174 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Lateral line — Composed of single well developed tubes. It passes straight from the head to 

 the centre of the caudal along the mesial hne, and is continued on the caudal fin to its posterior 

 extremity. Interorbital space scaled. 



Colours — Leaden above, fins dark blackish grey, under or left surface dirty white. 



Grows to six inches or more in length, and is good eating. 



Habitat — Malabar and China. 



Genus PLAGUSIA, pt. Cuvier. 



Branchiostegals, six : pseudobranchise. Body compressed, flat, the left side coloured. Mouth rather 

 narrow and unsymnietrical, the upper part of the snout produced backwards, covering the mandibular ; 

 lips on the left side with tentacles. One nostrfl on the left side before the angle of the lower orbit. 

 Teeth minute, and only on the right side, none on vomer or palate. Vertical fins confluent. No pectorals. 

 Gill opening narrow. Scales small, ctenoid. Lateral line on left side, double or triple. 



Plagusia BILINEATA. 



Pleueonectes bilineatus, Bloch, pi. 188. 



Jeeeee Potoo, E. Russell, pi. 74. 



Plagusia bilineata, Cantor, Catal. p. 227 ; Giinther, Catal. iv. p. 492. 



B. vi. D. 96. A. 73. C. 8. L. 1. 85. 



Length of head § of total length. Height of body §, of dorsal j 3 ^ , of anal ^3 of total length. 



Eyes — Situated on the upper surface of the head, the left one being behind the centre of the 

 head, just above the posterior extremity of the opening of the mouth, and the lower orbit posterior 

 to the upper one. Diameter j^ of length of head. 



Body elongate and lanceolate. Muzzle bluntly pointed. A single nostril in front of the lower 

 eye close to the lip. Lips fleshy. 



Teeth — The left side of the jaw toothless. The teeth in the right side are fine and setaceous. 



Fins — Dorsal commences before the orbits, the fifth ray being over the upper eye; the 

 anal arises a short distance posterior to the opercle, and both fins are joined to the caudal, which 

 is pointed : the points of the rays project shghtly above the membrane. Left ventral situated at 

 the gill opening and above the anal. 



Scales — Ctenoid. 



Lateral fine — Commences at the muzzle, and proceeds straight to the upper margin of the 

 opercle, where it ascends shghtly, then again bends downwards to opposite the commencement of 

 the second third of the body, from whence it proceeds nearly straight to the centre of the caudal. 

 Above the preopercle it gives an oblique ascending branch to the second lateral line, the anterior 

 branch of which commences at the snout, ascends to close to the anterior margin of the dorsal, 

 from whence it continues a short distance below it to nearly the base of the caudal. There are 

 fifteen rows of scales between the upper and lower lateral line. 



Colours — Left side pale reddish brown. Scales with rather iridescent reflections. Opercles 

 with a bluish tinge. Fin membrane light brown : rays buff. Iris golden round the pupil, the 

 rest blackish lilac. The right side is brownish white, opercles and over anterior part of abdomen 

 bluish yellow. 



Grows to nine inches in length, and is very good eating. 



Habitat — Red Sea, Seas of India, and Malaysia. 



