FAMILY, I— PERCLTLE. 



51 



Buchanan frequently did, it would cause my figures to stand thus D. 7— -T^a-TT-Ts' -^- tt-Tb-tt-Ts- ^ n Cuv. and 

 Val. it is observed that the A. oblong a has D. 7/-^, A. -j^, and the black dots and the shoulder mark appear to 

 have been absent, but these dots often disappear in specimens which have been long kept, that on the base of the 

 anal is generally first lost, and subsequently the others. The variation in the number of rays has been already 

 referred to. McClelland observes A. Indica has D. -^ an evident misprint ; he also mentions the depth of the 

 body equal to its length. 



Habitat. — Throughout the fresh waters of India, Assam, and Burma, attaining three or four inches in 

 length. 



2. Ambassis ranga, Plate XP7, fig. 6. f 



GJianda ranga, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 113, 371j_pl.- Hy;~fr38; 



Chanda lala, Ham. Buch. 1. c. pp. 114, 371, pi. 2#^fT39 ; Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 88, and Verh. Bat. 

 Gen. xxv, t. i, f. 1. 



Ambassis ranga et lala, Cuv. and Val. ii, pp. 183, 184. 



Ambassis Barlovi,* Sykes, Fishes of Dukkun. Trans. Zool. Soc. i, p. 350, pi. 60, f. 1. 



Ambassis alta, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 183 ; Gunther, Catal. i, p. 227. 



Ambassis lala, McClelland, Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist, v, p. 150, t. 4, fig. 1. 



Ambassis lala, Blyth. Proc. Asi. Soc. Beng. 1860, p. 138. 



Chandee, Beng. and N.W. Prov. : Pee-dah, Sind. : Laal-chandee, Ooriah. 



B. vi, D. 7/^^, P. 11, V. 1/5, A. ^^ C. 17, L. r. 60-70, L. tr. 13/—. 



In the adult, length of head 4/13 to 1/4, of caudal 1/4 to 2/9, height of body 2/5 to 3/7 of the total 

 length. Eyes- — diameter 2/5. of length of head, 1/2 a diameter from end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart-. 

 Dorsal and abdom in al profiles both very convex, but the profile over the eyes is slightly concave. The maxilla 

 reaches to below the middle of the orbit. Vertical limb of preopercle sometimes entire, more commonly finely 

 serrated, but in some specimens, especially on the Bombay side of India, and in Burma, rather coarsely so : the 

 double margin of horizontal limb of the preopercle serrated : sub- and inter-opercles entire. Preorbital with about 

 six denticulations on its inferior edge, and a strong one on its anterior superior angle directed towards the eye 

 and about five more along the upper edge of that bone. Another spine at the middle of the posterior edge of 

 the orbit, with five more, but decreasing in size along its upper half. Teeth — villiform in the jaws, vomer, and 

 palate, none on the tongue. Fins — second spine of the dorsal equals the distance from the middle of the orbit 

 to the posterior end of the head, and is generally as long although sometimes shorter than the third : the 

 ventral almost reaches to the commencement of the anal : second anal spine of equal strength but slightly 

 shorter than the third which equals two-fifths of the height of the body above it : caudal deeply forked. In 

 Burma the second anal spine is comparatively shorter than in Indian specimens. Colours — olive, having a dark 

 mark composed of spots on the shoulder, being the remains of a band present in the young. The margins of 

 the vertical fins are usually somewhat dark. 



In the young, termed by Buchanan lala, the fish is of a bright yellow or orange colour, with four or five 

 dark vertical bands which are formed of fine black dots. The first dorsal is nearly black, the second and the 

 anal as well as occasionally the ventral have deep black edges. Buchanan mentions yellow spots as sometimes 

 present. 



This species appears to be subject to greater variations in accordance with age than is seen in any other 

 species of Ambassis. In examining the highest dorsal spine in comparison with the length of the fish, in 8 

 specimens, I found it to be as follows : 



inches. 

 No. 1, total length 1-JL. 

 body excluding the caudal fin. 



of body 



No. 2 „ 



1^- 



No. 3 „ 



1-S- 



No. 4 „ 



» x l 



No. 5 „ 



2-3- 



No. 6 „ 



9 * 



No. 7 „ 



9 o 



No. 8 „ 



3 



inch. 







inches. 









1 : 



height of dorsal 



spine 



3/10 or 



3| 



in the 



length, of the 



1A 



s) >> 



?> 



3/10 „ 



02 



33 



u )) 



1t%: 



75 )> 



ss 



3/10 „ 



1/4 



33 



is 33 



1_§L_. 



1 10' 



>> 51 



5) 



3/10 „ 



1/4 



33 



>) ?) 



1-L- 



)> >) 



!> 



4/10 „ 



*i 



33 



33 3) 



2 : 



T) )> 



;» 



4/10 „ 



1/5 



33 



3) 33 



2 : 



)> >J 



j) 



4/10 „ 



1.5 



33 



33 33 



9 3 . 



1» n 



5> 



9/20 „ 



1/5 



33 



33 33 



Irrespective of the above, demonstrating how the average proportional length of the dorsal spines to that 

 of the body decreases with age, it is remarkable that in all under li inches in length the second anal spine is 

 the longest : as their size increases the second and third become of equal length : but in the adult the third is 

 almost invariably the longer. 



Habitat. — Throughout India and Burma, to a few inches in length. 



3. Ambassis baculis, Plate XV, fig. 1. 

 Chanda baculis, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 112, 371. 

 Ambassis baculis, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 187. 



* I find on Sykes' original drawing, Gandreechee, given as the native name of this species, and Chanda ranga, Buch. for 

 which Ambassis Barlovni was subsequently substituted. 



H 2 



