1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. 1091 



white ; anterior half of pectorals white, posterior blackish ; between 

 the gill-opening and the root of the upper margin of the pectorals a 

 large black spot. Iris silvery, bluish black near the orbit. After 

 death the sides above the lateral line acquire a number of close, vertical 

 undulating lines and spots ; beneath the lateral line appear fewer and 

 more distant black lines. 



D 17— 4*/13— X, C \7\i, A 4/13— X, V 1/5, P 23, Br. VII. 

 Habit. — Sea of Pinang, Malayan Peninsula, Singapore. 



Isle of France, Coromandel, Bay of Bengal, Massaua, (Red 



Sea,) China Seas. 

 Total length : 3 ft. 



The length of the head is 4§ in the total. The orbit is surrounded 

 by a circular, rather broad, adipose membrane. The diameter of the 

 orbit is a little less than \ of the length of the head ; the distance of 

 the eyes across the forehead is a little less than two diameters. In 

 the upper jaw appear on each side 20 to 25 large lancet-shaped teeth 

 in the lower 10 to 15, of which the posterior ones are the largest of all ; 

 velvety teeth appear on the anterior part of vomer, on the palatals, 

 pterygoids, on the tongue, and on the margin as well as the internal 

 ^surface of each hyoid bone. The only perceptible, small elongated 

 scales appear along the anterior dorsal, on the second dorsal, caudal 

 and anal fins, and from behind the infraorbitals round the eye to the 

 occiput. The vertical diameter in front of the anterior dorsal is \ of 

 the total length. The lateral line deviates but little from the upper 

 third of the body, till opposite the first spurious dorsal fin, when it 

 suddenly descends, describing an arch which terminates nearly opposite 

 the fourth spurious dorsal fin ; from thence it proceeds in the middle 

 of the body, over the strong keel in front of the caudal fin. Both in 



* The anterior dorsal and the anal finrays are preceded by four spines (undivided 

 rays) which however cannot distinctly be perceived without removing the covering 

 scales and integuments. The caudal fin consists of 17 central branched rays, 

 above and below which appear 14 gradually decreasing, undivided rays. The fol- 

 lowing number of finrays have been given by the different describers : Russell, 

 whose figure is more correct than his description: D 16—16, C 24, A 14, V 6, 

 P 22, Br. VII. 



Ruppell : D 16— 14— X, C 26, A 3/14— X, V 1/5, P 24, Br. VI. 



Cuvier and Valenciennes : D 16— 1/15— X, A 1/15— IX, P 22 or 23, Br. VII. 



