1849.] 



Fishes of Southern India. 



337 



above, silvery iridescent beneath ; upper fins greenish, with a black 

 spot on the posterior edge of the adipose fin (as in B. aor.) ; lower 

 fins glossy. 



I procured some specimens of this remarkable looking fish in the 

 Cavery river at Errode. It is nearly allied to B- aor. ; whence my 

 name, but differs both from it and one or two allied species. 



^'Bagrus seenghala, (Sykes.) 

 " A Platystomo, with the tail fin crescent shaped, lobes unequal ; 

 with 8 cirri, 2 of which only are longer than the head, reaching to 

 two-thirds of the length of the fish ; the first ray of the pectoral 

 fins serrated behind ; head long, flat, spatulate, covered with a granu- 

 lated long plate. Dorsal fin of 8 rays ; high ; ventral fins far back, of 

 6 rays. Grows to a great size ; flesh heating and soft." I have very 

 little doubt that this fish of Sykes is also closel}'' allied to B. aor.y no 

 Indian Platystoma being known at present. 



Bagrus Cavasius. (Ham. Buch.) C. V. 

 Head about one-fourth of length of body, dorsal spine one-third 

 shorter than next soft ray, without teeth ; pectoral spine strongly 

 toothed, adipose fin reaching from the dorsal close to the caudal ; up- 

 per lobe of caudal somewhat longer than the lower ; maxillary cirri as 

 long as body — D. 1-7, A. 11 — from 4 to 6 inches long; light plumb- 

 eous above ; whitish or yellowish beneath ; fins leaden; about 6 inches 

 long. This fish is spread throughout all India from the north of Ben- 

 gal to the south of the Carnatic, being found in rivers and tanks. I 

 have not however as yet procured it from Malabar, 



Bagrus heletius. C. V. 

 Nearly allied to the last; differs in the point of its occipital crest 

 being longer and not so sharp, in its 1st dorsal fin being rounder, the 

 trunk of the tail being higher ; and its maxillary cirri only reaching 

 to the middle of the anal — D. 1-7, A. 1-12, &c. I have procured this 

 fish from Mysore. 



Bagrus montanus. New Species. 



Head about 4 times and one-eighth in the length of body ; height 5 

 times in the same; eye about 4 times in the length of head and with 

 \ \ diameter, between them ; maxillary cirrus reaches to the anal fin; 

 2nd dorsal about one fourth of total length; dorsal spine very slightly 



