510 PHYSOSTOMI. 



Belone scUsmatorhynchus, Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. i, p. 96, Snoek, Visscli. p. l5. 



Mastac&mhelus gracilis, Bleeker, Ned. Tyds. .Dierk. iii, p. 230. 



Mastacembelus schismatorhjnchus, Bleeker, Atl. Icli. vi, p. 49, Scombres. t. xii, f. 2. 



B. xiii-xiv, D. 24-26, P. 14, V. 6, A. 25-27, 0. 15. 



Length of head 4|, of caudal 11, height of body 14 in the total length. Eyes — diameter equals the 

 width of the interorbital space, and 2/5 of that of the postorbital portion of the head. A wide median groove 

 along the summit of the head : superciliary region slightly striated longitudinally. _ Maxillary nearly concealed 

 by the preorbital. Tongue without asperities. Teeth — ^none on the vomer : those in the jaws strong. Fins — 

 the anterior dorsal rays from the second to the fourth produced, rendering the fin falciform: the anal 

 commences rather in advance of the dorsal, and is of the same shape : pectoral as long as the head behind the 

 anterior nostril, and when laid forwards reaches the anterior edge of the orbit. Ventral fin situated midway 

 between the posterior margin of the eye and the end of the base of the anal : caudal forked. Free portion of 

 tail somewhat compressed. Lateral-line — not forming a keel. /Scales — minute. Golowrs — pectoral nearly black 

 externally : from one to seven large black blotches along the side, which appear to be occasionally absent in the 

 females. 



Hahitat. — Bed Sea to the Malay Archipelago. A fine specimen 35 inches long, captured ofi" the coast, 

 exists in the Madras Museum. I obtained, in Bombay, both in November and February, some fine female 

 specimens full of roe, unfortunately I was unable to preserve them. 



2. Belone annulata, Plate CXX, fig. 1. 



Esox, Russell, Fish. Vizag. ii, p. 60, and WaMah Kuddera, fig. 175. 



? Belone Indica,lies. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1821, p. 131. 



Belone gigomtea, Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon. Poiss. p. 245 ; Bleeker, Japon, p. 21, and En. Pise, 

 p. 166, 



Belone annulata, Cuv. and Val. xviii, p. 447, f . 550 ; Cantor, Gatal. p. 244 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 72 ; 

 Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1861, p. 147 ; Day, Fish. Mai. p. 165 ; Gunther, Catal. vi, p. 240. 



Belone melanwus and cyUndrica, Bleeker, Madura, p. 11, and Snoek, p. 13 ; Kner, Novara Fische, 

 p. 321. 



Mastaoemhelus cJioram, Bleeker, Mastacemb. p. 227. 



Mastacembelus annulatus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. vi, p. 48, Scomb. t. xii, f. 3. 



Pahmum Icolah, Tamil. 



B. xii-xv, D. 22-24, P. 12-15, V. 6, A. 20-22, C. 15. 



Length of head 3|, of caudal 9 to 10, height of body 13 to 20 in the total length. Width of body 

 equals its height. Eyes — diameter 2^ in the postorbital length of the head, and 2/8 of a diameter apart. 

 Interorbital groove broad and shallow, striated along its anterior portion. Base of premaxiUaries depressed 

 and almost cobcealing the maxilla. Teeth — strong, none on the vomer. Tongue covered with tubercular 

 asperities. Fins — dorsal situated in the last third of the distance between the head and base of caudal fin, 

 elevated in front, and its middle and last rays also rather elongated. Pectoral rather longer than the body is 

 high. Ventral situated midway between the front edge of the eye and the base of the caudal. Anal commences 

 very slightly in advance of the dorsal, and is of somewhat similar shape. Caudal lobed, lower lobe the longer. 

 Scales — thin and small (360 rows, Bleeker), some present on the preopercle. Free' portion of the tail 

 tetrahedral, rather higher than broad. Lateral-line — forming a badly developed keel on the side of the free 

 portion of the tail. Golowrs — upper surface of the head and back green, with steel-blue reflections minutely 

 dotted with black, fading into silvery-white on the abdomen. The side of the upper jaw of a dark olive, of the 

 lower silvery. A black line passes from the upper third of the angle of the mouth along the base of the teeth. 

 Cheeks and opercles sUvery. Membranes of the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins of a light greenish-gray, 

 minutely dotted with black, especially at their margins. Anal and ventral anteriorly white, dotted with black. 

 Iris silvery, the margin of the orbit black. In young specimens the colours vary, the upper surface is more of 

 a yellowish-green, there is a large black spot on the opercle, and the lower jaw is also black : a narrow silvery 

 greenish band passes longitudinally above the lateral-line. The upper portion of the dorsal is black, and the 

 centre of the caudal is stained blackish. 



Russell's figure appears to represent either B. choram or B. annulata, both of which are found on the 

 Coromandel coast of India. Bleeker considers it to be Belone or Mastacembelus melanotus, Bleeker. i 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas and estuaries of India, Malay Archipelago, China, and North Australia. 

 Grows to at least 2 feet in length. 



3. Belone choram, Plate CXVIII, fig. 4. 



Esox choram, Forsk. Desc. Anim. p. 67. 

 Belona crocodila, Les. J. Acad. Nat. Sc. PhU. 1821, p. 129. 



Belone choram, Riipp. N. W. Fische, p.72 ; Gunther, Catal. vi, p. 239; Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 

 1871, p. 679. > r > 



Belone crocodilus, Cuv. and Val. xviii, p. 440. 



