52 ■ ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Ambassis notatus, Blyth, Proc. Asi. Soc. of Beng. 1860, p. 138. 

 Kung-gi, Punj. : Nga-koun-ma, or Nga-zm-xat, Burin. 



B. vi, D. 7JL, P. 12, V. 1/6, A. ^, C. 17, L. r. 80. 



Length of head 1/4, of caudal 1/4, height of body 1/3 of the total length. Byes — diameter 1/3 of 

 length of head, 1/2 to 2/3 of a diameter from end of snout, and also apart. Body compressed : lower jaw 

 rather shorter than the upper. The maxilla reaches to below the first third of the orbit. Preorbital strongly 

 serrated along its lower edge and having a sharp spine directed towards the orbit at its anterior-superior angle 

 followed by several more along its upper edge. The whole of the upper edge of the orbit serrated. Vertical 

 limb of preopercle entire, the whole of the lower edge of the horizontal limb strongly serrated, and a few 

 serrations near the angle of its upper edge : sub- and inter-opercles entire. Teeth — villiform in jaws, vomer, 

 and palate. Fins — second spine of the first dorsal fin the highest and equal to the length of the head 

 behind the hind edge of the orbit, and rather more than half the height of the body below it ; the seventh 

 spine rather longer than the sixth. Ventral reaches three-quarters of the distance to the anal. Third anal 

 spine slightly the longest : caudal forked, lower lobe slightly the longer. Lateral-line — complete, it becomes 

 straight opposite the first-third of the second dorsal fin. Colours — ^yellowish-olive : a golden spot on the occiput : 

 black along the top of the first dorsal fin : second dorsal and anal darkest externally : front of each anal ray 

 blackish : caudal dark along its base and also with blackish tips to each lobe. 



Buchanan observes that it has " the body short and transparent, and devoid of scales and with a yellow 

 mark on the nape." It is said to resemble the bogoda in colour, and the ranga in shape. A figure of it exists 

 amongst his MSS. drawings l-j% inches in length and marked Gentropormis ? hahrul. 



The Ambassis haculis principally differs from the A. nama in its form being higher, its lower jaw the 

 shorter and not crooked to one side, its vertical Hmb of the preopercle being strongly serrated, and its possessing 

 no canine or enlarged teeth in its jaws. 



Habitat. — Fresh waters of Orissa, Bengal, and as far north as the Punjab : also in Burma. The figure is 

 taken from a specimen 1^ inches in length, captured at Lahore. 



4. Ambassis Thomassi, Plate XV, fig. 2. 

 Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 369. 

 Mullu-cJieru, Mai. . Mullu-tha/ru, Tel. : Mullu-jubbu, Canarese. 



B. vi, D. 7/xoio-> P- 15, V'. 1/5, A. ^l, C. 15, L. 1. 35-41, L. tr. 7/17. 



Length of head ^ to 2/7, of caudal 4/17 to 1/4, height of body 1/4 to 1/3 of the total length. Eyes 



diameter from 1/3 to 3j of length of head, 3/4 of a diameter from end of snout, and 1/2 a diameter apart. 

 The younger specimens are rather more oval than the adults : lower jaw the longer : a slight concavity over 

 the orbits, ovring to a rise from the nape to the base of the dorsal fin. The maxilla reaches to below the middle 

 of the orbit. Vertical hmb of preopercle finely serrated, its lower double edge more coarsely so especially at 

 the angle : posterior half of lower edge of interopercle strongly serrated. Lower edge of preorbital with about 

 niae denticulations, sometimes becoming more numerous (up to 15) and smaller with age, and a raised usually 

 serrated edge along its upper third, which sometimes becomes blunted with age. One spine at the posterior- 

 superior angle of the orbit (becoming bifurcated with age,) and the lower two-thirds of its margin serrated 

 (these becoming blunted with age). Teeth — ^in villiform bands in jaws, vomer, and palate, an outer rather 

 enlarged row in both jaws, none on tongue. Fins — second dorsal spine strong and nearly as long as the head 

 without the snout : the ventral reaches as far as the anal spines : second anal spine equals that of the third and 

 half the length of the head :_ caudal deeply forked. Lateral-line — continuous. Pseudobranchice—weO. developed. 

 Colours — greyish, spotted with silvery, there are also brovynish basal spots on many of the scales, more especially 

 along the back. ' i' j 



Habitat. — The coasts of Canara as low as Cochin: it is found some distance inland even in elevated 

 localities : it attains to at least 6| inches in length. 



5. Ambassis Commersonii, Plate XV, fig. 3. 

 ? Scicena safgha, Forsk. Desc. Anim. p. 63. 

 .? Perca safgha, Bl. Schn. p. 86. 

 Gentropomus a/mbassis, Lacep. iv, p. 273. 



Ambassis Commersonii, Cuv. and Val, ii, p. 176, pi. 25 -^ Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 89 • Bleeker Pere n ^0 

 and Ambassis, p. 95 : Gunther, Catal. i, p. 223 ; Day, Fishes of Malabar, p. 15. ' " ^" ' 



P ^ /ri^^T'" ^*ff'^^^^*' Bl^t^^' I'^^"- P- 30; Gunther, Catal. i, p. 227; Day, Fishes of Andamans, 

 Jr. Zi. b. lo/O, p. Dol (not synonym.) ' 



B. vi, D. 7/^_Vt, p. 13, V. 1/5, A. ^.a_, C. 15, L. 1. 30-33, L. tr. 4/9, Vert. 9/15. 



1/3 to 2/7 of length of head, 1/2 a diameter from end of snout, and also apart. Dorsal and anal wofiles about 

 equaUy convex : lower jaw the longer, its cleft very obHque, so that when closed it forms a nortion of the 

 antenot- profile. The maxilla reaches to below the first third of the orbit. Preorbital rather stronslv serrated 

 the serratures being directed downwards and slightly backwards. Vertical limb of preopercle entire its inferior 



