118 TELEOSTEI. ACAN TIIOPTEEYGII. 



as first ray and | or f height of body. Caudal wedge-shaped in 

 young, rounded in adult. Scales cycloid on head, elsewhere 

 ctenoid, fine ones covering the bases of soft dorsal and anal, and 

 in adults whole caudal fin ; those anterior to base of first dorsal 

 much smaller than those posterior. Lateral line tubes arborescent 

 posteriorly. Colour silvery, with a light streak along each row 

 of scales : first dorsal in the young with a black interspinous mem- 

 brane, but only having a black outer edge in the adult ; second dor- 

 sal stained grey at the upper third. A dark bluish mark on the 

 opercles, most distinct in the young. Ventral, anal, and caudal 

 yellowish. 



Hob. Seas of India (China ?) ; termed Sape kateti at Pondicherry. 

 This is a common species, but not in much esteem for the table ; it 

 attains to at least 3 feet in length. 



871. (9.) Scisena diacanthus. 



Lutjanus diacanthus, Lacep. H. N. Poiss. iv, pp. 195, 244. 



Sciaena diacanthus, Guuther, Catal. ii, p. 290 ; Dai/, Fish. *India, 



p. 189 (see syuon.). 

 NeUa katchelee, Tel. 



D.10 | 1/2,3-24. P.I 8-19. A.2/7. L.r.72/52/60. L.tr.7/18. C.p.8. 

 Length of head 4 to 4|, height of body 4| to 5 in the total length. 

 Eyes diameter 4| to 6 in length of head, 1| to 1 * diam. from end 

 of snout and also apart. Greatest width of the head equals ^ of 

 its length. Snout slightly inflated, upper jaw a little the longer, 

 cleft of mouth oblique, distance from eye to upper jaw | diameter 

 of orbit. Margin of preopercle crenulated in the adult, in the 

 immature the angle is denticulated ; two opercular points. Snout 

 with three open pores across its base, and three openings along the 

 free edge of the skin, but no lateral lobe. Five open pores under 

 symphysis of lower jaw. Shoulder-flap finely serrated. Teeth 

 an inner enlarged row in the mandibles. Fins dorsal spines 

 weak, increasing in length to third and fourth, which are 5 higher 

 than the rays, and | to | the height of the body. Second anal 

 spine moderately strong, at least half as long as the rays and equal 

 to T 4 T length of head ; length of base of anal 3 to | that of soft 

 dorsal. Caudal wedge-shaped. Scales ctenoid except on the 

 Bnout and below the eyes. Lateral line tubes arborescent pos- 

 teriorly. Colour brownish grey, shot with silver along the back, 

 below the lateral line gradually fading to dull silvery grey ; head 

 of the same colour glossed with purple. Fins yellowish, with 

 black dots. Eyes golden. In the immature up to a foot and a 

 half in length or even more the fins are greyish with dark edges, 

 and the dorsal has two rows of dark spots ; the caudal also has 

 black spots and a black edge. In still younger specimens the 

 back and upper half of the body have many black spots, and the 

 young are as a rule vertically banded. 



Hab. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and China, attain, 

 ing at least 5 feet in length ; ascending tidal rivers and estuaries, 

 and found in the Hooghly as high as Calcutta. 



