1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes, 1343 



Head above and back pale blackish green, lighter on the sides above 

 the lateral line ; rest of the sides of body and head and abdomen frost- 

 ed silvery ; in some a faint blackish spot a little below the eye ; first 

 dorsal spine silvery blackish, the rest white ; the basal half of the 

 spines as well as the yellowish membrane black ; ventral spines silvery 

 white ; rest of the fins pale yellowish, in some the margins blackish. 

 Iris pale golden, bluish black towards the orbit. 



D 5—24 or 25, C 14|, A 19 or 20, V 1, P 14, Br. VI. 



Habit. — Sea of Malayan Peninsula and Islands, 



Indian Ocean, Ceylon, Bay of Bengal, Sumatra, Java, 

 Borneo, Madura, Sumbawa, Celebes, Seas of China and 

 Australia. 



Total length : 9 inch. 



The form is trapezoid, approaching the rhomboidal. The head is 

 broad, pyramidal, tapering to an elongated muzzle ; the length from the 

 latter to the gill-opening varies from J of to 4J times in the total. The 

 eye borders upon the profile ; the anterior margin of the orbit is situated 

 opposite the commencement of the posterior third of the head ; the 

 oblique diameter is J of the length of the head ; the distance of the eyes 

 between the anterior angles equals the diameter, between the posterior 

 angles it is § more. The two tubular apertures of each nostril are 

 placed obliquely in front of the eye upon the profile ; the upper aperture 

 is oval, larger than the lower, rounded one. The small mouth is sur- 

 rounded by thick fleshy lips ; each jaw has an external series of 10 tren- 

 chant teeth, of which the central ones are the largest ; in the upper jaw 

 appears a second transversal series of four tubercular teeth, of which the 

 central pair are the larger ; in the lower the corresponding series consists 

 but of two tubercular teeth, immediately behind the pair on the sym- 

 physis. The tongue is small, fleshy, oval and tied to the floor of the 

 cavity. The gill-opening is linear, slightly oblique, situated immediately 

 in front of the pectorals ; the length nearly equals the diameter of the 

 eye. The distance from the muzzle to the root of the first dorsal spine 

 varies from £ of to 3^ times in the total length. The spine is strong, 

 covered to the apex with small bipartite or tripartite spines ; in young 

 individuals its length equals the greatest vertical diameter of the body, 

 in older ones it is } to J less. The second spine is much shorter, slenderer, 

 and but slightly rough on the posterior margins ; its length varies from 



8 K 



