r:ia
lili i
í. fB ía i
Í i f î ï
PISCES ABDOMINALES.
FISHES WHOSE V E N T R A L FINS A R E S ITU A T E D B EH IN D TH E P E C T O R A L FINS,
O R O N T I IE A BD OM EN .
SILURUS.
G E N E R IC C H A R A C T E R .
Caput nudum, magnum, latum, compressum;
os cirris aliquot tentacidatum ; rictus et
fa u x ampia ; labia crassa ; mandihxda
dentata ; Ungila crassa, lavis, brevissima.
Oculi parvi. Membrana branchiostega
radiis iv .— xvi.
Corpus elongatum, compressum, squamis nudum,
muco tenace obduclim ; linea lateralis
dorso propinqua ; pinnarum pectoralium
aut dorsalis radius primus spinosus retro
dentaius. G m e l i n .
T h e head naked, big, broad, compressed.
Some cirri at the mouth ; the mouth
and throat wide ; lips thick ; the jaws
d e n ticu la te ; the tongue thick, very
short, smooth. Eyes small. From four
to sixteen rays in the branchial membrane.
T h e body elongated compressed, without
scales; covered with a slimy mucus;
the lateral lin e near the back ; the first
ray o f the dorsal or the pectoral fin,
spinous, and serrated behind.
No. CLXV.
SiLURUS corpore longo, cultrato ; pinna dorsali unica, quinque radiata, radio primo serrato ;
cirris quatuor ; cauda falcata, lobis inequalibus.
T h e S iLURUS with a long knife-form b o d y ; a single dorsal fin consisting o f five rays, the
first serrated ; four c irri; a falcate tail with unequal lobes.
Called b y the Natives W a l l a g o o .
Z . xix. Z>.T. Z.Te. V. 10. À. 9 Ì . C. 19.
T h e hody long, compressed, without scales, adipose, slippery.
The bead depressed, covered with the common skin, through which the sutures are visible ; the rostrum
short, rounded. The mouth oblique, large, wide, with hardly any lips. Jaws not extractile, nearly equal ; both
full of numerous, small, crooked teeth, close, disposed in many ranks; those in the inner ranks largest.
Tongue short, blunt, smooth, white, fixed. Palate and throat set with numerous recurve teeth. Eyes distant
from each other, remarkably small, round, protuberant. Nostrils double, small, oval, near the orbit ; besides
which a small round aperture is found between the roots of the long cirri and the point of the rostrum, on
each side.
The branchial opercula two-leaved, semicircular, smooth, the posterior lamifta ciliate ; the membrane halt
exposed, the aperture large.
There are four cirri ; one from each side of the rostrum, and two from the lower jaw -. the former five inches
and a half long, the other one inch.
The tnmk. The back almost straight, convex ; the sides roundish, compressed ; the breast and abdomen full
and rounded, but near the anus flattish ; the tail taper, compressed. Branchiæ four-leaved, the denticles conical,
a little curve. Lateral line conspicuous, high, at first straight, then bending a little upwards. The anus distant
from tiie tail.
The fins. The dorsal solitary, scapular, anterior surface of the first ray scabrous ; the pectoral low, broad,
acuminate above, first ray slightly serrated; ventral small, short; anal very long, nearly equal; the caudal
divided into two very unequal falcate lobes.
The colour of the head and back a dark leaden, brighter on the sides ; the breast and abdomen a dull white.
Fins a little lighter than the back.
Length one foot three indies, but I have seen them three feet long,
REMARKS.
None of this genus are brought to Eurdpeaq^tables, being excessively rank and oily ; they are eaten however
by the natives of the lower class.
They are chiefly found ii\ lakes or in large tanks. In the neighbourhood of the Ankapilly lake, the weavers
employ the dried jaw bones of the present species, as an instrument for carding the finest sort of cotton. A figure
is given of the dried bone.
No. CLXVI.
Sii-URUS pinna dorsalis analisque caudali u n ita ; cirris octo; cauda cuspidata.
T h e SiLURUS with the dorsal and anal fins united with the caudal, eight c i r r i ; a sharp
pointed tail.
Platystacus Anguillaris Bloch. PI. SIS.
Called b y the Natives J x g e e l e e .
Z . xiv. D .V . D . t . A. 27 4. P . i d . F .1 4 .
T h e body ensiform, compressed, without scales, lubricous.
The bead large, long, depressed, as broad as the body, smooth. The mouth, under the round, obtuse, projecting
rostrum, horizontal, wide; lips adipose, flabby. Jaws large, rounded, the upper longer than the under.
Teeth in several rows, in the anterior part of the jaws small, sub-granulous: in the upper jaw very minute.
Tongue very short, retracted, smooth. Palate wide, with teeth in a triangular phalanx : teeth also in the fauces.
Eyes small, distant, orbicular. Nostrils single, distant from the orbit, large, linear-oval.
Branchial opercula one-leaved, rounded, bridled beneath ; membrane broad, mostly hid; aperture arched.
T he cirri of equal length, very short, one from each corner of the mouth; one from each nostril, and four
from the chin.