OCR Text |
Show 1868.] SURGEON F. DAY ON NEW FISHES FROM AMADRAS. 195 GOBIUS BLEEKERT, sp. nov. B.iv. D. 611-. P. IP. V. 1/5. A. 1/8. L. 1. 33. L. tr. 15. Length of specimen 2 fa inches. Length of head rather more than ^, of pectoral ^, of base of first dorsal |-, of base of second dorsal |, of base of anal ^, of caudal -\ of total length. Height of head \, of body •£, of first dorsal ^, of second dorsal \, of ventral ^, of anal 4- of total length. Eyes directed upwards and slightly outwards, closely approximating superiorly ; diameter \ length of head, § of a diameter from end of snout. Body subfusiform. Cheeks much puffed out. Mouth antero-superior. Lower jaw the longest. Cleft of mouth oblique ; the posterior extremity of the maxilla reaches to beneath the anterior third of the orbit. Interorbital space very narrow, and concave; praeoperculum as broad as high. Teeth in numerous sharp villiform rows in both jaws, with an external conical series in the upper jaw, the largest of which are in the centre of the jaw. In the anterior half of the lower jaw there is an external enlarged row of about twelve, the outer tooth of which is much the largest, being a recurved conical canine. Fins. Dorsal spines fine, with hair-like prolongations. Two rows of scales between the extremity of the first and the commencement of the second dorsal, the posterior rays of the latter fin are its longest. The centre rays of the pectoral have silk-like prolongations. The ventral does not reach as far as the origin of the anal. The anal is similar to the second dorsal. Caudal wedge-shaped, with the centre rays the longest. 'Scales. Ctenoid, extended as far forwards as the posterior margin of the orbit. None on the cheeks or the base of the pectoral; those anterior to the dorsal fin are rather smaller than the remainder. There are eleven rows of scales between the origin of the second dorsal and the origin of the anal fins. Colours. Olivaceous, clouded with darker blotches and irregular spots, very fine black dots on the scales. First dorsal dusky in its upper half, with a large bluish spot extending from the first to the fourth spine, and a light mark along its base from the fourth to the sixth. The spines orange. The second dorsal nearly black from a number of fine points, which are most numerous towards its base; the first half minutely edged with white, and some blue spots on its posterior half. The anal covered with minute black dots. The pectoral orange, having a large blue ocellus on the upper half of its base • the lowest ray also deep blue. Ventral blackish. Caudal nearly black, but with from three to four rows of bluish-white spots between each ray. Hab. Madras backwater. Rare. I have named this pretty species after Dr. Bleeker, the celebrated ichthyologist of the east. |