FAMILY, I— PERCID^E. 49 



Fourth Group — Apogonina.* 



Form of body more or less elevated and compressed. Opercles mostly denticulated or armed. Cleft of 

 mouth oblique or even nearly vertical. One or two dorsal fins. 



Genus, 10 — AMBASsis,t (Comm.) Guv. and Vol. 



Ghanda, pt. Ham. Bucli. : Samiltonia et Ambassus, Swains. : Bogoda, Parambassis, et Pseudambassis, 

 Bleeker.J 



Branchiostegals six : pseudobranchim well developed. Body compressed,, more or less diaphanous. ILovier limb 

 of preopercle with a double serrated edge : opercle without prominent spine. Villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, and. 

 palate, sometimes on the tongue : canines rarely present. Two dorsal fins, the first with seven spines, the anal with 

 three: aforwardly directed recumbent spine in front of the base of the dorsal fin. Scales cycloid, of moderate or 

 small size, frequently deciduous. Lateral-line complete, interrupted, incomplete or absent. 



Geographical distribution. — From the Red Sea, and East coast of Africa, through the seas of India and 

 Malay Archipelago to North Australia and even beyond. Some are exclusively found in fresh water. 



Uses. — Although this genus consists of little bony fishes, which rarely exceed six inches in length, and 

 are generally far less, still they have then* economic uses. The poorer classes eat them, they are extensively 

 consumed by the larger fishes, forming much of their sustenance during the dry months of the year, whilst owing 

 to their formation they are easily dried without the employment of salt. Buchanan observes of his genus 

 Ghamda, which is mostly composed of species of Ambassis, that they " are very small, and of little value, although 

 in many places abundant and used in considerable quantities : but as food they are insipid, and filled with small 

 bones, for which defect their size does not compensate." Cantor remarks that the " species of Apogon and 

 Ghanda are of little value as articles of food. At Pinang, they, as well as numerous other small fishes, the daily 

 residue of the market, are used as manure." 



Some difficulty exists in ascertaining the species of this genus to which a specimen belongs, and for the 

 following reasons. The comparative length of the second or third dorsal spine to that of the body often differs 

 in accordance with the size of the specimen : and local variations on this point seem to exist. The number of 

 the soft rays is not constant. Scales are distinctly apparent in the adult of species in which they are hardly 

 visible in the very young. The lateral-line is subject to variation. Colours likewise are not constant, but the 

 character least subject to change appears to be the serrations on the sub- and inter-opercles, the preorbital, and 

 around the orbit, but those on the vertical border of the preopercle are inconstant in some species. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Ambassis nama. D. 7/ TS 1 TT , A. xt- 3 tt- Blunt serrations along horizontal limb of preopercle and on pre- 

 orbital. Large curved canines in lower jaw. Yellowish-olive with a dark shoulder mark. Fresh waters of India, 

 Assam, and Burma. 



2. Ambassis ranga. D. 7/ yt-ttj -A- TT-irei -k- r - 60-70. Vertical limb of preopercle serrated or entire, 

 both edges of its lower limb and preorbital serrated. Golden with vertical bands and black margins to the fins 

 in the young. Fresh waters of India and Burma. 



3. Ambassis baculis. D. 7 /-jig-, A. -^, L. r. 80. Double lower edge of the preopercle serrated, also the 

 preorbital and upper edge of the orbit. No canines. Tellowish-olive with a golden occipital spot. Fresh 

 waters of Bengal to the Punjab and Orissa. 



4. Ambassis Thomassi. D. 7/yi-i-j-g-, A. g-_Vo, L. 1. 35-41. Vertical limb and double lower edge of pre- 

 opercle and posterior half of interopercle serrated : preorbital also serrated. Silvery, spotted. Malabar coast in 

 fresh water. 



5. Ambassis Commersonii. D. 7/^!^, A. -g--xo, Ij- 1- 30-33. Double lower edge of preopercle 

 serrated, interopercle entire : preorbital also serrated. Silvery. Seas of India. 



6. Ambassis nalua. D. 7/ T ^- n L , A. -g-Voj ^- 1. 26-27. Double lower edge of preopercle and posterior half 

 of interopercle serrated : preorbital also serrated. Silvery. Fresh waters of India near the coast. 



7. Ambassis interrupta. D. 7/ Tg i TT , A. -g^rri ^i- 1- 28. Double lower edge of preopercle serrated : inter- 

 opercle with a few denticulations at its angle : preorbital serrated. Second dorsal spine high. Lateral line in- 

 terrupted. A dark band along either caudal lobe. Andamans to the Malay Archipelago. 



8. Ambassis Dayi. D. 7/ygiyy-, A. ^, L. 1. 30. Snout pointed. Vertical limb of preopercle minutely 

 serrated : its double lower border more coarsely so, also the posterior half of the interopercle and the preorbital. 

 Malabar. 



* Bleeker places the Ambassmi or Bogodini distract from this group of Apogonini : Klunzinger has a Family Anibassoidei with 

 a group of Apogonini, which together equal the above " fourth group." 

 f Gu-nas-si, Mugh. 

 { Bleeker's genera of his Bogodini are as follows : — 



1. Ambassis. Preorbital serrated : teeth small : scales 30-46 : dorsal and anal rays, 8-11. 



2. Paro/mbassis. Preorbital serrated : outer row of teeth in premaxillary enlarged, rather widely separated, and almost de- 

 veloping canines : scales of medium or small size : dorsal and anal rays 9-11. 



3. Pseudambassis. Strong teeth in premaxillary, dorsal fin 12-14 rays, anal 14-17. 



4. Bogoda. Preorbital entire. Strong teeth in jaws, but more obtuse and conical, with a slight outward direction : dorsal and 

 anal fins many rayed : scales small. 



H 



