296 
FASCICULI MALATENSES 
of capture. We can neither confirm nor disagree with Professor Hickson’s 
view, that this species sits with its tail in the water, oxygenating its blood by 
means of the highly vascular tissues of this organ, and we have no reason to 
think that it constructs a burrow or nest ; but it must be remembered that all 
the individuals of this species which we observed were probably immature. 
The young are common, together with those of the succeeding species and of 
several of Boleophthalmus^ a mile-and-a-half up the Patani River from the 
sea, in brackish water among the roots of sago and nipa palms, and it is 
probable, judging from the analogy of other forms, that they go further up 
stream than the adults. The eyes did not seem to us to be so prominent in 
life as those of specimens of P. koelreuteri from West Africa, which we have 
seen in the aquarium of the Free Public Museums in Liverpool and the 
gardens of the Zoological Society of London. 
16. Periophthalmus phyas sp. nov. 
(PI. XIV) 
This form resembles P. schlosseri^ but appears to differ in (i) the 
complete fusion of the pelvic fins in both young and adult specimens ; 
(2) the number of rays in the pectoral fins ; (3) the number of rays in the 
caudal fins, and (4) the larger size of the specimens obtained. 
The length of the head is contained four times, and the height of the 
body five and two-thirds times, in the extreme length. The cleft of the 
mouth is continued back to about the middle of the orbit ; the upper jaw 
projects slightly ; the snout has a very prominent fleshy fold, at either 
extremity of which are situated flattened, pointed, nasal tentacles with the 
nostrils at their extremities. In the upper jaw there are three or four large 
pointed and slightly curved teeth on either side of the symphysis, with eight 
or nine much smaller conical ones at each side in a single row. In the lower 
jaw there are ten to fourteen teeth on each side, smaller than those at the 
centre of the upper jaw, and becoming smaller posteriorly ; all the teeth in 
the lower jaw are vertical. Teeth are frequently wanting close to the 
mandibular symphysis. The upper and lower lips are covered with small, 
low papillae or tubercles. 
The first dorsal fin contains from seven to nine flexible spines, the first 
of which is the longest, and is about half the length of the head ; the second 
dorsal has thirteen to fourteen rays, and the anal twelve to thirteen rays ; 
the pectoral has seventeen to eighteen, and the caudal eighteen to nineteen 
rays. These numbers represent the extreme variability in nine large 
individuals, from ten to twelve inches in total length. The pelvic fins are 
fused throughout their entire length in all these specimens. 
Phyu is a high Siamese title. — Edd. 
