146 
THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
Pam. OPHIOCEPHALIDiE, Gunther. 
Labyrinthici, pt, Cuvier. 
Labyrinthibranchii, pt., Owen. 
Opiiiocephaloidei, Bleeker. 
Genus OPHIOCEPHALUS, Blocli. 
Branchiostegals five: pseudobranchiae none. Body elongated, subcylindrical anteriorly. Head 
depressed, covered superiorly with shield like scales. Cleft of mouth lateral, wide. Gill opening wide, the 
membrane of both sides connected below the isthmus. A labyrinthiform cavity accessory to the gill cavity 
for the purpose of retaining water. Yilliform teeth on jaws, vomer, and palate, sometimes with larger ones 
intermixed. One long spineless dorsal and anal fin. Ventral thoracic, six rays, the outer one not 
branched but articulated at its extremity. Scales usually large. Lateral line abruptly curved or sub¬ 
interrupted. An air bladder. Pyloric appendages two. 
Opiiiocephalus MARULIUS. 
Sowarah, Bussell , pi. 163. 
Ophiocephalus marulius, Ham. Buck. pp. 65, 367, pi. 17, f. 19 ; Cuv. & Val. vii. 
p. 432 ; Jerdon , Madras Jour. xv. 1848, p. 146 ; Gunther , Catal. iii. p. 478. 
Ophiocephalus grandinosus, Cuv. & Val. vii. p. 434, pi. 203. 
Ophiocephalus leucopunctatus, Sykes , Trans. Zool. Soc. ii. p. 352, pi. 60, f. 3. 
? Ophiocephalus pseudomarulius, Gunther , Catal. iii. p. 478 (? young). 
Choaree yerarl, and Cooravoo, Mai. 
B. v. D. 49-55. P. 18. V. 6. A. 31-36. C. 14. L. 1. 59-64. L. tr. |-f. 
Length of head of caudal p 3 ^, of base of dorsal of base of anal ^ of total length. 
Height of head Jy, of body }, of dorsal fin in front portion in posterior portion Jq, of anal fin 
in front portion Jg, in posterior portion y 1 ^, of ventral y T of total length. 
Eyes—Situated laterally, but a small portion on upper surface of the head, and they look upwards 
and outwards. Diameter length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, nearly 2 diameters apart. 
Head depressed and widest opposite the opercles, where it equals the height of the body. 
Body elongated with rather compressed sides. Cheeks slightly bulging. Cleft of mouth wide. 
Upper jaw rather protrusible. Maxilla extends half the length of the orbit behind its posterior 
margin. Between the orbit and the angle of the preopercle are a series of from ten to eleven 
very irregular scales. Opercle terminating in a bluntish point, and having about five transverse 
series of scales. Lower jaw flat below, with a knob at the symphysis. Posterior nostril just in 
advance of, and inferior to the orbit. 
Teeth—Numerous and villiform in jaws, vomer, and palate. In lower jaw they are most 
numerous in the centre, whilst along each ramus there exists a single row of larger teeth posterior 
to the villiform ones. 
Fins—Dorsal commences over the pectoral, and the ventral below its anterior third. Pectoral 
does not quite extend to opposite the commencement of the anal, which arises under about the 
seventeenth dorsal ray. There is a very short portion of the tail Unless between the termination 
of the vertical fins and the commencement of the caudal, but it is rather longer below than above. 
Dorsal fin lowest in front, its extremity being twice the height of its anterior portion, the same 
also obtains in the anal. Pectoral and caudal rounded. 
