1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. 1 03 1 



When the upper jaw is protracted the length of the head is \ of 

 that of the body, the caudal fin not included ; the eye borders on the 

 profile, and occupies the centre between the protracted muzzle and 

 the membranous point of the opercle ; its diameter is little less 

 than J of the length of the head. The second anal spine is the 

 largest of all, its length equalling the distance from the protracted 

 muzzle to the posterior margin of the orbit. The ventral spine equals 

 the length of the fourth dorsal ; the first soft ray terminates in a short 

 filament. The pectoral fins when at rest, are slightly falcated, the 

 fifth ray, the longest, reaching to the second anal spine. 



At Pinang this fish appears to be an occasional visitor, a few indivi- 

 duals occurring together at irregular intervals, and they rarely exceed 

 7 inches in length. The flavour is said to be good. 

 Gen. Pentapodus, Cuvier, 1829. 



With three elongated pointed scales, of which one above the root of 

 each ventral, and a single between these fins, appearing like five ven- 

 trals, or feet ; mouth little cleft ; body rounded, with rather hard scales, 

 advancing farther in front than in Bentex. In each jaw two canines, 

 between which sometimes two or four smaller ; the rest of the teeth 

 velvety, disposed in narrow bands. 



Pentapodus nubilus, Cantor. 



Head above and back light reddish brown, paler on the sides ; cheeks 

 gill-covers and abdomen silvery white ; an indistinct blackish oblique 

 band from the nape of the neck to the point of the opercle ; a second 

 similar in front of the dorsal, terminating beneath the lateral line in a 

 large rounded spot ; a few indistinct blackish clouded spots along the 

 sides ; the scales of the body indistinctly edged with brownish and mi- 

 nutely dotted with brown ; dorsal caudal and anal pale yellowish ; 

 pectorals and ventrals white, the posterior half of the latter pale black- 

 ish ; the fin-membranes minutely dotted with brown. Iris pale golden. 

 A number of minute pores on the infraobital bones, the cheeks, the 

 margin of the preopercle and on the lower jaw. 



D 10/9, C 17|, A 3/8, V 1/5, P 13, Br. VI. 



Habit. — Sea of Pinang. 



Total length, 4| inch. 



The head is elongated, the profile much sloping, its length, when 

 the muzzle is protracted, is | of that of the body, the tail not included. 



6 a 



