502 



Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol. V, 



nearer to the symphysis. In the upper jaw, in the front part of the snout, on each 

 side of the large groove at the symphysis already described, there are two large and 

 long fang-like teeth on each side of the groove with a considerable empty interval 

 between. On a higher level to these four fangs there are minute villiform teeth, 

 forty-five in number, on each side on the edges of the premaxillary throughout its 

 length, which continue to the angle of the jaws (as the maxillary bone does not take 

 any part in the formation of the mouth). Further inward and at a lower level, but 

 running parallel to the villiform teeth of the premaxillary, there are on each side a 

 series of palatine teeth beginning behind and beyond the four anterior fang-like teeth. 

 Of these palatine teeth on each side there are four large conical teeth wide apart from 

 one another ; posterior to these large conical teeth, but in the same line with them, 

 there are five very small teeth on each side, not very close to one another (fig. 21). 

 The tongue is not free but is attached to the floor of the mouth about its middle ; 



Fig. 21. — Sphyraena raghava, Chaudhuri. Teeth of palate, 

 upper and lower jaw. 



it is long, slender, and pointed ; the upper surface of the tip of the tongue is finely 

 asperous and there are very minute teeth on this surface arranged in longitudinal 

 series. 



There are seven branchiostegal rays and the gill openings are wide ; the gill rakers 

 are entirely absent and are only represented by the asperities opposite the gill fila- 

 ments. The pseudo-branchiae are well developed and have about fifty-two filaments, 

 most of which are longer than half the length of the gill filaments. The end of the 

 isthmus is in the form of a hard bony knob. The edge of the operculum is round and 

 is without any spinous process or point. 



The dorsal fin has four spines, probably there was another which possibly might 

 have been damaged beyond recognition ; the second dorsal fin has one short and 

 slender spine and nine soft rays ; the pectoral fin has fourteen rays ; the ventral fin 

 has one strong spine and six rays ; the anal fin has two spines and nine rays. The 

 distance between the root of the pectoral fin and the anterior origin of the first dorsal 



