SCI.ENLD.E. 129 



Caudal wedge-shaped. Scales cycloid. Lateral line the tubes 

 arborescent posteriorly. Air-bladder somewhat contracted at its 

 first fourth and having about 34 branching processes on either side. 

 Colour brownish red,- shot with silvery and white, sometimes 

 glossed witb gold in lower third of body. First dorsal stained 

 black at its edge, soft dorsal and anal with greyish outer margins ; 

 pectoral, ventral, and anal yellow. 



Hob. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, attaining 2| feet 

 or more in length ; this is the commonest form in the Indian seas, 

 especially along the Coromandel coast. It is pretty good for the 

 table. The ova appear to be deposited from about March to July. 



885. (3.) Otolithus argenteus. 



Otolithus argenteus (Kuhl $ v. Hass.}, Cuv. $ Val. H. N. Poiss. v, 

 p. 62 (from a figure) ; Day, Fish. India, p. 197, pi. xlv, tig. 3. 



Ddtarya dhomd, Marathi ; Ilu-ru, Sind. ; Golaree, Tel. (at Gopalpore). 

 D. 10 | 1/28-30. A. 2/7. L. r. 70-80/54/70-75. L. tr. 7-8/21. C. p. 6. 



Length of head 3| to 4|, height of body 41 to 5 in the total 

 length. Eyes diameter 4 to 41 in length of head, 1 to ! diam. 

 from end of snout, and 1| apart. Greatest width of head equals 

 from -f to i its length. Interorbital space almost flat. Distance 

 between eye and maxilla equals | diameter of orbit. Vertical limb 

 of preopercle slightly serrated (in the young it is spiny) ; its angle 

 and lower edge crenulated ; two opercular spines. Free edge of 

 skin across snout entire, having an open pore above the canine 

 teeth ; no open glands on lower jaw. Edge of shoulder-flap serrated. 

 Teeth two large pointed canines at the side of the symphysis in 

 the upper jaw. A single large central canine in the lower jaw and 

 a lateral row of conical teeth ; in some specimens there exist a few 

 villiform teeth external to this row. Fins dorsal spines increase 

 in length to third and fourth, which equal height of body, and 

 are 5 higher than the rays. Ventral reaches halfway to the anal. 

 Second anal spine weak, rather more than 3 height of first ray, 

 and | diameter of orbit ; base of anal equals -1 of that of soft 

 dorsal. Caudal wedge-shaped. Scales cycloid, except below the 

 lateral line in the last half of the body, where they are more or less 

 ctenoid ; some over bases of caudal and anal fins. Lateral line 

 tubes strongly arborescent posteriorly. Air-bladder with 25 

 lateral processes on either side. Colour silvery, darkest along 

 the back; four dark longitudinal bands along sides, one along 

 lower edge of dorsal fin, a second at J the distance between it and 

 the lateral line, the two others on either side of the lateral line. 

 A darkish spot on the opercle. Pectoral, ventral, and anal orange, 

 outer edge of dorsal greyish. 



Hab. 0. argenteus inhabits the seas of India to the Malay Archi- 

 pelago and China ; attaining upwards of 2| feet in length. 



TOL. II. K 



