204 Records of the Indian Museum. [Wo aie 
Uses.—This is a large fish which is said to reach a maximum 
length of six feet though specimens above four feet are very rare. 
It is esteemed as food and salts well.! 
Pseudentropius atherinoides (Bloch). 
Tamil— Na Keliti (the epithet ma == dog and hence an inferior kind). 
The ‘‘ three or four bands along the sides formed by black 
spots’ (Day)* are not found in Madras specimens and the pecto- 
ral spines usually have about twelve denticulations. 
Habitat and Habits.—P. atherinoides inhabits lakes and ponds 
in the neighbourhood of Madras and is rarer than most other 
Silurids. 
Arius falcarius, Richardson. 
Tamil—Uppu Kali Keliti. 
In most Madras specimens the pectoral fin does not reach the 
ventral nor does the ventral the anal. 
Habitat and Habits.—A common estuarine species which occa- 
sionally ascends rivers and comes into fresh water. 
The interesting breeding habits of species of Avius are well 
known.’ The breeding season in Madras extends from September to 
November, when large numbers congregate in estuaries to deposit 
theirspawn. One of the breeding grounds for this species in Madras 
is the mouth of the River Adyar. The eggs, which are large and 
yolky measuring ‘5 to ‘6inches in diameter, are probably deposited 
in batches by the female. The male takes up the eggs—-usually 
about eight—into his mouth and keeps them there for many days 
till they hatch out as fry. They are retained by the male till the 
yolk is absorbed. During the whole of this period the ovigerous 
male never feeds. During the breeding season the males frequently 
have the caudal, anal and part of the dorsal fins stained red. 
Uses.—A. falcarius attains a maximum length of two feet, and, 
being common, enters largely into the diet of the poorer classes. 
Macrones cavasius (H. B.) 
Tamil—Solai Kelitt. 
It is common in lakes and rivers at a distance from the sea ; 
while it is common in Sembadambakkam and Red Hills tanks, it 
is not known to occur within city limits. 
In habits it closely resembles other Silurids. The pectoral 
spines cause painful wounds. Though it does not breathe air 
direct, it lives for a long time out of its native element. 
Uses.—It is said to attain a maximum length of eighteen 
inches and is esteemed as food by Indians. 
| Day, Fishes of Malabar, p. 193. 
2 Fishes of India, p. 475; Fauna Brit. Ind., 1, p. 141. 
> Spolia Zeylanica, VII, p. 97 (1911); Day, Fishes of India, p. 457; Fauna 
Brit. Ind., p. 169. 


