THE PISHES OF MALABAR. 107 



Genus LACTARIUS, Cuv. and Val 



Branch iostegals, seven: pseudobranchiac. Body oblong, compressed. Eyes lateral. Cleft of mouth 

 wide and oblique, the lower jaw prominent. Infraorbital hones do not articulate with the preopercle. 

 Margins of preopercle entire. Two dorsals, the first with seven or eight feeble spines ; the second and 

 the anal more developed, scaly, and without Unlets. Anal flu with three spines, no free spines anterior to 

 fin. Ventral thoracic. Teeth in jaws small, with one or two pairs of strong canines. Scales of moderate 

 size, cycloid. Lateral line continuous, simple. Air bladder bifurcated both anteriorly and posteriorly. 

 Pyloric appendages few. 



Lactarius delicatulus. 

 Scomber lactarius, Bl. ScJin. p. 31. 

 Chundawah, Russell, pi. 108. 

 Lactarius delicatulus, Guv. & Val. ix. p. 238, pi. 201 ; Cantor, fatal, p. 138 ; 



Giinther, Catal. ii. p. 507. 

 Purruwah, Mai. 



B.vii. D. 7-8 1^. P. 17. V. l. A. „$,. 0.17. L. 1. 74. Case. py. 6. 



Length of head \, of pectoral T 2 T , of caudal \, of base of first dorsal Jj, of base of second 

 dorsal \, of base of anal f of the total length. Height of head \, of body f , of first dorsal 1, of 

 second dorsal T j, of ventral ^, of anal ^ of the total length. 



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



Body elliptical, broadest in front : profile with a gradual rise from the summit, of lower jaw 

 to the first dorsal. Sides and head compressed. The point of the lower jaw when the mouth is 

 closed appears on the upper profile. 



Mouth oblique and large : the lower jaw prominent, the upper extending backwards to 

 below the centre of the orbit. Jaws protrusible. Preorbital narrower than the maxillary : pre- 

 opercle narrow, with its margin entire and angle rounded, the lower limb being half the leno-th of 

 . the vertical one. Opercle ending in a soft point, with its inferior border concave and an emargi- 

 nation near its angle. Interorbital space convex : openings of nostrils close to the anterior 

 superior angle of the orbit. Occipital crest well developed, the lateral ridges moderately so. 



Teeth — One or two long and curved on each side of the symphysis of the upper and lower 

 jaws, and a single series of fine curved teeth in both jaws. Teeth on vomer and palatine bones. 



Fins — Ventral arises a little behind the pectoral ; first dorsal opposite the centre of the 

 pectoral ; anal rather nearer the snout than the base of the caudal ; the second dorsal midway 

 between the base of the caudal and the centre of the orbit ; the anal continued rather further 

 posteriorly than the second dorsal. First dorsal triangular, spines weak, the third the longest, 

 membrane rather deeply notched. Second dorsal spine about half the length of the first ray, which 

 is the longest, after which the rays gradually decrease in length, the last two being a little 

 prolonged, but not nearly half way to the base of the caudal fin. Pectoral rather pointed. Ventral 

 triangular, and not reaching so far as the anal. Anal of the same shape as the second dorsal, but 

 rather larger. In many specimens taken in Malabar the fin rays were invariably A. JU ; but in 

 several taken in Madras they were in all A. ^. Caudal rather deeply lobed. 



Scales — Cycloid, large, and deciduous. 



Lateral line — In the upper third of the body following the curve of the back. 



Colours — The upper surface of the head aud the back as low as the lateral line of a leaden 



r -1 



