368 TELEOSTEI. ACANTHOPTERYGlr. 



oblong, compressed. Mouth small and but little protractile. 

 Opercles spineless. Teeth small and fixed in the jaws ; palate 

 edentulous. Dorsal fin single, the spinous portion of much 

 greater extent than the soft ; the anal similar ; ventral with one 

 spine and five well-developed rays, some of which are usually 

 elongate. Scales rather large, ctenoid. Lateral line interrupted, 

 sometimes partially or even entirely absent. Air-bladder simple. 

 Pyloric appendages, when present, few. 



Geographical Distribution. Fresh waters and estuaries along the 

 coasts of Southern India and Ceylon, but usually not far inland. 

 Also in the Malay Archipelago. 



Synopsis of Indian Species. 



D. 14-16/5-7. Greenish, a scarlet ventral ray . . 1. P. cvpamis, p. 308. 

 D. KJ-J 7/8-10. Olive 2. P. siynatus, p. 369. 



1209. (1.) Polyacanthus cnpanus. (Fig. 121.) 



Polyacanthus cupanus, Cuv. fy Vol. H. N. Poiss. vii, p. 357 ; Day, 



Fish. Indh, p. 371, pi. Ixxviii, tig. 4 (see synon.). 

 Carinyanah and Wunnuttee, Mai. ; Punnah and Pauni. Tarn. ; Ta- 

 bttt-ti, Can. and Mai. ; Heb-bu-ti, Tel. 



D.14-17/5-7. P.10. A.16-19/9-11. C.13. L.I. 29-32. L.tr.4/7-8. 

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

 Eyes diameter 4 to 5 in length of head, 1. diam. from end of 

 snout and apart. Preorbital serrated. Posterior half and angle 

 of preopercle finely serrated, as also the subopercle and posterior 

 half of interopercle. Fins dorsal spines not so high as rays ; 

 caudal wedge-shaped. Lateral line a single round hole in each 

 scale, ceasing about fourteenth scale. Colour rifle-green, the pro- 

 longed ventral ray scarlet ; caudal barred in spots, as is also the 



Fig. 121. Polyacanthus cupanus. 



dorsal, more especially the soft portion ; a round dark spot at base 

 of caudal, and numerous small spots on the head. Variety rose- 

 coloured, with two horizontal black bands, one from above orbit to 

 upper part of caudal fin, the other from angle of mouth through 

 eye to lower part of same fin ; head and cheeks spotted. 



#i^ Malabar and Coromandel coasts, often found in ditches, 

 paddy-fields, and shallow waters, generally within or not far 



