Results of a reexamination of types and specimens of Gobioid fishes, with notes on the fishfauna of the surroundings of Batavia

In preparing the volume of the Gobioidea in M. Weber and L. F. de Beaufort: The Fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, several described species, collected in the Indo-Australian Archipelago or its surroundings, were not clear to me. Of a number of these the description was distinct enough to see what was meant with such a new species, but there were several species which I could not recognize from their description. Bleeker described a large number of new species, but, unfortunately, several of his descriptions are too vague to recognize the species. So many authors had described several species which proved, after comparison with Bleeker's type specimens or descriptions made after his types, to be either closely allied, or identical with species already described by Bleeker. In order to see whether the described species of authors were synonyms of already described species, or to reexamine the types in order to enlarge the descriptions, I visited several Museums and other Institutions in the United States of N. America, Honolulu, Australia, Philippines, Singapore and British India. During a stay in Batavia, I had the opportunity to make colour sketches of freshly-caught specimens and to go out and collect specimens myself. My visit to the different countries mentioned was made possible by a grant of the "Pieter Langerhuizen Lambertuszoon fonds", endowed by the "Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen". During these visits I received great help and friendship of the staff of the Museums and Institutions, for which I am very thankful. Especially I am obliged to the following Directors of Museums and other Institutions and members of their staff: