FAMILY, XLII— CHROMIDES. 415 



fifth anal spines : caudal emarginate. Scales — very finely ctenoid, or more scolloped at their edges. Lateral- 



Zwe— continued for about 15 to 26 scales, -when it either ceases or only exists as small open holes. Colowrs 



yellowish-buff with about 8 vertical, blackish, slate-coloured bands, each scale being darkest at its base, and 

 some having a light central yellow spot. Dorsal and caudal dirty greenish : pectoral yellow, with a black 

 base : ventral and anal black. 



Eahitai. — South Canara, attaining at least 41- inches in length. 



2. Etroplus maculatus, Plate LXXXIX, fig. 4. 



Ghcetodon maculatus, Bloch, t. 42?, f. 2 ; Bl. Schn. p. 228. 



Olyphisodon kakaitsel, Lacep. iv, p. 543. 



Etroplus maculatus, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 489. 



Etroplus corucU, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 491, and Gh/pMsodon Tcorusohi, pi. 136 ; Jerdon, Madras Journal, xv, 

 p. 142 ; Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 52. 



Etroplus maculatus, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 62 ; Gunther, Catal. iv, p. 266 ; Kner, Novara Fische, 

 p. 263 ; Day, Fishes of Malabar, p. 162. 



PullaMay, Mai. ; Ballia, Singalese (Boake) ; Boorakas and Chella Jcassu, Tamil. 



B. vi, D. lilfa, P. 14, V. 1/5, A. ^U^, 0. 16, L. 1. 35, L. tr. 6/19, Vert. 16/13. 



Length of head 3^ to 3f , of caudal 4 to 4^, height of body 2f to 2^ in the total length. %es— diameter 

 3 in length of head, rather above 1 diameter from end of snout and 1 apart. Profile rises abruptly to the 

 dorsal, and is slightly concave between the snout and the upper margin of the orbit : lower profile not quite so 

 convex as the upper. Lower jaw rather the longer : the maxilla extends two-thirds of the distance to the 

 orbit. Teeth — trilobate but not quite touching one another. Fins — dorsal spines strong and occupying eleven- 

 fourteenths of the entire fin ; interspinous membrane deeply notched and longer than the spines : anal spines 

 strong, and occupying seven-tenths of the base of the entire fin, the rays are the same as in the dorsal. Caudal 

 lunated. Scales — scarcely ctenoid. Colours — yellowish, with a greenish back, and about seventeen horizontal 

 lines of deep golden spots : occasionally there are a few along the dorsal fin, the back, and the abdomen, also on 

 the anal. Between the dorsal spines and rays there are more spots, some being brown, and others yellow. 

 Along the lateral-line there are three black finger-marks, the central being the largest, and darkest : ventral 

 and anal fins stained with deep black. In specimens procured between January and May there is occasionally 

 a reddish tinge at the extremity of the caudal fin, and a leaden or violet hue over the body, whilst the number 

 of golden spots seems to have decreased. 



In South Canara, the highest point on the Western coast where I have obtained this species, the formula 

 of the fin rays was as a rule, D. ^%^°,A. ^V°- -^^ Madras the formula was usually D. ^l-I-rf, A. ^V''- 

 Common along the coasts in every paddy field, tank, or piece of fresh water, and even occasionally found in 

 back-waters. Specimens have been received from Arcot, showing that it exists some distance inland. It is eaten 

 by the natives, but as it rarely, if ever, exceeds three inches in length, it is not employed as food by Europeans. 

 Dr. Jerdon observes, " the eggs are not very numerous and are deposited in the mud at the bottom of the stream, 

 and when hatched both parents guard their young for many days, vigorously attacking any large fish that pass 

 near them." This species does not live long after its removal from water, and is therefore transported with 

 some difficulty. It is very pretty in an aquarium, but exceedingly pugnacious, turning at times almost black 

 with passion, and vigorously biting the nearest fish. It readily takes a worm as a bait. 



Habitat. — ^Fresh waters along the coasts of Madras, and from South Canara along Malabar, and also found 

 in Ceylon. It is captured at least sixty or eighty miles inland. 



3. Etroplus Suratensis, Plate LXXXIX, fig. 6. 



Ghcetodon Sv/ratensis, Bloch, t. 21 7 ; Lacep. iv, p. 461. 



Ghcetodon ca/ris, Ham. Buch. pp. 125, 372. 



Etroplus meleagris, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 486 ; Bleeker, Beng. en Hind, p. 52. 



Etroplus maculatus, Jerdon, Madras Journ. xv, ^p^ 142. 



Etroplus suratensis, Gunther, Catal. iv, p. 266 ; Kner. ISTovara Fische, p. 264 ; Day, Fishes of Malabar, 

 p. 161. 



Kanrssaar and Pillinchan, Tarn. ; Pitul-has, Hind. ; Cashi-ma/ra, Telinga, {Jerdon) ; Cwndahla, Ooriah ; 

 Corallia, Singalese {Boake). 



B. vi, D. ifiif, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. \l-J^, C. 16, L. 1. 35-40, L. tr. 6i/17. 



Length of head 4, of caudal about 4, height of body 2| in the total length, Eyes — diameter from 1/3 

 to 1/4 of length of head, nearly 2 diameters apart. Profile rises abruptly tp the base of the dorsal : lower profile 

 not quite so rounded as the upper. The maxilla extends more than half way to below the orbit : the lower jaw 

 shghtly the longer. Teeth — in a single row in each jaw, compressed, and with a small lobe on each side, whUst 

 posterior to them in both jaws are one or two rows very much smaller, but of the same description and separated 

 by a short interspace from the outer row. Fins — dorsal spines strong, the spinous portion occupying seven- 

 tenths of the length of the base of the fin : the interspinous membrane deeply notched and longer than the 

 spines : the fourth or fifth rays the longest, the last the shortest, being not quite a fourth of the length of the 



