorsal and anal only united to the caudal at 

 then' bases in some specimens, in half the height of the last rays in others : the fins enveloped in skin. Ventral 

 as long as the head. Caudal short and pointed. Scales — absent. Colours — vary, those at Madras are mostly 

 of a leaden hue, becoming light on the abdomen (Schneider shows several vertical black bands which I have not 

 observed) : vertical fins gray, central caudal rays black : pectorals and ventrals reddish, or they may be of a 

 coppery colour along the back, shot with blue along the sides, fins reddish except the caudal which is deep 

 brown with reddish outer edges. Some are of a general reddish-brown colour. 



Amongst Sir Walter Elliot's drawings of Waltair fishes is one of this species marked Gagiliam or Bdma, 

 Tel. taken from a tank January 10th, 1854. 



This fish, like many others related to it, is exceedingly vicious, and when captured snaps at everything 

 near it : should its tail be touched it springs round and anything it seizes, it holds on to in tbe most determined 

 manner. 



Habitat. — Seas, estuaries, tidal rivers and tanks along the coasts of India and the Andamans. The one 

 figured (life-size) is from Madras. 



4. Gobioides cirratus, Plate LXIX, fig. 4. 



Amblijopus cirratus, Blyth, J. A. S. of Beng. 1860, p.. 147. 

 Amblyopus brachygaster, Giinther, Catal. iii, 1861, p. 134. 



B. v, D. 6 | 43-47, P. 13, V. 1/5, A. 43-46, C. 13. 



Length of head 7\, of caudal 9, height of body 8 to 12|- in the total length. Eyes — exceedingly minute, 

 sometimes almost invisible. Blyth says they are " undiscernible in an adult preserved in spirit." Giinther says 

 " eyes invisible." Greatest width of head equals 2/3 of its length, and its height equals slightly more. Lower 

 jaw anterior, its end forming a portion of the dorsal profile : cleft of mouth almost vertical. A pair of barbels 

 under the symphysis of the lower jaw, and two more along either ramus. Teeth — much larger and more curved 

 than in G. anguillaris, from eight to ten in the upper and six or eight in the lower jaw : internal to this outer 

 row are several more of pointed, scarcely villiform, teeth : no posterior canines above the symphysis of the lower 

 jaw. Fins — dorsal densely enveloped in skin and not quite so high as the body, it is separated from the caudal 

 by a notch. Pectoral fleshy in its basal three-fourths and not quite half as lon^las the ventrals, which latter 

 are nearly as long as the head. Anal not quite so high as the dorsal and like it enveloped in dense skin and 

 separated from the caudal by a deep notch. Caudal rhomboidal. Colours — bright pinkish, caudal dark except 

 its outer edges which are pink. 



A. brachygaster, Giinther, appears to be the same. Length of head 6J to 6f , of caudal 8, height of body 

 7g to 10* in the total length. Outer row of teeth in upper jaw from 10 to 20, in lower from 6 to 9. The 

 adult specimen referred to is 10 not 14 inches in length. 



Habitat. — Hooghly. The sjjecimen figured is rather above 10 inches long, and from Calcutta. Its less 

 numerous enlarged anterior row of teeth, comparatively shorter head and less height of body separate it from 

 G. anguillaris, to which however it is very closely allied. 



5. Gobioides Buchanani, Plate LXVII, fig. 5. 



Amblyopus Buchanani, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 110. 



B. v, D. 6 | 42, P. 19, V. 1/5, A. 36, C. 17. 



Length of head 7 to 7\, of caudal 8, height of body 12 to 14 in the total length. Eyes — distinct. 

 Greatest width of head equals its height, or half its length. Lower jaw prominent, its cleft rather oblique. 

 The posterior nostril opens just before the eye, and the anterior one, which is tubular, close to the front edge of 

 the snout. A minute pair of barbels below the symphysis of the lower jaw, and a still smaller pair behind them. 

 Teeth — a front row of eight large and curved teeth in either jaw, several villiform rows posterior to them : a 

 pair of posterior canines above the symphysis of the lower jaw. Fins — vertical ones continuous, their posterior 



* In Blyth "s type the height of the body is 1/8 of the total. 



