THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 165 



of the river within the influence of the tides. The Natives consider it good eating, but it is not 

 much esteemed by Europeans, on account of the large number of bones it contains. 



Habitat-Seas and estuaries (fresh water ?) of India, Malaysia, China, and North Australia. 



Belone annulata. 



Belone annulata, Cuv. & Veil xviii. p. 447, pi. 550; Cantor, Catal. p. 244. 

 Wahlah kuddera, Russell, pi. 175. 



B.xiii. D. 20-23. P. 12. V. G. A. 21-23. C. 15. 



Length of head more than \, of pectoral ^ , of base of dorsal \, of base of anal \, of caudal ^ 

 of total length. Height of head about fa of body &, of dorsal T ' 5 , of anal & of total length. 

 Eyes— Diameter ^ of length of head, 1 diameter apart. 



Mouth from gape to the extremity one-fifth of the total length : upper and lateral surface of 

 snout compressed. Lower jaw with a row of glands near its inferior margin. Head as in the 

 Belone caudimaculata, but the interorbital groove is wider and shallower. The maxilla extends 

 to beneath the anterior third of the orbit. The comparative size of the parts varies with age. 



Teeth— Upper jaw with small sharp teeth disposed laterally along the margin of the side of 

 the jaw; they are some distance asunder, but become smaller towards the orbit: between them 

 and under the margin of the jaw are numerous sharp teeth. 

 Scales — On the head and opercles, scarcely perceptible. 



Lateral Hue— Double; the superior passes along the upper third of the body, and 

 reaches the mesial line about the centre of the body, from whence it is continued on to the 

 caudal : the inferior line proceeds from near the under surface of the throat, and passes to slightly 

 below the anterior margin of the ventral, which it curves round, and beyond it passes to above 

 the anterior margin of the anal, from whence it proceeds direct to the centre of the caudal. 



Fins-Pectoral arises close behind the opercle : ventral midway between the posterior extre- 

 mity of the pectoral and the centre of the anal : anal in the posterior third of the body, and the 

 dorsal rather behind the anal. The last ray of the anal almost touches the base of the caudal, and 

 the last rays of the dorsal extend nearly to the base of the caudal. Lower lobe of caudal the 

 longest. The anterior extremities of the dorsal and anal the highest. 



Colours-Upper surface of the head and back green, with steel blue reflections, minutely 

 dotted with black, fading into silvery white on the abdomen. The side of the upper jaw of a dark 

 olive, of the lower silvery. A black line passes from the angle of the mouth along the base of 

 the teeth. Cheeks and opercles silvery. Membranes of the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins of a 

 light greenish grey, minutely dotted with black, especially at the margins. Anal and ventral 

 anteriorly white, dotted with black. Iris silvery, the margin of the orbit black. In young 

 specimens the colours vary, the upper surface is more of a yellowish green, there is a large black 

 spot on the opercle, and the lower jaw is also black : a narrow silvery greenish band passes 

 longitudinally above the lateral line. The posterior two-thirds of the dorsal is black, and there is 

 a lar^e black spot on the centre of the caudal. 



Grows to two feet in length, and is found in the same localities as the Belone caudimaculata. 

 Habitat— Seas and estuaries of India, Malaysia, China, and North Australia. 



