Ophicephalus melasoma Blkr.

Pieter Bleeker

Ophicephal. corpore elongato antice subcylindrico latiore quam alto, positice commpresso, altitudine 9 circiter in ejus longitudine; Capite 4 1/4 in longitudine corporis, depresso genis convexo; altitudine capitis 1 1/3 in ejus latitudine; linea rostro-frontali convexiuscula; oculis diametro 7 in longitudine capitis, diametris 2 circiter a se invicem distantibus; maxilla inferiore dentibus pluriseriatis, parvis, serie externa antice paulo majoribus, lateribus dentibus aliquot caninis conicis curvatis; maxilla superiore, vomere et palato dentibus pluriseriatis parvis, caninis nullis; maxilla superiore post oculum desinente, 2 et paulo in longitudine capitis; squamis cycloideis lateribus 55 p.m. in serie longitudinali; linea laterali antice et postice rectiuscula, sub radio 12° pinnae dorsalis deflexa; pinnis dorsali et anali postice angulatis, ceteris rotundatis; pectoralibus ventralibus multo longioribus, longitudine capitis partem postocularem aequantibus; caudali 5 1/3 circiter in longitudine corporis; colore toto corpore pinnisque nigro; capite inferne et pinna anali basis flavo guttatis.

C. melasoma, drawing of Bleeker's atlas, table 399, fig. 4Bleeker's drawing of C. melasoma, taken from his famous ichthyological atlas. If you have it in your channa shelf (several hundred thousands Euros ;-) go for table 399, fig. 4, else thank God, there is an Internet to save this ichthyological memory.
B.5 D. 1/40 P. 2/14 V. 1/5 A 1/25 C. 12 vel 14 et lat. brev.

Habit. Sambas, in fluviis.

Longitudo specimis unici 230'''.

Aanm. Deze sort doet zich dadelijk kennen door haar zwart ligchaam en zwarte vinnen, zeer platten kop enz.

If you know Latin or Dutch and if you are able to translate one of the above, we would be happy for help :-))). If you could translate it and send it in English to us.

Acknowledgement and Source(s)

This passage was originally published in: Bleeker, Pieter: Vijfde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Borneo, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe soorten van zoetwatervisschen. Descriptiones Specierum Diagnosticae. Natuurkd. Tijdschr. Neder. Indié v. 2. p. 424, 1851. The drawings have originally been published in Atlas ichthyologique des Indes orientales néerlandaises; publ. sous les auspices du Gouvernement Colonial néerlandais par Pieter Bleeker Part VIII, table CCCIXC, fig. 4, 1878. The publishing on snakeheads.org has been made possible with several very helpful and cooperatives ladies of the Staatsbibliothek Berlin. Thankyou dear ladies of the Stabi, thankyou institution Stabi!

If you know Latin or Dutch and if you are able to translate one of the above, we would be happy for help :-))). Please do translate it for us and send it in English to us.

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