THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 109 



OOBIUS GIURUS. 

 KORAH-MOTTAH, RuSSell, pi. 50. 



? Koku, Russell, pi. 51. 



Gobius giurus, Ham. Buck. pp. 51, 3GG, pi. 33, f. 15 ; Guv. & Vol. xii. p. 72 ; Gi'mther, 



Catal. iii. p. 21. 

 Gobius kokius, Guv. & Vol. xii. p. G8 ; Jerdon, Madras Journ., xv. p. 148 ; Cantor, 



Catal. p. 180. 

 Gobius catebus, Guv. & Vol. xii. p. 76. 

 Gobius kora, Guv. & Vol. xii. p. 77. 

 Wartee poollah, and pooan, Mai. 



B. iv. D. G | i P. 18-20. V. % . A. Jy. C. 17. L. 1. 26-34. Vert. \fa. 



Length of head T 3 ^, of pectoral \, of caudal \, of first dorsal fa, of second dorsal fa, of anal 

 fa of total length. Height of head fa, of body T ^, of first dorsal fa, of second dorsal r 2 y, of ventral |, 

 of anal ^ of total length. 



Eyes — On upper surface of the head, directed upwards and forwards ; diameter T 2 g of length 

 of head, 2J diameters from end of snout, not quite \ a diameter apart. 



Body elongated, subcylindrical and rather compressed towards the tail ; the profile from the 

 snout to the dorsal is in a straight line ; the head rather wider than the body. 



Mouth wide ; lower jaw the longest, the upper extends to beneath the anterior margin of the 

 orbit; intermaxillaries rather large and protrusible. Preopercle broad, its vertical bmb about 

 equal in length to the horizontal, and its angle rounded. Cheeks puffed. Opercle triangular, 

 with the base above. Subopercle rather broad. The distance from the snout to the posterior 

 margin of the preopercle rather more than that from the base of the first dorsal to the posterior 

 margin of the orbit. Interorbital space concave from side to side. Openings of nostrils situated 

 midway between the eyes and snout. 



Teeth — Several rows of villiform with an external row of widely separated conical ones in each 

 jaw. Some large canines in the upper jaw. 



Fins — Pectoral arises behind the opercle, its base being broad and equal to about one-third 

 the height of the body : the ventrals commence under it, and the first dorsal opposite its first 

 third ; the second dorsal begins rather beyond the posterior extremity of the pectoral. The anal 

 commences under the third ray of the second dorsal. Spines of the first dorsal weak, and 

 prolonged, the membrane rather deeply notched, its base occupying two-elevenths less space than 

 the base of the second dorsal. Pectoral rounded. Ventrals united into a disk, the distance from 

 their posterior extremity to the vent being equal to half their length. A considerable portion of 

 the tail (equal to the base of the first dorsal) is finless. Caudal pointed. 



Scales — Large and quadrangular, rather smaller anterior to the first dorsal, and considerably 

 so opposite the opercles. 



Colours — Vary in different specimens according to the waters they inhabit ; they are usually 

 of a fawn colour, with slight cloudy markings of a darker colour, and having purplish reflections 

 on the body. The head has a cloudy band passing over the eyes and forehead, down towards the 

 corner of the mouth : another dark band passes along the lower border of the cheek, which is met 

 by two other narrower bands, one of which proceeds from behind the eye, and the other from the 

 back of the head. The lower surface of the body is white, and the sides have golden reflections, 



