FAMILY, XVI— CARAXGID^E. 225 



Length of head 3-^ to 3-|, of caudal 2/9, height of liody li to If iu the total length. £')/e.s— without 

 adipose lids, diameter 1/3 of length of head, 3/4 to 1 diameter from end of snout. Body elevated and 

 comijressed, a swelling in the dorsal profile opposite the eyes, causing a slight concavity below and also above them. 

 Lower jaw the longer, cleft of mouth commences just below, or level with, the lower edge of the orbit : the 

 maxilla reaches to below the front edge or first third of the eyes. Greatest height of preorbital equalling from 

 3/4 to 1 diameter of the orbit. Tee^A— villiform in jaws, vomer, palatines, and tongue. Fins — spinous first 

 dorsal rudimentary : the second dorsal commencing at the most elevated point of the back, has its first five or 

 six i-ays elongated and with filiform terminations. Pectoral as long as the head. Ventral reaches the anal. 

 Anterior rays of anal elongated similarly to the second dorsal. Caudal deeply forked. Scales — absent except 

 on the lateral-line. Lateral-line — with a strong bend anteriorly, becoming straight below the ninth or tenth 

 dorsal ray. Colours — silvery, with five or six vertical bands on the body. Anterior portion of soft dorsal and 

 anal black. An ojiercular spot. 



Habitat. — From the Eed Sea, through those of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. This species 

 is not nearly so common as C. gallus. 



B. No teeth on the palate. 



24. Caranx leptolepis, Plate LI, fig. 4. 



Caranx leiitolepis et Mertensil, Cuv. and Val. is, pp. 03, 64. 



Caranx leptolq)is, Cantor, Catal. p. 127 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 440. 



Letaspis leptolepis, Bleeker, Makr. p. 71. 



Selaroides leptolepis, Bleeker, 1. c. p. 87. 



Caranx Bidii, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 237. 



Eamah parah. Tarn. 



B. vii, D. 8 I ^1^, P. 20, V. 1/5, A. 2 I ^, C. 17, L. 1. 24-28. 



Length of head 4} to 4^ of caudal 1/5 to 2/11, height of body 3| to 4i in the total length. Eye— 

 with a broad posterior adipose lid which covers the hind third of the pupil, an anterior eyelid extends half 

 the distance across the iris : diameter 2/7 of length of head, 1 to Ij diameters from the end of snout, 

 and also apart. The greatest vsddth of the head equals half its length, its height nearly equals its length : jaws 

 of about the same length, or lower slightly the longer : the maxilla reaches to below the anterior edge of first 

 third of the orbit. Preorbital in its deepest part equals 2/3 of the diameter of the orbit.* Teeth — 

 fine ones in the anterior portion of the lower jaw, none on the upper, the vomer, or palate : a fine band on the 

 tongue. Fins — dorsal spines weak, the third and fourth the longest and equal to 1/2 the height of the body : 

 anterior portion of soft dorsal the highest and equal to 2^ in that of the body. Pectoral rather longer than the 

 head and reaching to above the fourth anal ray : ventral nearly reaches to the pre-anal spines. Last dorsal and 

 anal ray somewhat elongated. Caudal forked. Scales — over body, chest, cheeks, and superiorly on the 

 head to above the middle of the eye. Lateral-line — ninety-five scales, it makes a very gentle curve, becoming- 

 straight from below the first third of the second dorsal fin : keeled scales begin so gradually under the lasl; 

 portion of the second dorsal that it is difficult to decide where they commence, the longest are below the com- 

 mencement of the free portion of the tail, and equal about j\ of the height of the body. Free portion of the 

 tail one- fourth higher at its base than it is long. Colours —silvery, a broad golden stripe from above the eye to 

 the upper edge of the tail, lower two-third of dorsal fin yellow, upper third dark. Anal having its outer third 

 white, the rest yellow : a large deep black spot on the shoulder, said to be sometimes absent (G. Mertensii). 



This species is termed Nama parah, Tam., in Sir Walter Elliot's figures of Madras Fishes. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. The specimen figured (G| inches in length) is 

 from Madras. 



25. Caranx nigripinnis, Plate LI, fig. 5. 

 .'' Scomber ivori-piarah,\ Russell, ii, p. 40, jal. 155. 



B. vii, D. 7-8 I -^l^, P. 23, V. 1/5, A. 2 | ^1^, C. 19, L. 1. 55-60. 



Length of head 4^ to 4f, of caudal 4 to 4|, height of body 3^ in the total length. Eye — with a 

 wide anterior and posterior adipose lid ; in one specimen with only a very broad posterior one reaching to 

 across a portion of the pupil : diameter of eyes 3| to 3j in the length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and 

 Ij apart. Dorsal and abdominal profiles about equally convex. Greatest width of head equals 4/7 of its length, 

 and its height slightly less than its entire length. Snout and lower jaw rather broad and roimded, the width 

 of the gape being rather more than the depth of the cleft, lower jaw somewhat the longer, the cleft of the 

 mouth commences opposite the middle of the eye, the maxilla reaching to below the front edge of the eye. 

 Greatest depth of preorbital equals 2/3 of the diameter of the orbit. Teeth— in both jaws in a single row of 

 equal size, none on the vomer or palate, some on the tongue. i^Mis— dorsal spines of moderate strength, 

 the third the longest, and equal to from 3/8 to 1/3 of the height of the body, and from 1/1 shorter to as long as 



* In a specimen .3f inches long the lower edpe of the preopercle is crenulated. 



t Bleeker considers this species as Carangoides or Caranx prmustus, Bcnnett=C. ire, C. V., but the cui-ve of its lateral- 

 line anil its liUitk first dorsal fin would make it more suitable to 6'. nigripinnis. Eussell says it has no scales and that the skin is 

 singularly striated. Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 248, names Russell's figure Alepes melanoptera. 



2 G 



