1210 Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. [Nov. 



Left side. Pale reddish brown ; scales with metallic iridescent 

 reflections, with a pale dark brown longitudinal line, and with a buff 

 or whitish vertical line along the root of the fine spines ; opercle 

 bluish or neutral tint ; fin-membranes hyaline ; rays buff. Iris narrow 

 golden round the circular pupil ; rest blackish blue. 



Bight side. Brownish white ; opercle and abdominal cavity bluish. 



D 96 or 97, 



C 8, ...... left V 5, right V 4, P 0, Br. VI. 



A 70 o r 73, 

 174 or 178 



Habit. — Sea of Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 



Coromandel, Bay of Bengal, Red Sea, Sumatra, Java, Ma- 

 dura. 



Total length : 9 inch. 



Left side. The form of this as of all the following species is elon- 

 gated lanceolate. The length of the head is 4| in the total. The 

 muzzle bluntly pointed ; the distance to the anterior angle of the upper 

 orbit is 10J in the total length ; the muzzle terminates downwards in a 

 remarkably long sickle-shaped process, which extends below the lower 

 jaw to opposite the angle of the mouth, or in young individuals a little 

 beyond it.* The distance from the muzzle to the point of the sickle- 

 shaped process, its length, varies individually from 5|- to 6J in the 

 total length ; in young individuals it is proportionally longer, slightly 

 exceeding y. The upper orbit is situated in the centre of the head, 

 above the middle of the upper lip ; the horizontal diameter is T x ¥ of 

 the length of the head. The lower orbit is thrown farther back 

 above the angle of the mouth ; both are of about equal size, and their 

 vertical distance but slightly exceeds the horizontal diameter. The 

 left side of the jaw is toothless with fleshy papillular lips ; in the 

 right of both appear crowded fine setaceous teeth. A single nostril 

 appears in front of the lower eye, close to the lip : the tongue is 

 minute, rounded, smooth. The greatest vertical diameter of the 

 body, at the commencement of the anal fin, equals the length of the 



* The young are farther distinguished by their excessively minute right ventral 

 fin. The description and plate of Plagusia dipterygia, lluppell, offer no specific 

 distinguishing character. 



