10 



THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Genus MESOPEION, Cuv. 



Branchiostegals, seven. Preopercle finely serrated, without or with a very open notch. Opercle with 

 three, or two, more rarely with one indistinct point. Dorsal fin single, with from nine to twelve spines, 

 anal with three. Teeth villiform in both jaws with canines, teeth on the vomer and palate. Scales moderate. 



Mesopeion EANGUS. 

 Eangoo, Russell, pi. 94. 



Mesopeion eangus, Cuv. & Vol. ii. p. 481 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 14 ; Guntker, Catal. i. p. 199. 



.tV P. 16. V.i A. f. C. 16-17. L. 1.46. L. tr. 4-, 



Length of head \, of pectoral \, of caudal \, of base of dorsal § , of base of anal l of total 

 length. Height of head \, of body \, of hard dorsal \, of soft dorsal \, of base of caudal ^ of 

 ventral \, of anal \ of total length. 



Bye— Transversely oval, horizontal diameter \, and vertical diameter \ of the length of the 

 head, 1^ diameter from end of snout, f of a diameter apart. 



Maxilla extends to beneath the anterior margin of orbit. Openings of nostrils rather 

 wide apart, in front of upper fourth of orbit. Preorbital entire. Preopercle emarginate and finely 

 serrated on its vertical limb, angle rounded, lower limb oblique and serrated, the largest serratures 

 being on its posterior half. Sub- and interopercles entire, in the latter is a slight tuberosity at its 

 superior part. Opercle with two points. Suprascapular lineated and serrated. 



Teeth— An external conical row in both jaws, with several bands of villiform ones behind. A 

 pair of canines at the external margin of each intermaxillary, the outer much the largest. Villiform 

 teeth on vomer and palate. 



Fins— Dorsal spines moderately strong, first slightly more than one-third height of second, which 

 is a little above three quarters as long as the third, from thence they decrease, the spinous portion 

 occupies nearly three fourths of the length of the fin. Ventral spine weak. Second anal spine 

 longest, and much the strongest, being twice as long as the first, and four-fifths longer than the 

 third. Soft portions of dorsal and anal rather pointed. Caudal truncated and slightly emarginate. 

 Ventral pointed, first ray prolonged. 



Scales— None between or before orbits, two broad rows, separated by several smaller ones, pass 

 over the shoulders. Above the lateral line the rows are a little irregular, at first parallel to the 

 back, they subsequently turn upwards to the soft dorsal, beyond which their course is straight. 

 Below the lateral line the first five rows terminate in it, those below passing horizontally. 

 Lateral line — In upper fourth of body, parallel with the back. 



Colours— Back of a dark reddish brown, which below the lateral line becomes of a didl cherry 

 red: the bases of the scales darker than their circumference. Pectoral orange, edges of caudal 

 reddish brown, the other fins greyish brown. A blue line runs along the suborbital ring of bones. 

 Eye dark red. The young have eight or nine irregular and very narrow vertical white bands on 

 the body, a reddish orange streak along the margin of the hard dorsal, the ventrals externally 

 with a broad white margin, and the lower part of the cheeks tinged with golden. 



Common ; esteemed for food in Malabar and Pinang, not at Vizagapatam. Grows to upwards 

 of two feet in length. 



Habitat — Seas of India and Malaysia. 



