THE FISHES OP MALABAR. "^ 



margin concave. When the mouth is closed the mandible is laterally concealed by the upper jaw. 

 Preorbital narrow. Preopercle rather wide, lower limb almost horizontal. Opercle nearly semi- 

 circular posteriorly. Sub- and interopercles small. Upper surface of head nearly flat, with a 

 central rather wide but very shallow depression, extending from opposite the preopercle to opposite 

 the anterior margin of the orbit : for its anterior third it has a central longitudinal elevation. 

 Nostrils, the anterior round, the posterior oval, situated midway between the eye and snout. Ihe 

 left branchiostegous membrane partially overlaps the right. 



Teeth -Villiform in both jaws, in several wide bands in the mandibles: on the vomer there 

 is a heart-shaped spot : also villiform ones on the palate, pterygoids, and sphenoids. 



Fins-Pectorals in the lower fourth of the body, under the posterior border of the subopercle : 

 dorsal midway between the snout and base of caudal : ventral under the origin of the dorsal, and 

 the anal a short distance behind the posterior margin of the dorsal. Dorsal high m front, upper 

 margin rather concave, last half of the posterior ray long, and reaching to opposite the end ot 

 the anal; the third ray the longest in front, the last ray but one equal to a little more than a 

 third of its height. Pectoral pointed. Ventral with an elongated scale at its base. Anal with 

 the fourth and fifth rays the longest ; the fin is highest in front, and concave along the first part 

 of its lower margin, then parallel with the abdomen, its last ray a little prolonged. Caudal deeply 

 lobed, the lobes rather more expanded in the immature than in the adult fish. 



Scales— Cycloid, longest diameter from above downwards, posterior fourth of exposed por- 

 tions smooth, shining, and covered by membrane. No scales on the- head. A few small ones over 



the base of the anal fin. . 



Lateral line— Is formed of a single tube in each scale, which branches off into six or eight 

 smaller ones, and in the last half of the scale into from eight to twelve narrow channels, which 

 proceed to its posterior margin. It first curves a little downwards; opposite the commence- 

 ment of the dorsal it proceeds direct in the adult, but in the immature is slightly convex opposite 

 the dorsal, from whence it proceeds straight to the caudal. Centre of the scales raised in the 



adult. . 



Colours— Summit of head dark olive, back bluish-green in the adult, hghter m the immature. 



Abdomen silvery, with bluish reflections. The margins of the scales of a brilliant silver, as is also 



the lateral hue and the sides of the head. The centre of the jaws black. Dorsal and caudal 



greyish minutely dotted with black, and the margins blackish, as is also the last elongated dorsal 



ray Pectoral, ventral, and anal diaphanous, with some fine black dots, the last anal ray darkish. 



Eyes silvery, with the orbital margin of a darkish tint. The pupils oval, pointing downwards. 



It is occasionally captured in the mouth of the river at Cochin, but much more commonly 



found in the tanks, and especially in the fort ditch. Amongst many specimens examined at 



Cochin, no difference existed in the number of scales in the adult and young fish, as noted by 



Cantor m the Straits, and the filamentous portion of the last dorsal was as long in the adult as m 



the young specimens, but the comparative size of the eye larger in the former than in the latter. 



Is considered good eating, but is bony. It makes tremendous springs out of the water. It is not 



river fish, but during the monsoon it is caught both there and in the sea. 



" Habitat— Fresh waters and estuaries of India, Ceylon, Malaysia, China, and Polynesia. 



