ELOPS. -0 



1. ELOPS. 



Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 518 (17G6) ; Giinth. Cat. Fish. vii. p. 469 (1868) ; Bleek. 

 Atlas Ichth. vi. p. 84 (1872) ; Bouleng. Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 47 (1901). 



Body elongate, moderately compressed. Scales small ; lateral line 

 straight, with simple tubes. Mouth very large, the prsemaxillary and 

 maxillary with bands of small villiform teeth ; similar teeth on the vomer, 

 palatines, pterygoids, parasphenoid, and tongue. Dorsal fin above the 

 ventrals, a little shorter than the anal, these fins folding in a scaly sheath. 

 Ventral fins with 15 or 16 rays. A scaly process above the base of the 

 pectoral and another above the ventral. Branchiostegal rays 24 to 35. 

 Pseudobranchia; well developed. Vertebrae 62 or more. 



Tropical and subtropical seas, entering rivers. 



The two species are easily distinguished by the following formulae : — 



D. 22-25 ; A. 14-17 ; Sc. 100-110 j£j? . Br. 



lo— lo 



28-35 1. E. saurus, L., p. 25. 



D. 18-21; A. 17-18; Sc. 74-83 ~~; Br. 



24-26 2. E. lacerta, C. & V., p. 26. 



1. ELOPS SAURUS. 



Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 518 (1766) ; Blocb, Ausl. Fische, viii. p. 153, pi. cccxciii. 



fig. 1 (1794) ; Cuv. & Val. Hist. Poiss. xix. tp. 365 (1846) ; Giinth. Cat. 



Fish. vii. p. 470 (1868) ; Steind. Sitzb. Afc. Wien, lxi. i. 1870, p. 571 ; 



Kleinz. Verb., zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xxi. 1871, p. 603 ; Bleek. Atl. Ichth. 



vi. p. 84, pi. cclviii. fig. 3 (1872) ; Day, Fish. Ind. p. 649, pi. cxlvi. fig. 1 



(1878) ; Sauv. Hist. Madag., Poiss. p. 497, pi. xlix. B. fig. 4 (1891) ; Jord. 



& Everm. Fish. N. Amer. i. p. 410 (1896). 

 Argentina Carolina, Linn. t. c. p. 519. 

 Argentina machnata, Forsk. Descr. Anim. p. 68 (1775). 

 ftlvgilomorus anna-caroUna, Lacep. Hist. Poiss. v. p. 397 (1803). 

 Elops inermis, Mitchell, Tr. Lit. Phil. Soc. N. Y. i. 1815, p. 445. 

 Elops machnata, Biipp. N. Wirbelth., Fisch. pp. 80 & 84 (1835) ; Richards. Voy. 



Ereb. & Terr., Fish. p. 59, pi. xxxvi. figs. 3-5 (1846) ; Schleg. Faun. Japon., 



Poiss. p. 241, pi. cix. fig. 2 (1850) ; Playf. & Giinth. Fish. Zanzib. p. 121, 



fig. (1866). 

 Elops indicus, Swains. Nat. Hist. ii. p. 292 (1839). 

 Elops capensis, A. Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr., Fish. pi. vii. (1840) ; Casteln. Mem. 



Poiss. Afr. Austr. p. 67 (1861). 

 Elops purpurascens, Richards. Ichth. China, p. 311 (1846). 



Depth of body 4^ to 5^ times in total length, length of head 3£ to 4 

 times. Eye 4 to 5 times in length of head, as long as or a little shorter 

 than snout, equal to interorbital width ; lower jaw not or but scarcely 



