FAMILY, XVI— CARANGID^E. 221 



Habitat.— Seas of India to che Malay Archipelago. Grows to upwards of a foot in length. In Malabar 

 it is mostly captured during the cold months. 



16. Caranx compressus, Plate L, fig. 1. 



Caranx ferdau, Riippell, Atl. Fische, p. 99, t. xxv, f. 6 ; Cuv. and Val. is, p. 56 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, 

 p. 439 (not Forsk.). 



Caranx compressus, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 689. 



Caranx brevicarinatus, Klunz. Verb, z. b. Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 461. 



B. vii, D. 8 | rf TO P. 21, V. 1/5, A. 2 | „i„> C. 21, L. 1. 13. 



Length of head 1/4 to 4|, of caudal 1/5, height of body 3a to 3| in the total length. JEtyes— without 

 adipose lids, situated just above the centre of the height of the head and 1 vertical diameter from the upper 

 profile, diameter of eyes 3|- to 1/4 of length of head, 1| to If diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. Body 

 rather strongly compressed, dorsal and abdominal profiles equally convex : occipital crest well developed. 

 Greatest width of head equals 1/5, and its height the entire length of the head. Lower jaw the longer : cleft of 

 mouth commences opposite the middle or upper third of the eye, and the maxilla reaches to below the front edge 

 or first third of the orbit. Greatest depth of preorbital equals 2/3 to 3/4 of the diameter of the eye. Teeth — 

 villi form in both jaws, becoming in a single narrow band laterally in the lower, also present on the vomer, 

 palate, and tongue. Fins — third dorsal spine longest, and equal to 1/3 or 2/7 of the height of the body, and 

 only 2/3 as high as the anterior portion of second dorsal fin. Pectoral falciform and 1/4 longer than the head. 

 Ventral reaches 1/2 way to the anal. Anal similar to but lower than the second dorsal. Caudal forked. 

 Scales — present on the cheeks, round the posterior edge of the eye, the body and chest, also forming a low groove 

 along the bases of second dorsal and anal fins. Lateral-line — containing about 150 scales, it forms a very gradual 

 curve to below the 12th dorsal ray when it becomes straight, the keels are most developed on the free portion 

 of the tail, where the largest equal 1/28 of the height of the body. Free portion of the tail 1/2 longer than 

 high at its base. Colours — silvery, with a minute opercular spot : vertical margin of preopercle dark. 



Habitat. — Red Sea and Andamans, where the specimen (16 inches long) which is figured was captured. 



17. Caranx atropus. 



Brama atropus, Bl. Schn. p. 98, t. 23. 



Scomber mais-parah, Rnssell, Fish. Vizag. ii, p. 38, pi. 152. 



Caranx nigripes, Cuv. and Val. ix, p. 122 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 275 , Cantor, Catal. p. 129 ; Jerdon, 

 M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 137 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 159. 

 Olistus atropus, Cuv. and Val. ix, p. 141. 

 Carangoides atropus, Bleeker, Makr. p. 66. 



Caranx atropus, Cantor, Catal. p. 130 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 450 ; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 88. 

 Kunni parah, Tarn. 



B. vii, D. 8 | JL-, P. 22, V. 1/5, A. 2 | ^, C. 16, L. 1. 32-35, Vert. 10/14. 



Length of head 1/4 to 2/7, of pectoral 2/7, of caudal 1/4 to 2/7, height of body 2/5 of the total length. 

 Eyes — without adipose lids, diameter 3/10 to 2/7 of length of head, 2/3 of a diameter from end of snout, and also 

 apart. Body oval, strongly compressed, with the crest on the summit of the head well developed. Greatest 

 width of the head equals rather more than half its length, and its height 1/5 more than its length. Cleft of 

 mouth commences anteriorly opposite the centre of the front edge of the eye, and the maxilla reaches to below 

 the middle of the orbit : lower jaw the longer. The greatest depth of the preorbital equals about 1/2 

 the diameter of the eye. Teeth — in two rows in both jaws, the outer in the pi'emaxillaries very slightly the 

 larger : in the lower jaw the teeth laterally form only a single row : in a triangular patch on the vomer, in a narrow 

 band on the palatines, and also along the middle of the tongue. Fins — spines of first dorsal weak, the 

 third and fourth the longest, and equal to 1/5 of the height of the body : second dorsal highest anteriorly, its 

 second ray being equal to 1/3 of the height of the body. Pectoral falciform. Ventral with a weak spine and 

 elongated rays which reach as far as the anal fin, and are receivable into a groove, at the bottom of which are 

 inserted the two pre-anal spines. Caudal deeply lobed. Scales — a few on the cheeks and below the eye, none 

 on the remainder of the head ; body scaled except on the chest and from between the bases of the pectoral and 

 ventral fins to the head. They form a rather high scaly sheath to the second dorsal and anal fins. Lateral- 

 line — consists of about 75 rows, it curves to below the fifth ray of the dorsal fin, subsequent to which the 

 keeled scales commence, the widest below the last fourth of the dorsal fin being equal to 1/17 of the height of 

 the body. Colours — bluish-green along the back, becoming silvery shot with purple on the sides and beneath : 

 a well marked black opercular spot : ventrals deep black. The young are vertically banded, and the opercular 

 spot indistinct or absent. 



In a specimen 3i inches in length the angle and lower edge of the preopercle are crenulated. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, attaining at least a foot in length. 



18. Caranx Malabaricus, Plate L, fig. 2. 



Scomber Malabaricus, Bl. Schn. p. 31. 



Scomber talam parah, Russell, ii, p. 37, pi. 150. 



