FAMILY, VIII— TEUTHIDID^. i65 



Family, VIII— TEUTHIDID^, Cuv, 



Teuthyes, pt. Cuv. 



Branchiostegals five : pseudobranchira well developed. Body oval and strongly compressed. Eyes of 

 moderate size, lateral. Mouth slightly cleft, and hut little protractile, A single row of cutting incisors in 

 either jaw : palate edentulous. One dorsal fin with the spinous portion more developed than the soft : anal 

 with seven spines. Ventrals thoracic, with two spines and three intermediate soft rays. Scales minute 

 A complete lateral line, but no armature, on the side of the free portion of the tail. Air-vessel present 

 Pyloric appendages few. 



Several different opinions have been advanced respecting the position this family of Acanthopterygian 

 fishes should hold._ Cuv. and Val. placed them after their Mmnidce and next to their Acanthwridm. Swainson 

 observed (Fishes, ii, p. 247) : " the procumbent advanced spine before the dorsal induces me to place this genus 

 between Seriola and Garanx rather than with the AcantJmri." 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL GENUS. 

 1. TeutMs. — Definition ag in the family. 



Genus, 1 — Tedthis,* Liim. 



Sigcmus, Forsk. : Gmtrogaster, Houtt. : Am/phacantJius, Bl. Schn. : Buro, (Comm.) Lacep. 



Brcmchiostegals five : psewdobrcmcMce. Body oval, strongly compresssd. Teeth small, denticulated. A single 

 dorsal fin ivith thdrteen spmes as well as a horizontal one anteriorh/ ; anal with seven; each ventral with two, an outer 

 and cm vrmer one, homing three intermediate rays. Scales mirmte, cycloid. Air-vessel large, forhed loth anteriorly and 

 posteriorly. Pylorip appendages when presentf few (4-6). 



Oeographical distribution. — Red Sea, East coast of Africa, Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago 

 and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OP SPECIES. 



1. TeutMs Java. Neutral tint, with grey rounded spots on head, and along the back, becoming more 

 elongated on the sides and liueated on the abdomen. Seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



2. Teuthis vermiculata. Light brown, with undulating bluish lines, about one-fourth as wide as the 

 groundr colour. Seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



3. TeutMs mwrmorata. More elongated than the last, colours much the same, but the blue liaes arq 

 narrower and become sinuonsly -longitudinal on the sides. Seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



4. Teuthis vvrgata. Oblique lines and spots on the snout, blue spots on the upper third of the body : a 

 wide brown blue-edged ocular band, and another from the spinons dorsal to the base of the pectoral fin. An- 

 damans to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



5. Teuthis ooncatenata. Blue bands on the head : orange spots over the body. Andamans to the Malay 

 Archipelago. 



6. Teuthis ma/rga/dtifera. Brownish-olive, with scattered small blue spots, and a dark shoulder-mark : 

 some marks and line^ on the vertical fins. Andamans to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



7. Teuthis sutor. Body higher, otherwise very similar to the last. Spots larger, those on the sides with 

 a dark centre : a dark shoulder-mark. Seychelles and Malabar. 



8. Teuthis oramin. White spots over the body : a dark shoulder-mark and barred caudal fin. Seas of 

 India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



■ 9. TeutMs stellata. Greyish, with purplish angular spots : a dark shoulder-mark sometimes present. 

 Red Sea through those of India. 



1. Teuthis Java, Plate XXXIX, fig. 5. 



TeutMs Ja/va, Linn. Syst. i, p. 507 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1362 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 207 ; Giinther, Catal. iiij 

 p. 315 ; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 125. 



Spwrus spimos ? Russell, Fish. Vizag. ii, p. 2, and WoraJiwah, pi. 102. 



Amphacanthus Joaius, Cuv. and Val. x, p. 118 ; Bleeker, Verh. Bat. Gen. xxiii. Tenth, p. 9 : Schleg. and 

 Miill. Verh. Nat. Ges.Overz. Bezitt, p. 10; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 205. 



Ottah, Tam. : Thar-oar-dah, Andam. ; Worafmah, Tel. 



B. V, D. i%, P. 18, V. 2/3, A. i, C. 19. 



Length of head 4/21, of pectoral 1/6, of caudal 1/5, height of body 3/8 to 4/11 of the total length. Eyes— 



* Worah, Tam. ; Nga-pron-ha, Mugh. t Riippell states that in T. sigana they are absent. 



