22G THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Genus DUS8UMIERIA, Vol. 



Branehiostegals, fifteen. Body rather long and compressed, the abdominal profile more curved than 

 that of the back. Eyes, each with an adipose lid on either side. Cleft of mouth moderately wide. Upper 

 jaw shorter than the lower. One moderately long dorsal, commencing about midway between snout and 

 base of caudal. Ventral under centre of dorsal, anal behind it. Fine teeth in the jaws, on the tongue, 

 the palatine and pterygoid bones : none on the vomer. Scales of moderate size, deciduous. Air vessel 

 small. 



DUSSUMIEEIA ACUTA. 



Dussumieeia acuta, duo. & Vol xx. p. 467 ; pi. 606; Cantor, Catal. p. 286. 

 Koorie, Mai. 



B. 15. D. 19-21. P. 14. V. 9. A. 14-17. C. 21. 



Length of head \, of pectoral \, of caudal \, of base of dorsal \, of base of anal ^ of total 

 length. Height of head \, of body \, of dorsal J Q , of ventral T V of total length. 



Byes Upper margins close to the profile, having narrow adipose lids on each side of the 



orbits. Diameter nearly 1 of length of head, and almost 1 diameter from end of snout. 



■ Body rather long and compressed, its thickness equals half its height. Upper line of profile 

 nearly straight, the lower much more convex. 



Mouth rather wide and slightly acute : lower jaw when closed a little the longest : the pos- 

 terior extremity of the upper jaw reaches to below the anterior margin of the orbit. Opercle 

 with the margins cut rather square, it is half as wide as high. Preopercle large, its angle rather 

 produced. Subopercles small, a slightly elevated longitudinal crest from between the centre of the 

 orbit to the snout. Abdominal edge smooth. Left branchiostegous membrane slightly overlaps 



the right. 



Teeth In jaws in a single row, which are fine and very deciduous. A band of the same 



description on the palate. 



p ms Dorsal arises midway between the anterior margin of the orbit and the base of the 



caudal : pectoral just under the opercle : ventral beneath the twelfth ray of the dorsal : anal 

 about midway between the base of the ventral and the centre of the termination of the caudal. 

 Dorsal with the first five rays single, the fifth and sixth the highest in the fin ; superior margin 

 rather concave. Pectoral rounded, and situated in the lower fourth of body. Ventral pointed. 

 Caudal deeply lobed. 



Scales — Small, and deciduous. 



Colours — Of a beautiful green, shot with blue. Upper margin of the opercle and along the 

 back of a light blue, below which is a bronzed line, and below that again a silvery one, shot with 

 pink. Caudal beautifully shot with blue, green, and gold. Upper surface of head and eye 

 emerald green. Pectoral, ventral, and anal white, except the first ray of the pectoral which has a 

 little black on it. Dorsal yellowish green. End of snout greenish. Eyes white. 



Very common and excellent eating. Cantor says this species has been preserved a /mile. It 

 is termed a Sardine by the inhabitants and residents in Malabar. 



Habitat— Seas of India and Malaysia. 



