222 THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



rather depressed in front : a slight emargination at the symphysis. Upper surface of head flat. 

 Preopercle with the posterior limb vertical, the angle produced and rounded : lower limb rather 

 ascending. Opercle posteriorly rounded. Nostrils open laterally by a minute aperture in front of 

 the margin of the orbit. 



Teeth — In the upper jaw there is an external series of sharp curved teeth, with an internal 

 and rather larger series. Between these there are several rows of villiform, the inner and outer 

 of which are recurved, and rather the strongest. In the lower jaw are bands of villiform teeth. 

 On the vomer there is a transverse narrow band rather produced anteriorly and in the centre, but 

 parallel with the teeth in the upper jaw. 



Fins — Pectoral arises a short distance behind the opercles : ventral opposite its posterior third : 

 anal midway between the snout and the middle of the caudal fin. Dorsal situated in the posterior 

 fifth of the body, its third ray the longest, its posterior margin rather concave. Caudal wedge- 

 shaped, with the central rays the longest. Pectoral rounded. Ventral with the second ray elon- 

 gated. Anal with the last rays slightly the longest. The length of the ventral and caudal fins 

 varies greatly in different seasons of the year. 



Scales — Cycloid, the longest diameter from above downwards. They extend over the 

 opercles. 



Colours — Vary according to the season of the year and the sex of the fish. Greenish with a 

 gloss of purple on the abdomen. In the centre of each scale there is an emerald green spot, 

 which in some lights looks golden. The under surface of the chest white, glossed with purple. 

 A deep purple colour under the opercles and chin. Eyes of the same beautiful green as the spots. 

 Eight or ten vertical black stripes — absent in some specimens — pass from the back to the abdomen. 

 A silvery white spot at the summit of the occiput, and one at the anterior and another at the pos- 

 terior margins of the base of the dorsal. Caudal margined with red, and spotted with green at its 

 base, the tip being sometimes stained with black, and the membrane spotted with black, especially 

 apparent in the immature. Anal and dorsal also tipped with red and dotted with black, almost 

 forming bars. Anal also dotted all over, and with light yellow at its base in some of the larger 

 specimens : in smaller ones the black lines of the body are extended on to the anal fin, and at 

 the base of the pectoral there is a bright green spot. After death the silver spot disappears from 

 the occiput. 



Grows to four inches in length, and is exceedingly common in all the rivers, tanks, and paddy 

 fields, and even extends its range into the backwaters within the influence of the tides. It may 

 be easily recognized by the silvery spot on the summit of the head which all of them have when 

 alive and in health. It is eaten by the Natives. 



Habitat — Eivers, tanks, and paddy fields of Malabar. 



