220 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Scales — With well-marked lines radiating from their anterior margins. The rows run obliquely 

 towards the back. 



Lateral line — Strongly concave, situated in the lower fifth of the body, and parallel with the 

 abdomen. 



Colours — Four horizontal yellow fines pass from the head to the tail, the highest and lowest 

 of which are much less brilliant than the others : between these lines the colour is bright blue. 

 Lower part of the abdomen silvery. A bright blue spot on the opercle. Fins finely dotted with 

 black. A dark line rims along the centre of the caudal. 



Common in the rivers of Malabar, and also found in most of the tanks of stagnant water. Is 

 eaten by the Natives. Grows to three inches in length. It is closely allied to Perilampus Mala- 

 baricus, Jerdon (which I conclude belongs to this genus) : but has one ray less in the dorsal and 

 anal fins, and the coloration differs, as the Perilampus Mulabaricus is said to have vertical streaks 

 and spots of yellow, &c. 



Habitat — Malabar. 



Genus BASBOEA, Blceker. 



Branchiostegals, three : pseudobranchise. Body oblong or moderately elongated ; abdomen rounded. 

 Snout sbarp, depressed : jaws covered by lips. Cleft of mouth oblique : tip of lower jaw hooked. Pre- 

 orbital pentagonal. No cirri. Eyes with free lids. Pharyngeal teeth in three rows, hooked. Dorsal 

 fin with scales at its base, situated behind the ventral. Anal short. Scales large or of moderate size. 

 Lateral fine strongly concave. 



Easbora Malabarica. 

 Leuciscus Malabaricus, Jerdon, Madras Journal, xv. p. 320. 



KOKANUTCHEE, Mai. 



B. iii. D. f. P. 15. V. 9. A.f. C. 19. L. 1. 34. L. tr. J. 



Length of head \, of base of dorsal j 1 ^, of base of anal r J g, of caudal \ of the total length. 

 Height of head \, of body \, of dorsal ^ of the total length. 



Eyes — Diameter above J of length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, upwards of 1 dia- 

 meter apart. 



Profile rises gradually to a little before the first dorsal, and then still more gently slopes to 

 the root of the caudal. Abdominal surface about as convex as that of the back. Side compressed, 

 and the head still more so. 



Mouth oblique, and directed slightly upwards, with a short protuberance at the apex of the 

 lower maxilla, which is received into a corresponding fissure in the intermaxillaries. Snout appears 

 rather elevated. Preorbital irregularly quadrangular. 



Fins — Pectoral situated under the margin of the posterior third of the subopercle. Ventral 

 arises two scales beyond its extremity, and one scale in front of the dorsal : anal arises opposite 

 the twenty-first scale of the lateral lin»» The dorsal is highest in front. First unbranched ray 

 rather more than half as long as the second, which is the highest : last ray not half as high as the 

 anterior part of the fin. Anal with the first unbranched ray very short, the second nearly half as 



