FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 82, NO. 4 



46 (Table 8). Gill rakers on first arch (1-2)+ (6-11) 

 = 7-13, usually 2+ (8-9)= 10-11 (Table 5). Morpho- 

 metric characters given in Table 19. 



TABLE 19. — Summary of morphometric data of Scom- 

 beromorus lineolatus. FL = fork length, HL = head 

 length. 



Size. — Maximum size 80 cm FL. 



Color pattern. — Body dark bluish dorsally, sil- 

 very white ventrally, marked with several rows of 

 elongate lines (Fig. 57). First dorsal fin black 

 anteriorly, white posteriorly. 



There is a good drawing of a specimen from 

 India in Jones and Silas (1962:fig. 4). There are 

 also poor photographs in Jones and Silas (1964:pl. 

 7) and Silas (1968:pl. 3). 



Biology. — Little has been reported in the litera- 

 ture on the biology of S. lineolatus. A ripe male 

 (82.5 cm TL, 3.4 kg) was taken on Wadge Bank, off 

 southern India on 2 October (Malpas 1926). A 

 running ripe female (76.5 cm, 4.4 kg) was caught 

 in January in the Bay of Bengal off Satun, 

 Thailand, near the border with Malaysia (Tongyai 

 1966b). Postlarvae and juveniles (18.4-99.5 mm) 

 were described from Waltair on the east coast of 

 India by Rao and Ganapati (1977). Early stages 



were taken in shore seines in February- April, 

 more advanced stages from boat seine catches in 

 July-September. Juveniles feed on teleosts in 

 India (Venkataraman 1961; Rao 1964). 



Interest to fisheries. — There are small fisheries for 

 S. lineolatus in the waters around Thailand, 

 Malaysia, and India. It is taken from October to 

 November in Thai waters of the Indian Ocean 

 (Tongyai 1970). It is less abundant than either S. 

 commerson or S. guttatus in the Gulf of Thailand 

 and along the Thai coast of the Bay of Bengal 

 being found in areas of lower turbidity and higher 

 salinity than the other two species (Tongyai 1970). 

 Fished for on both coasts of Malaysia, on the west 

 coast from November to February in the north and 

 March to July in the south, and on the east coast 

 from February to March and August to November 

 (Pathansali 1968). Species of Scomberomorus are 

 taken on both coasts of Malaysia mainly by gill 

 nets, but hand lines and trolling lines are also 

 important on the east coast (Pathansali 1968). In 

 India, there is an important coastal fishery for the 

 three species of seerfishes of which S. lineolatus is 

 the least common (Silas 1968). Small individuals, 

 up to 50 cm, are taken, together with S. commer- 

 son and S. guttatus, during the multiple troll 

 fishery season (May-September) in gill nets 5-12 

 mi off Tuticorin in the Gulf of Mannar, India (Silas 

 1968). Gill nets, hook and line, and trolling are the 

 most important gear types in India (Silas 1968). 

 Scomberomorus spp., or pla in-see in Thai, are 

 highly esteemed foodfishes in Thailand and are 

 consumed as spicy fish-burgers (tod-mun pla in- 

 see) or high-quality salted fish (Tongyai 1966a). A 

 monthly average of about 100 t, fresh or salted, is 

 consumed in Bangkok alone (Tongyai 1966a). 

 Seerfishes form a much smaller proportion of the 

 catch in India than mackerels (Rastrelliger spp.), 

 but are much in demand both fresh and salt-cured 

 (Jones 1968). 



Distribution. — Gulf of Thailand and Java west 

 around India at least to Bombay (Fig. 58). There 

 are records and specimens from Cambodia (Merce- 

 ron 1970) and Thailand (Tongyai 1966b, 1971a; 

 CAS-GVF 60-286) in the Gulf of Thailand and 

 from both coasts of Malaysia (Cantor 1849; Bleek- 

 er 1861b; Scott 1959; CAS SU 14100; BMNH 

 1860.3.19.215), Singapore Straits (Tham 1953), 

 Java (USNM 72632), and Sumatra (NHMV 1874.1; 

 ZMA 114.595). Central Indian Ocean reports and 

 specimens are from Madras (ZSI 2156-7), Palk Bay 

 (Devaraj 1977; dissections), Sri Lanka (Fernando 



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