82 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Colours — Deep bluish green or plumbaceous above, and silvery white beneath. A deep black 

 spot exists on the upper margin of the opercle, and the upper surface of the head is minutely 

 dotted with black. Fins yellow, the dorsal and caudal fins with some fine black dots, especially 

 at their margins. Iris golden. 



Habitat — Seas of India and Eed Sea. 



c. None of the posterior rays of dorsal or anal fins detached. 

 1 . None of the fin rays elongated. 



Caranx MATE. 



Caranx mate, Cuv. & Veil. ix. p. 54 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 125. 

 Caranx xanthurus, Cuv. & Vol. ix. p. 55 ; Giintlier, Catal. ii. p. 434. 

 Batta parra, Mai. 



B. vii. D. 8 | L> V P. 20. V. i. A. 2 | T V L. 1. 40-45. 



Length of head § , of pectoral nearly \, of caudal more than \, of base of first dorsal ^j, of 

 base of second dorsal -Jr, of base of anal f of total length. Height of head \, of body nearly ^, 

 of first dorsal ^j, of second dorsal \, of ventral jq, of caudal ^ of total length. 



Eyes — Each with an adipose covering extending for one third across either side, and a vertical 

 elliptical opening : diameter ^ length of head, f of a diameter from end of snout, 1 diameter 

 apart. 



Body elliptical, but becoming more elongated posteriorly. Upper and lower profile equally 

 curved. 



Mouth rather oblique, lower jaw longest, a tubercle at symphysis, the posterior extremity 

 of the maxilla reaches to under the anterior third of the orbit. Opercle twice as high as broad, 

 lower or posterior-inferior margin rather concave in the centre : subopercle very narrow superiorly : 

 preopei'cle wide ; preorbital rather wide, with three or four radiating ridges. A rather high long 

 ridge runs along the centre of the skull, and above the orbit there is another parallel with it, which 

 at the summit of the orbit divides posteriorly into two. Nostrils single, at the anterior superior 

 margin of the orbit, and at a short distance from it, close to the origin of the elevated ridges on 

 the head. 



Teeth — A fine single band of villiform ones in both jaws, a single row in palatines, and the 

 same in a triangular spot on the vomer. Some fine teeth along the centre of the tongue. 



Fins — Pectoral ai-ises opposite the most concave portion of the lower margin of the opercle, 

 and on a line with the ventral ; the first dorsal being slightly posterior to it, and the second dorsal 

 rather nearer the snout than the base of the caudal. Anal commences opposite eighth dorsal ray. 

 First dorsal triangular, with a horizontal spine in front : first spine half the height of the second, 

 which is the longest, from whence they decrease rapidly to the last : membrane rather deeply 

 notched. First two rays of the second dorsal undivided ; the upper margin of the fin slopes 

 off gradually backwards, the last ray is l'ather prolonged. Pectoral falcate, and reaching to 

 opposite the eleventh ray of the second dorsal. Ventral spine weak. Of the free anal spines, the 

 first is rather more than twice as long as the second. The lower border of the anal fin is at first 

 rather concave, but after the sixth ray it is parallel to the abdomen ; its last ray is prolonged. 

 Caudal rather deeply lobed, the upper one being usually the longest, and rather exceeding the 

 length of the head. The portion of the tail, which is finless, equals the base of the first dorsal fin. 



