158 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Eyes Diameter \ of length of head, 1J diameters from end of snout, 1 diameter apart. 



Body elongated and compressed, snout rather produced, profile rising to the dorsal but rather 

 concave between the snout and the middle of the orbit. Head rather pointed in front. 



Mouth moderately protrusible, lower jaw the longest. Maxilla does not extend as far as 

 below the anterior margin of the orbit : Ups rather fleshy. Posterior margin of the preopercle 

 rather oblique, angle rounded, lower limb horizontal and scarcely more than half the height of the 

 vertical one. Opercle irregularly triangular, ending in a soft fleshy termination. Interorbital 



space moderately flat. 



Teeth Sharp and conical, two or three rather large ones about the centre of the upper jaw. 



A row of rounded teeth posteriorly. Those on each side of the symphysis larger than the 

 succeeding seven which gradually decrease in length. Some on the palate. 



Fins— Dorsal and ventral situated on a line, and slightly in advance of the pectoral : the anal 

 opposite the end of the pectoral. Dorsal spines slender, the membrane slightly notched, the third 

 spine the longest ; the rays but little longer than the spines, the last ones rather prolonged. A 

 very short interspace exists between the end of the dorsal and the base of the caudal. Pectoral 

 rounded. Ventral pointed, its spine weak, and the first ray ending in a filamentous prolonga- 

 tion. The third anal spine the longest, all are weak, the rays a little longer than the spines, 

 and slightly produced. Caudal with a broad base, and a broadly rounded extremity. 



Scales — Large, none on the head. 



Lateral line— In upper fourth of body, and composed of a single tube on each scale having 

 four or more smaller ones branching off posteriorly : opposite the ninth or tenth dorsal ray, it 

 suddenly bends downwards to the centre of the body, and passes direct to the middle of the caudal. 



Colours — Green, with five or six bars of rather a deep blue, checquered with a deep dull 

 reddish purple. A black spot at the base of the pectoral, in front of which there is a vivid 

 green mark. Eye of a light ccerulean blue, with an inner golden margin round the pupil. Some 

 irregular bands of red between the eyes, one passing downwards and forwards to the centre of the 

 snout : a line of red passes along the lower margins of the opercle, sub- and preopercles ; and 

 two or three other irregular lines on the different opercles. The pectoral fin has no markings 

 except at its base ; on the ventral there is a red streak between the first and second soft rays, and 

 in the dorsal an oval yellow spot between each ray, the rest of the fin being reddish margined 

 with a lighter tint, and tipped with white. The anal of the same colour as the dorsal. The 

 caudal tipped with blue, its angles being orange with a red base, and a lilac band passing across 

 the fin from one angle to the other : posterior to this it has a red pavement the same as on the 

 body. There is a black spot on the dorsal, between the fifth and sixth rays. 



Habitat — Seas of India, Malaysia, and China. 



Fam. GERRID.E, Giinther. 

 Genus GEBBES, Cumer. 



Catoch^enum, Cantor. 

 Diapterus et SYNISTIUS, Gill. 



Branchiostegals, six : pseudobranchire. Body compressed, oblong, or elevated. Eyes large, lateral. 

 Mouth very protractile downwards. Angle and inferior margin of preopercle toothed or entire. One 

 dorsal fin, with the spinous and soft portions equally developed, and having, as well as the anal, a scaly 

 sheath along its base. Anal with three — sometimes- two — spines, and its soft portion similar to the soft 



