326 TELEOSTEI. ACANTHOPTEBGYII. 



6. Genus CRISTICEPS, Cuv. & Val. 



Branchiostegals six ; pseudobranchiae. Body elongate, covered 

 with small or rudimentary scales. Gill-opening wide. Cleft of 

 mouth of moderate width, snout short. Usually some tentacles on 

 the head. Fine teeth on. the jaws and vomer. Two separate 

 dorsal fins, the anterior composed of three spines, the posterior 

 with many rays, the majority of which are spines. Ventral 

 jugular, with one spine and two or three rays. Pyloric appendages 

 absent. Viviparous. 



Geographical Distribution. Mediterranean, Ceylon to the Malay 

 Archipelago, coasts and rivers of Australia and Tasmania. 



1150. (1.) Cristiceps halei. (Fig. 106.) 

 Cristiceps halei, Day, Fish. India, Suppl. 1888, p. 799. 



D. 3 | 27/4. P. 13. V. 1/2. A. 2/19. C. 14. 

 Length of head 4*-, height of body 4f in the total length. Eyes 

 4 diameters in length of head, 1 diam. from end of snout, and 

 nearly 1 apart. A broad-fringed supraorbital tentacle and a short 

 simple one on the snout. Fins first dorsal commences above hind 

 edge of eye, its spines are higher than the front ones in second 

 dorsal. All pectoral rays unbranched ; anal with two spines, 

 fifteen unbranched and four divided rays. Caudal wedge-shaped. 



Fig. 106. Cristiceps halei. 



Scales rudimentary. Lateral line with a rather strong curve 

 anteriorly. Colour brownish yellow, with a white mark behind the 

 lower half of the orbit, and some irregularly shaped white markings 

 on the occiput and gill-covers, two more at the base of the pectoral 

 fin, a row of about 12 below the base of the spinous dorsal fin, and 

 two more badly developed rows along the sides of the body. 

 Hob. Colombo (Holy) the figure is of natural size. 



7. Genus XIPHASIA, Swainson. 

 Syn. Nemophis, Kaup ; Xiphogadm, Gunther. 



Branchiostegals six. Body elongate, eel-like, and posteriorly 

 compressed. Suborbital bone rough. Eyes lateral. Gill-opening 



