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Show 792 MR. F. DAY ON THE FISHES OF YARKAND. [Dec. 5, 13. DlPTYCHUS MACULATUS. Diptychus maculatus, Steindachner, Verh. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 1866, p. 787; Gunther, Cat. vii. p. 1/1. 1 Diptychus sewerzowi, Kessler, Fish. Turkestan, p. 17, t. 4. f. 12. B.iv., D . g , P. 19, V. 9, A.|, C. 19, L. 1. 80-90. Length of head 5 to 6, of caudal 5 to 6, height of body 7\ to 8 in the total length. Eyes: diameter 4\ in the young to 6 in the adult in the length of the head, 1 \ to 2 diameters from the end of snout, and \\ apart. The greatest width of the head equals its height, or its length behind the front edge or middle of the eyes. Mouth transverse, inferior, having an anterior sharp horny covering on the lower jaw. Lower labial fold interrupted in the middle. Barbels : one at each maxilla, having thick bases, and hardly so long as the eye. Teeth pharyngeal, 4, 3. 3, 4, curved at the outer extremity and pointed. Fins: the dorsal commences rather nearer the snout than the base of the caudal, its upper edge is straight, it is as high as the body below it, its last undivided ray articulated. Pectoral not quite so long as the head ; it reaches rather above halfway to the ventral, which latter commences on a vertical line below the last dorsal ray; it reaches rather above halfway to the base of the anal. Anal when laid flat reaches the base of the caudal, its height is nearly three times the length of its base. Scales : not imbricated, but scattered over the upper two thirds of the body and pectoral region, in which latter locality the skin is often rugose : the tiled row well developed. Free portion of the tail one half longer than high at its base. Colours: bluish, lightest inferiorly, indistinctly blotched and spotted along the upper half of the body, often a narrow, dull band along the lateral line, and a second below it. Tbe dorsal and caudal much spotted in some specimens. The very young are destitute of scales ; they first appear along the lateral line. One specimen from Basgo, 1*1 inch long, has no barbel on the left side. There are two specimens from the west of Sirikol: one has an adipose lid, covering the anterior half of the left eye ; the other has a similar lid covering the lower half of the left eye. Brown tubercles are common on some of the specimens, and do not appear to be normal. Some specimens from Leh have the eye small. Diptychus sewerzowi, from the rivers Aksai and Ottuck appears to be the above species. Hab. Specimens were brought from Kurbu, Basgo, Sneema, Leh or Ladak, Tankse, and Chagra, from waters going directly or indirectly to the Indus; from Pas Robat (9370 feet), andTarbashi (11,515 feet), where the waters go to the Yarkand river; also from west of Sirikol, which goes to the same river. Some specimens are also labelled as from Chiriscorus. This fish has also been captured in other parts of Tibet, and likewise in Nepal. |
