﻿Chcetodon. gangetic fishes. 125 



opportunity of describing another species of ChcBtodon^ of which 

 I shall here insert an account. 



Ch^todon caris. 



A chcetodon with a slight concavity in the posterior edge of 

 the tail fin ; with eighteen prickles and fourteen soft rays in the 

 fin of the back ; with the upper parts green and the under 

 white ; and with five broad yellow bars transversing each side. 



This fish has a considerable affinity to the Chcetodon sura- 

 tensis of Bloch, [Ichth. Tome VII. p. 1, Planche CCXVII.) 

 but that fish is purple and brown, where the caris is green and 

 yellow. Besides, its tail fin is rounded at the end ; its mouth is 

 more prominent ; and it has only thirteen rays in the back 

 fin. 



The caris is found in the clear rapid streams of Malabar, 

 grows to about a span in length, and is tolerably good for eat- 

 ing. It is very much compressed, and inform resembles an elip- 

 sis. Besides the colours mentioned in the specific character, 

 numerous small white spots are scattered on the body, and be- 

 hind each pectoral fin there is a large black spot. 



The head is scaly, oval, short, and rather wider than the body. 

 The mouth projects very little, extends directly back, and is of 

 moderate size. The Jatvs are neai'ly equal in length, when open 

 are protruded, and the upper Up has no bones. The nostrils are 

 in the middle, between the eyes and jaw, and each has two 

 small apertures. The eyes are high, and rather far back, protu- 

 berant, of moderate size, and round, with oblong pupils. The 

 gill-covers have scales, and are arched behind, each consisting 

 of three plates, and exposing half its membrane, which is thick, 

 and contains five rays. 



From the beginning of the back fin to the mouth slopes sud- 

 denly, with an arch much more considerable than that from 



