Indian Cypnnidce. 



115 



Barbels, our author has formed a subgenug^ which he calls Oreinus, 

 from Oreinos, pertaining to mountains. 



The second subfamily is called Sarcoborince, from 2af)/coj3opoc, 

 carnivorous. This subfamily is composed of five genera. Two of 

 these genera were previously established ; viz. Leuciscus, (Klein,) 

 and Abramis, (Cuv.) — three other genera are formed by our author. 

 The first of these, he calls Systomns, from Systomos, that has a 

 narrow mouth. Characters. " Intermaxillaries protractile, dorsal 

 and anal short, the former opposite to the ventral and preceded 

 by a spinous ray ; body elevated, and marked by two or more distinct 

 dark spots, or diffuse spots either on the fins or opercula, promi- 

 nence on the apex of the lower jaw obscure." 



The genus Perilampus, from fle^tXa^Tj to, to irradiate, or shine 

 brilliantly, is thus distinguished. Head small, obliquely raised 

 above the axis of the body ; dorsal placed opposite to a larger anal ; 

 apices of the j aws raised to a line with the dorsum, which is straight ; 

 the ventral margin is much arched, sides usually streaked with blue ; 

 fins without spinous rays. Obs, In this genus the intestine is small, 

 and very little longer than the body. The species all subsist exclu- 

 sively on insects, which they seize by leaping above the surface. 

 They vary from two to four inches in length." 



The third genus of our author, is Opsarius, from o\f/apiov, picis- 

 culus, a small fish ; its characters are thus defined : " Mouth widely 

 cleft ; body slender, and usually marked with transverse green streaks 

 or spots ; dorsal small without spines, and placed behind the middle, 

 and long, lower margin of the body more arched than the upper. 

 Obs. Intestine very short, and extends almost straight from the 

 stomach to the vent." 



In the genera of this sub -family, the mouth is situated directly op- 

 posite to the position it had in the former. They are all insectivor- 

 ous—the Opsarions, which also devour smaller species of fishes, par- 

 ticularly gudgeons, are so voracious, that "it is no uncommon thing 

 to find an Opsarion so overgorged that the tail of its prey remains 

 protruding from the mouth, to be swallowed after that portion which 

 is capable of being received into the capacious stomach is suffici- 

 ently digested to admit of the introduction of the remainder." 



