THE FISHES OP MALABAB. 59 



Fam. POLYNEMID^. 

 Genus POLYNEMUS, Unn. 



Branchiostegals, seven : pseudobranchise. Form of body oblong, compressed. Eyes, large lateral. 

 Mouth below snout, with lateral cleft, snout prominent. Two separate dorsals, the second, the anal, and 

 the caudal more or less covered with small scales. Dorsal spines weak. Second dorsal and anal of 

 nearly equal extent. Several articulated free filiform appendages in front of base of pectoral fin. Pre- 

 opercle serrated. Villiform teeth in jaws, vomer and palate. Scales moderate, ctenoid. Lateral line 

 continued on to caudal. Air bladder varying in size and structure ; in some species absent. 



POLYNEMUS HEPTADACTYLUS. 



Polynemus heptadactylus, Cuv. A- Yah iii. p. 390; Cantor, Catal. p. 34; Guniher, 

 Catal. ii. p. 321. 



B. vn. D. 7-8 | T L. P. 15, to. V. i. A. p^. L. 1. 50. L. tr. {\. Cebc. pylor. 4. 



Length of head ^j, of pectoral ^, of caudal \, of base of anal \ of total length. Height of 

 head jt, of body \, of hard dorsal \, of soft dorsal \, of ventral \, of anal \ of the total length. 



Eyes — Diameter -3- of length of head, 1\ diameters from end of snout, 2^ diameters apart. Ex- 

 ternal third of orbits surrounded by an adipose lid. 



Profile rather elevated from snout to the first dorsal. Upper jaw rather oblique, the maxilla 

 extends behind the orbit a distance of half its transverse diameter. 



Preopercle, vertical limb slightly convex, denticulated, with a very strong spine at the lower 

 termination of its denticulations, and opposite the upper margin of the mouth. Opercle ending 

 in a soft point. 



Teeth — Villiform in both jaws, none on their outer surfaces. A band of the same character 

 on vomer and palate. 



Fins —The first dorsal arises above, or slightly in advance of base of pectoral : ventral opposite 

 second third of pectoral : the second dorsal midway between posterior margin of orbit and root 1 if 

 caudal : anal opposite fifth dorsal ray. First dorsal triangular, spines weak, the first very short, 

 the second shorter than the third, which is the longest, from it they rapidly decrease : the spines 

 are prolonged beyond the membrane which is moderately notched. The distance between the end 

 of first and commencement of second dorsal, equals half the distance between end of second dorsal 

 and commencement of caudal. Spine of second dorsal half the length of first ray, which is the 

 longest ; the fin is of a trapezoid shape, with its superior margin concave. Pectoral rather pointed, 

 with seven appendages, the two highest and lowest equal, and shorter than the other four which 

 extend to the third and fourth anal rays. Ventral triangular, its spine weak. Anal, first spine 

 short, second half the length of third, which is half as long as first ray; shape of fin trapezoid. 

 Caudal deeply lobed. 



Scales — Deciduous, and placed as in the P. Indicus, p. 61. 



Lateral line — First ascends, from opposite the end of the first dorsal it descends, above extre- 

 mity of anal it proceeds straight to the base of the caudal, where it passes downwards over the 

 upper margin of the highest ray of the lower lobe, and divides into two, one being continued 

 straight to the end of the fin, the other passing to between the two inner rays of the lower lobe. 



Colours — General colour silvery, with a yellowish tinge, and light yellowish-brown stripes 



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