MALAYAN FISHES. 53 
The Pari dédap (Urogymnus asperrimus) is the sole repre- 
sentative of a genus and remarkable from the fact that its back is 
covered with osseous tubercles, among which are studded, at inter- 
vals, a number of conical denticles or spines rather like limpets in 
appearance, 
This fish ranges between the Red Sea, East Coast of Africa, 
seas of India and the Malay Archipelago. 
I recently overheard a Malay in the Raffles Museum apply the 
name Derédap to this fish and perhaps a note on the word Dédap 
and its derivatives may be of interest. 
Dédap—a tree (Hrythrinus sp.) with scarlet flowers, the bark 
of which is studded with spines of the same lmpet-like shape as 
those of the Pari dédap. 
Dédap—a shield or buckler. 
Rédap—a small drum, (probably so called from the kind of 
skin used). 
M érédap—( Riau, Johor) springing up plentifully, of prickly 
heat and other skin eruptions, the feature of which is a large num- 
ber of pustules. 
The word dédap as meaning a shield is obsolete both in collo- 
quial Malay and in literature and it is interesting to note that its 
place has been taken by the Indian word Périsa. 
EAGLE-RAYS. 
(MY LIOBATIDAE.) 
This family contains five genera and about 27 species. All 
five genera are represented in Malayan seas. 
These fish feed principally on Molluses, the shells of which 
they grind with their large grinding-teeth. Some of them attain 
an enormous size, over 20 feet in width, a thickness of 3 to 4 feet 
and a weight, probably, of over a ton. 
They are variously known as Devil-fishes, Sea-devils, Bat- 
fishes, Eagle-rays, etc., and it is interesting to note that the terms 
Bat and Eagle are taken from the Malay, viz. Pari kélawar and 
Pari lang. 
The largest of this family are the Pari paus (Dicerobatis spp. 
and Ceratoptera spp.). 
I have seen these fish leap out of the sea to a height of perhaps 
7 or 8 feet, time after time, coming down each time with a tre- 
mendous splash, and Malays have told me that the fish does this to 
shake off the remora which hang on to them in large numbers. 
In conclusion I may add, that all the Rays and Skates are eaten 
by natives of the East, while the “wings” or fins are highly esteemed 
by the Chinese. Fishes of this order would form a considerable 
proportion of the catches of a trawler and would provide a cheap 
and valuable food, for which there is a constant demand, either 
fresh or salted. 
