244 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



2. Gazza cequulaformis. Length, of head 3J- to 4, height of body 2-^ to 3 in the total length. Dorsal 

 spines 2 to 2\ in height of body. Silvery, axilla usually brown or black : a silvery lateral streak in the young. 

 Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Gazza minuta, Plate LIII, fig. 1. 



Scomber minutus, Bl. t. 429, f. 2 ; Bl. Schn. p. 36. 



Zeus Jcomah-harah, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 50, pi. 63. 



Equula coma et minuta, Cuv. and Val. x, pp. 76, 88 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 138. 



Equula dentex, Cuv. and Val. x, p. 91 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 170. 



Gazza minuta, Bleeker, Sumatra, p. 259, and Makr. p. 85 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 506. 



Gar-chum, Belooch. 



B. v, D. J ¥! P. 17, V. 1/5, A. A. C 19. 



Length of head 3|, of caudal 4f to 5, height of body 2-J to 2| in the total length. Eyes — diameter 

 2f to 2f in length of head, 2/3 of a diameter from end of snout, and 3/4 apart. Dorsal profile from snout to 

 base of fin ascending in an almost straight line. Supraorbital edge serrated, two spines above the anterior third 

 of the eye. The maxilla reaches to below the first third of the eye. Lower edge of preopercle coarsely serrated, 

 especially anteriorly. Teeth — a row of pointed ones in the premaxillaries, and two canines opposite the 

 symphysis : villiform in the lower jaw, with an outer row of large conical ones, increasing in size with age. 

 Fins — dorsal spines weak, the second and third of about the same height, and equalling 2| in that of the 

 body. Pectoral as long as the head excluding the snout. Ventral reaches two-thirds of the way to the anal. 

 Second anal spine from 2-| to 3 in the height of the body. Scales — on body, but absent from or very inconspicuous 

 on the chest. Lateral-line — on a row of plate-like scales and in about 60 tubes, it ceases either below the end 

 of the dorsal or close to the base of the caudal fin. Colours — silvery, with irregular bluish or yellowish lines 

 descending from the back to the lateral-line, the axilla black ; anterior portion of the dorsal fin dark. 



In external appearance Zeus Jcoma Itarah, Russell=.Z%mtZa coma, C.V. strongly resembles _E7. edentula, Bl. 

 (see p. 238). It is termed Kotoo hare, Tarn. Jerdon, I. c. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond : the specimen figured (6 inches long) is 

 from the Andamans. 



2. Gazza aequulaeformis. 



Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 4, t. i, f . 3 ; Bleeker, Sumatra, ii, p. 261 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 153 ; Giinther, 

 Catal. ii, p. 506 ; Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 468. 



B. v, D. J F , P. 15, V. 1/5, A. A, 0. 17. 



Length of head 3| to 4, of caudal 4\, height of body 2-| to 3 in the total length. Eyes — diameter 2f in 

 length of head, 3/4 of a diameter from end of snout, and 1 diameter apart. Dorsal and abdominal profiles about 

 equally convex. Supraorbital edge serrated, sometimes coarsely so (in one specimen it only feels rough to the 

 touch), two spines above the front third of the eye, the distance between the outer edges of the spines on either 

 side of the orbit equals 2/5 of the length of the head. The length of the hind limb of the premaxillary equals 

 5% in the total length. The maxilla reaches to below the anterior 1/3 of the eye. Inferior surface of mandible 

 scarcely concave. Lower margin of preopercle rather strongly serrated. Teeth — in a row of pointed ones in the 

 upper jaw, having two canines in the median line : villiform in the lower jaw, with an outer row of curved and 

 pointed ones, which increase in size anteriorly, becoming like canines on either side of the symphysis. Fms— 

 dorsal spines weak, second and third of about the same length, and equal to from 2 to 2-g- in the height of the 

 body. Pectoral as long as the head behind the middle of the eye. Ventral reaches 2/3 of the way to the anal. 

 Second anal spine stronger than those of the dorsal, and equal to about 1/3 of the height of the body, the third 

 rough anteriorly in its lower third. Caudal forked. Scales — over body, none on breast and chest. Lateral-line — 

 in single tubes, ceasing opposite the last third of the soft dorsal. Colours — grayish along the back, silvery on 

 the sides and beneath, zigzag irregular bluish bands descend from the back to as low as the lateral-line. Spinous 

 dorsal fin with brown spots, especially between the second and third spines : axilla usually brown or black. The 

 young have a silvery band along the sides. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago : attaining at least 6 inches in length. It is 

 very common along all the coasts of India as far as Sind. 



Genus, 13 — Lactamus, Cuv. and Val. 

 Branchiostegals seven : pseudobranchim. Body oblong, compressed. Eyes lateral. Cleft of mouth deep, with 

 the lower jaw prominent. Preopercular margins entire. Teeth in jaws small, with one or two pairs of strong canines. 

 Two dorsal fins, the first with seven or eight feeble spines, second and the anal with many rays, but no finlets : anal 

 with three spines joined to the remainder of the fin. Scales cycloid, of moderate size, some over the second dorsal and 

 anal fins. Lateral-line continuous, unarmed,. Air-vessel bifurcated both anteriorly and posteriorly. Pyloric 

 appendages few. 



Lactarius, as observed by Giinther (Catal. ii, p. 507), "approaches the family of Scimnidm, and especially 

 the Genus Otolithus, by several characters, namely, by the structure of the mouth, and by the air-bladder, by the 

 muciferous cavities of the skull, and by the anal spines, which are continuous with the soft fin." 



Geographical distribution. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



