THE FISHES OF MALABAR 



Sub-Class.— TELEOSTEI. 



Order. — ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Fam. BERYCIDjE. 



Genus HOLOCENTRUM, Artedi. 

 Corniger, Agassiz. 



Branchiostegals, eight. Form of body oblong, compressed ; eyes large, lateral ; jaws equal, or lowest 

 slightly the longest j muzzle moderate, nearly horizontal. Two dorsals scarcely united ; ventrals with 

 one spine, and seven rays ; caudal forked ; anal with four spines, the third long and strong. Opercles 

 and suborbitals serrated, opercle with two spines. Villiform teeth in both jaws, vomer, and palatine 

 bones. Scales moderate, ctenoid. Swimming bladder simple, oval. Pyloric appendages many. 



* HOLOCENTRUM RUBRUM. 



ScivENA rubra, Forskcd, Descript. anim. p. 48. 



Holocentrum orientale, Cuvier & Valenciennes, Histoire Naturelle cles Poissons, iii. 



p. 197, vii. p. 497. 

 Holocentrum marginatum, Cuv. & Vol. iii. p. 216. 



Holocentrum rubrum, Giinther, Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum, 

 i. p. 35. 



B. viii. D. T l.Vg. P. 15. V. }. A. f. C. 17. L.l. 35. L. tr. f. Vert. fj> Csec.pylor. 20. 



Length of head f, of caudal 4| in total length. Height of body f, of third anal spine 

 4J-$ in total length. Interorbital space -J- of length of head. 



Preopercle serrated ; interopercle coarsely denticulated ; opercle with two strong spines, the 

 upper the largest. Groove for intermaxillary process shorter than the diameter of the eye. Supra- 

 scapular and coracoid denticulated. 



Teeth — Villiform in jaws, vomer, and palatines. 



Fins — Third, fourth, and fifth dorsal spines the longest ; the soft rays being a little higher 

 than the spines. The third anal spine longest. Ventral slightly longer than pectoral, and reaches 

 to the anus. Caudal divided into two equal lobes. Scales slightly striated. 



Colours — Red, with eight alternate longitudinal bands of red, and gold or silver. Dorsal, 

 purplish with a red base. Caudal, ventral, and pectoral, reddish. Anal, with a purplish mark 

 between the second, third, and fourth rays. 



Good eating, said to be obtained in Malabar most abundantly during the N. E. monsoon. 



Habitat — Red Sea, seas of India, Malaysia, and China. 



B 



