the fishes of malabar. ut 



Tbachynotus oyatus. 

 Gastebosteus ovatus, Lin. Syst. Nat. i. p. 490. 



MOOKALEE-PABAH, RuSSell, pi. 154. 



Trachinotus falcatus, Cuv. & Val. viii. p. 430. 



Teachinotus mookalee, Cuv. & Val. viii. p. 423; Cantor, Catal. p. 120. 



Trachinotus Blochii, Cuv. & Val. viii. p. 425. 



Trachinotus affinis, CW. & Val. viii. p. 428. 



Trachinotus falcifer, Cuv. & Val. viii. p. 428. 



Trachinotus drepanis, Cuv. & Val. viii. p. 42'J. 



Trachynotus ovatus, Criinther, Catal. ii. p. 481. 



B. vii. D. 6 | T V P. 17. V. \. A. 2 | l. C. 17. 



Length of head }, of pectoral \, base of first dorsal \, base of second dorsal \, of caudal \, 

 of base of anal \ of total length. Height of head \, of body \, of first dorsal J T , of second dorsal 

 J, of ventral J, of anal } of total length. 



Eyes — Diameter J length of head, § of a diameter from end of snout, 1] diameters apart. 



Body elliptical, sides compressed ; snout obtuse ; a considerable rise from it to the first dorsal, 

 but superior and inferior profile of body equally convex. 



Mouth oblique, its angle under anterior margin of orbit, the posterior extremity of the maxilla 

 reaching to beneath the centre of orbit : snout vertical. Preorbital rather broad, rounded anteriorly, 

 and tapering almost to a point beneath centre of orbit : preopercle broad, horizontal portion half 

 the height of its narrow vertical one : its external surface is divided into two parts by an elevation 

 down the centre, sending off long radiating ridges towards its angle and horizontal margin : angle 

 slightly produced. Opercle half as wide as high : interopercle rather large. Anterior opening of 

 nostrils smaller than the posterior. 



Teeth — In young specimens there is a band of card-like teeth in both jaws, but as the fish 

 increase in size (as eight inches in length) they lose them, as well as those on the vomer and 

 palatine bones. 



Fins — Pectoral broad and rounded, it commences behind the upper margin of the subopercle ; 

 first dorsal and ventral on a line opposite its centre ; second dorsal opposite its termination : anal 

 spines opposite commencement of second dorsal : and anal fin below sixth ray of second 

 dorsal. First dorsal with a horizontal spine before it : first spine small, from whence the others 

 gradually increase in size : in specimens up to five inches in length there is a deeply cleft inter- 

 spinous membrane which connects the first and second dorsal fins, but this is wanting in 

 older fish. Spine of second dorsal strong, first ray highest, and more than four times as long as 

 the last ; anterior portion of upper margin concave, but for its last two thirds parallel with the 

 curve of the back. Ventral pointed, the second of the anal spines the strongest and longest. 

 Spine of anal fin strong. Caudal with deeply pointed lobes. 



Scales — Minute. 



Lateral line — At first very slightly ascends and then forms a slight curve to opposite the 

 eleventh dorsal ray, from whence it proceeds straight to the centre of the caudal. 



Colours — The upper surface of the head and back silvery green, on the sides golden green, 

 whilst the opercles and abdomen are brilliant gamboge, as are all the fins. The upper half of 

 the first five rays of the dorsal tipped with black, and the whole of the (in dotted with minute 



