FAMILY, II— SCOPELID^. ' 505 



Saurida wrgyrophanes and undosquaviis, Gimtlicr, Catal. v, p. 400. 

 Arranna, Mai. ; Ooloowaij and Cul-nahmacunda, Tamil. 



B. xiii-xvi, D. 11-13/0, P. 14-15, V. 9, A. 10-11, C. 19, L. 1. 53-04, L. tr. 4|/7, Vert. 53. 



Length of liead 4^ to 51, of caudal 5| to 6, height of body 7| to 8 in the total length. Eyes — with broad 

 adipose lids, diameter 5 in the length of head, Ij diameters from the end of snout, and the same apart. Cleft 

 of mouth extending to li diameters behind the orbit. Teeth — several rows of card-like teeth in the upper jaw, 

 the internal the largest, and the external smallest : the surface of the premaxillaries on which they are placed 

 is bevilled off, so as to look outwards. The teeth on the mandibles are of the same character, the largest rows 

 internal and smallest external : they are more numerous than in the upper jaw, and placed on a surface 

 looking upwards and outwards. Teeth on palate in two distinct parallel patches, the external row in each of 

 which is the largest, whilst the inner is only one-tliird the length of the outer row : a small round patch of 

 teeth generally on the vomer, and small ones on the tongue. Fins — first dorsal in the centre of the body : the 

 adipose dorsal is situated over the last two anal rays. Caudal deeply forked. Scales — over the body and head, 

 with some on the base of the caudal fin. Lateral-line — the keel is most developed in the posterior third of the 

 body. Colours — brownish-gT'ay along the back, becoming white beneath, the whole having yellow reflections. 

 In some the dorsal and upper half of the caudal fins are barred in spots. In others (as the one figured) there 

 are no spots, and the middle of the pectoral and ventral are sometimes almost black. 



Habitat. — From the Bed Sea through the seas of India to the JIalay Archipelago, China and Jaj^an. As 

 food it is rather dry and insipid. The specimen figured (from Madras) is 8 inches in length. 



2. Saurida nehulosa. 



Dentex nehidosus (Solander) Cuv. and Val. xxii, p. 506. 



Saurus gracilis, Quoy. and Gaim. Voy. Uranie, p. 222. 



Saurus a handes et taches, Lienard, Dixieme, Rapp. lilaur. Hist. Nat. Soc. 1839, p. 41. 



Saurida tiehulosa, Cuv. and Val. xxii, p. 604, t. 648 ; Bleeker, Moluc. p. 292, Chiroc. p. 30, and Atl. Ich. 

 vi, p. 156, Saurida, t. i, f . 1 ; Giinther, Catal. v, p. 399 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 316 ; Klunz. Verb. z. b. Ges. 

 Wien, 1871, p. 591. 



B. xii-siii, D. 10-11/0, P. 12-13, V. 9, A. 9-10, C. 19, L. 1. 50-52, L. tr. 3i/6. 



Length of head 4f to 5|, of caudal 65, height of body 6J to 9 in the total length. Eyes — diameter 4 to 

 5| in the length of the head, rather above 1 diameter from end of snout, and 3/4 to 1 diameter apart. Jaws 

 anteriorly of the same length : snout somewhat pointed, the maxUla extends nearly to the angle of the 

 preopercle. Teeth — thin and pointed, in several rows in the jaws, the outer being the longer, and moveable : 

 none on the vomer : in two bands on the palate, the outer twice as long as the inner. Fins — dorsal higher than 

 long, situated midway between the anterior end of the snout and the base of the caudal fin. Pectoral reaches 

 to the ninth scale of the lateral-line. Ventral as long as the head excluding the snout. Scales — forming a 

 slight ridge in the last portion of the lateral-line. Colours — brownish, becoming lightest below : a series of bars 

 or blotches along the middle of the sides : fins barred. 



Bleeker observes that in specimens from the Malay Archipelago none had vomerine teeth, whereas such 

 were constant in S. tumhil. 



Habitat. — From the Red Sea, Madagascar, and the coasts of Zanzibar, to the Mauritius, through the seas 

 of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



Genus, 3 — Harpodon, Lesueur. 



Triurns, Swainson : Sauridicldhys, Bleeker. 



Eranchiostegals from twenty-three to twenty-five. Gill-cpenings wide. Body elongated and compressed. 

 Eyes small. Snout short, hones of head soft and partly modified into wide muciferous channels. Cleft of mouth 

 deep : margin of the upper jatv formed hy the premaxillaries which are thin and tapering : maxillaries absent. Teeth 

 cardiform, recurved and> of unequal size, the largest being on the mandibles and barbed. Teeth exist on the 

 premaxillaries, mandibles, palatines, the tongue and hyoid bone, those on the pcdatines are large and can be laid 

 dovmwards. Dorsal fin in the middle of the length nf the body, ivith a moderate number of rays : adipose fin small. 

 Pectorals and ventrals long, the latter with nine rays, and inserted below the anterior dorsal ones, at some distance 

 behind the pectorals. Anal of moderate length. Caudal tri-lobed. Scales thin and deciduous, -none on the anterior 

 portion of the body. Air-vessel absent. Pyloric appendages sixteen. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Harpodon nehereus. D. 12-13/0, A. 13-15. No scales (except along the lateral-line) anterior to the 

 dorsal and ventral fins. Caudal tri-lobed. From Zanzibar through the seas of India to China. 



1. Harpodon nehereus, Plate CXVIII, fig. 1. 



Silurus, Russell, ii, p. 55, and Wanah mottah, pi. 171. 



Salmo (Harpodon) microps, Lesueur, J. Acad. N. So. Phil. 1825, p. 48, pi. iii, f 1. 



Osmerus ? nehereus, Hamilton Buchanan, Fish. Ganges, pp. 209, 379. 



Laurida microps, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 246, f. 49. 



3 T 



