Description of a collection of Fishes from China. 391 



duda^ Buch. The first of these is the only species of the 

 extensive family to which it belongs described by Buchanan in 

 his work on the Gangetic fishes, which 1 had not before met 

 with ; it was consequently suspected from its rarity in Bengal, 

 that it might prove to be a variety only of Barbus hexagonole- 

 pis.^ Having identified the Chinese specimen in this collec- 

 tion with Buchanan's description, and compared it with a 

 specimen of Barbus hexagonolepis, we were enabled to draw 

 at least one definite distinction between the two ; namely, Bar- 

 bus hexagonolepis has 27 or 28 scales on the lateral line, while 

 Barbus putitora has only 24 or 25. When fresh specimens 

 of both are compared together, other more striking differ- 

 ences may appear. Of Silurus bimaculatus, Bloch, some slight 

 variations are apparent in the Chinese example here noticed, 

 from those pointed out by others in the same species as it oc- 

 curs at Java. It is also to be remarked, that the dark spot 

 on either side above the pectorals to which it owes its 

 name, is common to most, if not to all the species of this 

 genus. Silurus my soricus^ Cuv. et Val. would seem to be 

 Silurus duda, Buch. ; and, as it thus seems to belong to 

 China, as well as to Mysore and other parts of India, the 

 former name becomes improper, even if the latter had not 

 the priority. A new species is added to this genus differ- 

 ing only from Silurus pabda^ Buch., in possessing three 

 additional branchial rays, beyond the number ascribed to 

 Buchanan's species. 



With regard to the species of Trigla, which I have 

 named Spinosa, it is worthy of remark, that the fin rays 

 correspond with those of Trigla alata, Gmelin, said to belong 

 to the Japanese seas, and which, instead of the three de- 

 tached rays under the pectorals which are characteristic of 

 the genus, is described by Houttuyn as presenting the very 

 anomalous character of twenty rays in this situation, united 



* Indian Cyprinidse, As. Res. vol. xix, p. 336. 



