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Show 1876.] MR. F. DAY ON THE FISHES OF YARKAND. 791 12. SCHIZOPYGOPSIS STOLICZKA. Schizopygopsis stolicka, Steind. Verh. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 1866, p. 785 ; Gunther, Cat. vii. p. 1 70. B.iv., D.g, P. 13, V. 11, A. A,C. 19. Length of head 5 to 5f, of caudal 5| to 5f, height of body 7 to 8 in the total length. Eyes: diameter 4 to 5 in the length of head, 1 to H diameter from end of snout, and 1| to 2 apart. The greatest width of the head equals its length behind the middle of the eyes; and its height equals its length excluding the snout. Mouth inferior, overhung by the snout; the maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the eye. A sharp, anterior, horny edge to the mandible. Barbels absent. Fins : the dorsal commences about midway between the end of the snout and the root of the caudal; its upper edge is nearly straight, oblique; the fin is as high as the body below it, and one third higher than its base is long; its last undivided ray osseous and finely serrated posteriorly. Pectoral not quite so long as the head, and reaching rather above halfway to the ventral, which latter, arising below the middle of the dorsal, is slightly the shorter, and does not reach the anal. Anal, when laid flat, reaches the base of the caudal; it is rather above twice as high as its base is long. Caudal deeply forked. Free portion of the tail as high as long. Lateral line: at first descends gently, and, then reascending, attains the middle of the body opposite the posterior extremity of the dorsal fin. Colours: olive superiorly, becoming white on the sides and beneath ; the whole covered with irregular blackish spots. The ova are comparatively large. The serrated dorsal spine is strongest in specimens from Leh. These fishes appear to be much attacked by parasites, which occasion yellowish elevated tubercles, not only on the head and body, but also on the dorsal fin. One specimen, from Balachi, had a shot (No. 2) imbedded in the isthmus, where the parts around it had healed. Hab. Leh or Ladak, Tankse, and fry or small ones from Lukung and Chagra (15,090 feet), all being waters directly or indirectly going to the Indus. Some fry from Sirikol, the waters of which go to the Yarkand river*, Aktash, Upper Kara-kul and Panjah, tributaries of the Oxus or A m u river. It has also been taken at Guari khorsum by Schlagintweit. Largest specimen 8*5 inches in length. There is also a specimen from Balachi, the streams there being apparently flowing towards the Yarkand river, which goes to the east. * I am very dubious of these specimens, and hardly think they can have been obtained from waters that flow into the Yarkand river, as the adults have not been obtained thence. The adult, however, has been taken in the Oxus; and I find by the diary that on the day the specimens in question were captured the eamp was at Sirikol, a few miles from a valley where a stream enters the Aksu river, a tributary of the Oxus. 52* |