EDIBLE FISHES OF QUEENSLAND.— OGILBY. 155 



SNUB-NOSED SWALLOWTAIL. 

 Snub-nosed Dart (Stead). 



(Plate XIX.) 



Type localities: — "In Asia" (G. ovatus). 



Red Sea at Jeddali (-S'. falcatus). 



Fort Dauphin, ]\Iadagascar (('. hlocliii). 



Pondicherry (T. nioolcalec) . 



Malabar Coast {1\ affinis). 



Malabar Coast (T. falcigcr). 



Seychelles {T. drcpanis). 



Body deeply ovate and strongly compresg'ed, the dorsal contour much 

 more arched than the ventral ; the former linear or feeblj^ convex and strongly 

 acclivous from above the nostrils to the tip of the procumbent spine, the latter 

 linear and declivous from the chin to the isthmus thence convex to the vent, 

 which is situated in a slight concavity; width of body 3-35 to 3-5 in its depth, 

 which is 1-75 to 2 in its length and one and three fourths times to twice the 

 length of the head; abdominal region moderate, 1-25 to 1-35 in the length of 

 the anal; caudal peduncle from three tenths to five ninths longer than deep, 

 its least depth from a little less to a little more than the eye-diameter. Head 

 small, its length 3-3 to 4 in that of the body, its width 1-95 to 1-8 in its depth, 

 Avhich is slightly more than its length ; cranio-nuchal keel moderate to weak. 

 Snout short and blunt, deeper than long, its anterior profile sloping somewhat 

 backwards in the young, vertical in the adult, its length 1-25 to 1-1 in the eye- 

 diameter, which is 3 to 3-5 in the length of the head; adipose lid little developed; 

 interorbital region elevated and strongly convex, its width from one fifth to 

 one half more than the eye-diameter ancl 2-2 to 2-67 in the length of the head. 

 Upper jaw slightly projecting ; maxillary extending to below the anterior border 

 of the pupil, its length 2-9 to 3-35 in that of the head, the width of its rounded 

 distal extremity subequal to its distance from the eye and 3-33 to 4-67 in the 

 eye-diameter. Preopercular angle broadly rounded and somewhat produced, 

 the membranous border entire, the hinder limb inclining slightly forwards. 



Jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of minute teeth in the young, which 

 gradually disappear with advancing age, the adults toothless. 



Scales small, thin, and deeply embedded, ovate, increasing slightly in size 

 posteriorly; entire head and nuchal ridge naked. Lateral line curved upwards 

 above the base of the pectoral, thence descending in a long, shallow, often irregu- 

 larly undulated curve to below the middle of the soft dorsal, thence straight, 

 the pores about 130. 



Dorsal fin with vi. i 18 to 20 rays; spines short and stout, united by 

 membrane in the young, separate in the adult, evenly graduated from the front, 

 the last 1-75 to 1-25 in the eye-diameter; procumbent spine strong and exposed; 

 soft dorsal originating from one third to one sixth nearer to the root of the 

 caudal than to the tip of the snout, the anterior rays produced, the first the 

 longest, 2 to 3 in the body-length, and extending when depressed to between the 

 anterior fifth of the caudal and the base of the 14th dorsal ray; last ray not 

 produced. Caudal fin long and deeply forked, the lobes acute and of equal 

 length, 2-75 to 2-5 in the length of the body. Anal fin with ii, i 16 or 17 rays, 



