THE FISHES OF MALABAB. G9 



Ail air bladder present. 



Grows to about ten inches in length. It is captured in Cochin in enormous numbers from 

 January until May, its average size is abont seven and a half inches. Although excellent eating 

 when quite fresh, it soon taints and is rarely brought to the table of Europeans. It is commonly 

 salted, dried in the sun, and exported in bundles of about one thousand each, mostly to Ceylon. 



Habitat — Ked Sea, Seas of India, Malaysia and China. 



Genus CYBIUM, Cuvier. 



Branchiostegals, seven: pseudobranchias. Body oblong or rather elongate. Eyes lateral. Cleft of 

 mouth wide. Infraorbital bones do not articulate with the preopercle. Two dorsals, the first extending 

 to commencement of the second, spinous, and not so developed as the second : seven or more pairs of 

 finlets behind second dorsal and anal fins. A slight ridge on either side of root of caudal lobes. Teeth 

 large and strong on jaws, villiform on vomer, palatine bones, and tongue. Air bladder present. 



All the species of this genus are comprised under the common appellation of Seirjish by European resi- 

 dents in British India. 



Cybium Commebsonii. 



Scombee Commebsonii, Lac'ep. ii. p. 600, pi. 20, f. 1. 



Konam, Bussell, pi. 135. 



Cybium Commebsonii, Cuv. & Vol. viii. p. 165 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 108 ; Giinther, Catal. 



ii. p. 370. 

 Chumbum, Mai. Seie fish. 



B. vii. D. 16-17. | rf:^ | ix-x. P. 20-23. V. \. A. ^^ | ix-x. C. 17. 



Length of head ft, of pectoral ^, of caudal \, of base of first dorsal ft, of base of second 

 dorsal (excluding finlets) ft, of anal (excluding finlets) *fe of total length. Height of head J, of 

 body ft, of first dorsal gbj* of anal ^ of total length. 



Eyes — Oval, surrounded by a small circular adipose membrane. Horizontal diameter §, 

 vertical ft of length of head, 2 transverse diameters from end of snout, 1^ transverse diameters 

 apart. 



Body elongate, tapering towards either extremity, both it and sides of head strongly com- 

 pressed, the latter also depressed : anteriorly the snout comes to a sharp point. 



Month deeply cleft, upper jaw with rather a concave lower margin, produced in front ; lower 

 jaw nearly horizontal, with a fleshy protuberance at the symphysis. Vertical limb of intermax- 

 illaries very broad, the two conjoined having somewhat the appearance of the upper bill of a 

 rasorial bird. Maxilla extends to beneath the centre of the orbit. Preorbital narrow. Preopercle, 

 its posterior border rather concave along its centre, so that its angle t which is rounded appears 

 rather produced, its lower border rather more than half the length of its vertical one. Opercle 

 narrow. Cleft of gills very wide, extending to under the centre of the lower jaw. Upper surface of 

 head flat with a raised ridge along its centre. Nostrils in front of upper third of orbit, in a 

 depressed triangular space surrounded by rather raised margins. 



