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Show 1868.] DR. C SEMPER ON MACROBRACHIUM. 585 BARBUS (PUNTIUS) MELANAMPYX, Day. This species Dr. Giinther* considers identical with Barbus (Puntius) grayi, Day, and Barbus (Systomus) arulius, Jerdon. Whether m y B. grayi is merely a variety of B. melanampyx I am unable to be quite decided about, not having a specimen of the latter at hand to compare with ; but it certainly is not identical with the B. arulius, as I shall presently show. Dr. Jerdon observes, " I know your Puntius melanampyx well; I noticed it in my catalogue as Cirrhinus fasciatus." This fish Dr. Gunther has placed as a Tylognathus (p. 62) amongst the doubtful species. But the specific name fasciatus is occupied by a species of Dr. Bleeker's f. As regards the differences between the Barbus grayi and B. arulius, some easily recognized ones are as follows:- B. grayi. D. 3/7-8. A. 2/5-6. L. 1. 20. Four barbels. Lateral line first curves very slightly downwards and then rises opposite to the commencement of the dorsal fin. Caudal lobed in its outer third or, even, half. B. arulius. D. 3/8-9. A. 2/5. L. 1. 23. No barbels. Lateral line curves directly downwards to above the ventral fin. Caudal deeply emarginated in its posterior three-fourths. The rise from the snout to the dorsal is great in the B. grayi, but slight in the B. arulius. Haying been unexpectedly directed to visit the various "auicuts" or weirs in the rivers of the Madras Presidency, for the purpose of ascertaining whether they are or are not causing destruction to the freshwater fisheries, I must defer the continuation of this paper until after m y return. 6. Some remarks on the N e w Genus Macrobrachium of M r. Spence Bate. By Dr. C. S E M P E R. The second number of the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' of 1868 contains an article by Mr. Spence Bate on a new genus of freshwater Crustaceans. Having had the opportunity of examining the original specimens of two of Mr. Bate's so-called new species, I found, to m y great astonishment, that certainly two, if not three, of these new species are well known, and have been repeatedly figured and described. Macrobrachium americanum, Spence Bate, from Lake Amatitlan, is identical with Palcemon jamaicensis, Herbst. To m y knowledge, Sir Hans Sloane % is the first author who described and figured this crustacean from Jamaica, as early as 1725 ; and Parra § described it in 1787 as " Cameron de agua dulce." Leach, in his 'Zoological Miscellany,' repeats that it lives in fresh water ; but Milne-Edwards * Catalogue of Fishes, vii. p. 133. f Giinther's Catalogue, vii. p. 122. X A Voyage to the Islands Madera &c., 1725, vol.ii. p. 271, t. 245. fig. 2. § Descripcion de diferentes piezas de historia natural &c, 1787, p. 154, t. 55. fig. 2. |