OCR Text |
Show 288 SURGEON t, DAY ON INDIAN SILUROID FISHES. [Apr. 4, round or oval form, situated in the anterior part of the abdomen, and resting against the almost horizontally expanded lateral processes of the first two vertebrae, to which it has also tendinous attachments. MACRONES NANGRA, Ham. Buch. D. J|0. P. g. V. 6. A.§. C. 17. Length of head f, of caudal §_ height of body T 2 T of the total length. Eyes rather high up, situated in the anterior half of the head, and 1| diameter from the end of the snout. A wide and deep superior longitudinal furrow extends from the snout to the posterior end of the occipital process, which latter is above half longer than broad at its base. The basal bone of the dorsal fin is extended laterally as well as anteriorly, where it meets the occipital process, there being no separate interneural bone. T he width of the head at the opercles equals its length. Mouth wide, cleft shallow, the upper jaw much longer than the lower. Nasal barbels slightly longer than the head, the maxillary ones reach the vent, the external mandibular ones extend to the base of the ventral, the internal ones to the base of the pectoral. Teeth villiform, in an uninterrupted crescentic band. Fins. Dorsal spine weak, smooth, half as long as the head ; pectoral spine moderately strong, nearly as long as the head without the snout, and having nine strong denticulations internally. Length of base of adipose dorsal equals the distance the fin commences from the termination of the base of the first dorsal, and is as long as that of the anal. Caudal deeply forked, lobes of equal length and pointed. Colours. Muddy, slightly clouded in places. Hab. Allahabad, in the Ganges, attaining 1| inch in length, and not uncommon. Genus R I T A. In the R. crucigera, Owen (if differing from the R. kuturnee, Sykes, which appears doubtful), the air-vessel is in the abdominal cavity; it has a strong white tendinous covering, which sends down partitions subdividing it into three portions, the one being anterior, the other two posterior and lateral, whilst their walls are very thin. Genus HEMIPIMELODUS. In the H. cenia, H a m . Buch., the air-vessel is laterally divided into two lobes and entirely enclosed in bone, as in the majority of the Loaches (Cobitidina). GLYPTOSTERNUM TELCHITTA, H. Buch. D. ||0. P. |. V. 6. A. i C. 15. Length of head |_ of caudal above £, height of body T 2 3 of the total length. Eyes small, situated in the commencement of the posterior half of the head. |