THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
B. vii. D. iiJ 2 . P.18. Y. 1. A. f. C. 17. L. r. about 100. 
Length, of head of pectoral of caudal y, of base of dorsal §, of base of anal ^ of the total 
length. Height of head jf, of body of hard dorsal of soft dorsal of ventral of anal of 
the total length. 
Eyes—Transversely oval; longest diameter y length of head, | of a diameter apart, \ of a 
diameter from end of snout. 
Maxilla extends to beneath the centre of the orbit, preorbital entire : preopercle strongly 
serrated at the posterior portion of its vertical limb, two strong teeth at its angle, the 
superior directed backwards, the inferior which is the strongest directly downwards; inferior 
limb horizontal, entire. Opercle with three spines, the central flat, strong, distinct, the inferior 
less developed, the superior almost concealed. Sub- and interopercles entire. 
Teeth—A r illiform in upper and lower jaws, vomer and palate, an external larger band in 
superior maxilla, and a large canine on either side of each intermaxillary : teeth in centre of 
lower jaw largest, whilst all are directed more or less backwards. 
Fins—First dorsal spine t 3 q shorter than the second, which is yy shorter than the third, from 
thence the rest of the spines and the first thirteen soft rays are about the same height. Anal, first 
spine half the height of the second, which is stronger than, but of the same length, as the third; 
and they are yjy shorter than the soft rays. Fins rounded. 
Lateral line—In upper fifth of body, and on about the twentieth row of scales. 
Colours—Brownish with a dash of pink on the back, and becoming of a pinkish rose colour 
on the abdomen. Six vertical dark bands, one passing over the head ; the second from fourth to 
sixth spine passes downwards over the pectoral to the base of the ventral; the third from between 
the eighth and eleventh spines is lost midway between ventral and anal fins; the fourth arising 
opposite from the third to seventh dorsal rays, passes to base of spines and first soft ray of anal; 
the fifth arising between the tenth to the fourteenth soft dorsal rays passes down to last four rays 
of anal; the sixth passes over the tail just before the origin of the caudal fin. A black line passes 
from the lower margin of the orbit to the angle of the preopercle. Fins stained darker at 
their margins, and the bands partially continued on to them. Eye rose coloured. 
Small in size, nearly eight inches in length, being the largest captured in Cochin. In Sir 
Emerson Tennent’s collection of drawings of the “ Fishes of Ceylon” is one apparently of this 
species, with a remark that the specimen was four feet and a half in length. 
Habitat—Seas of India, and Malaysia. 
Sereanus bontoo. 
Serranus bontoo, Cuv. & Veil. ii. p. 334, vi. p. 523; Cantor , Catal. p. 11 ; Gunther , 
Catal. i. p. 138. 
Madinawa bontoo, Russell , pi. 128. 
B. vii. D. yllyy. P. 19. V. 1. A. f. C. 17. L. r. about 100. 
Length of head •J, of pectoral y 3 , of caudal of base of dorsal f, of base of anal of total 
length. Height of head -t, of body - 3 , of hard dorsal y 2 , of soft dorsal y, of ventral 1, of anal i of 
total length. 
Eyes—Diameter ]- of length of head, the two slightly approximate at their upper margins, 
where they are y of the length of the head apart, and the same distance from the end of the 
snout. 
Posterior extremity of maxilla extends to slightly behind the orbit. Preorbital entire. Pre- 
B 2 
