1916.] B.SuNDARA Raj: Freshwater Fish of Madras. 259 
Habitat and Habits.—Very common in several ponds in and 
around Madras and in rivers in fresh water. After a heavy shower 
this is one of the foremost fish to enter drains and gutters in 
the city. 
Uses.—Its small size, hardihood and the ease with which it 
could be kept alive for years in small aquaria make it one of the 
most valuable mosquito larvicides. 
Rasbora daniconius (H. B.) 
Tamil—Ovari or Paravu. 
In Madras specimens, two complete horizontal rows of scales 
do not exist between the L, line and the root of the ventral fin as 
stated by Day,! there being only one and a half rows as correctly 
shown by his figures”; the number of rows in front of the dorsal 
fin varies from I4 to 16. 
Habitat and Habits.—R. daniconius abounds in all the rivers 
and tanks in Madras in fresh water. It is ashallow-water species 
and feeds on both animal and vegetable matter. This species 
breeds during the rains in September and October in Madras, 
while its congener R. vasbora (R. buchanani of the ‘ Fauna’) is said 
to breed on the West Coast in June and July.* The fry, which 
are very common during the breeding season, enter drains and 
are frequently caught there with the young of species of Ambly- 
pharyngodon, Nuria danrica aud Barbus vittatus, the other common 
tank-fish of Madras. They are easily distinguished from the fry 
of Amblypharyngodon by the absence of both the orange colour and 
the convex dorsal profile so characteristic of the latter ; but are 
not easily separable from the fry of N. danrica before the barbels 
appear in them, and the fry of B. vittatus. 
Uses.—Conflicting opinions exist as to their usefulness as 
mosquito-destroyers; my experiments show them to be at least as 
useful as N. danrica in this respect. 
Nuria danrica (H. B.) 
Tamil—Paravi. 
The height of body in some large examples is 5 in total length 
and the eyes are usually 1: diameters apart. 
Habitat and Habits —N. danrica is very common in ponds 
and not uncommon in rivers. The breeding season extends from 
October to December, when many adults have the caudal portion 

! Day, Fishes of India, p. 584; Fauna Brit. Ind., p. 337.- 
2 Day, Fishes of India, pl. cxlvi, figs. 2 and 3 
8 Jerdon, Madras Fourn. Lit. Sc., xv, p. 320. The statement of Messrs. 
Chaudhuri and Sewell i in their Jind. Fish of Proved Utility as Mosquito Destroyers, 
that this species is a pure vegetarian is contradicted by Mr. H. C. W ilson in his 
‘Notes on larvicides and natural enemies of mosquitoes in South [India,"’ Proc. 
Gen. Mal. Commit., 2nd meeting, Madras, 1912. 
4 Thomas, Rep. on Pisct. South Canara, Bet 
