10 
THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
Genus MESOPEION, Guv. 
Branchiostegals, seven. Preopercle finely serrated, without or with, a very open notch. Opercle with 
three, or two, more rarely with one indistinct point. Dorsal fin single, with from nine to twelve spines, 
anal with three. Teeth villiform in both jaws with canines, teeth on the vomer and palate. Scales moderate. 
Mesopeion rangus. 
Eangoo, Bussell , pi. 94. 
Mesopeion rangus, Guv. & Veil. ii. p. 481 ; Cantor , Catal. p. 14 5 Giinilier , Catal. i. p. 199. 
B. vii. D. P. 16. V. i. A. f. C. 16-17. L. 1. 46. L. tr. 
Length of head -J, of pectoral 5 , of caudal of base of dorsal §, of base of anal ^ of total 
length. Height of head V of body of hard dorsal of soft dorsal V of base of caudal of 
ventral , of anal 1 - of total length. 
Eye—Transversely oval, horizontal diameter and vertical diameter it of the length of the 
head, lb diameter from end of snout, § of a diameter apart. 
Maxilla extends to beneath the anterior margin of orbit. Openings of nostrils rather 
wide apart, in front of upper fourth of orbit. Preorbital entire. Preopercle emarginate and finely 
serrated on its vertical limb, angle rounded, lower limb oblique and serrated, the largest serratures 
being on its posterior half. Sub- and interopercles entire, in the latter is a slight tuberosity at its 
superior part. Opercle with two points. Suprascapular lineated and serrated. 
Teeth—An external conical row in both jaws, with several bands of villiform ones behind. A 
pah* of canines at the external margin of each intermaxillary, the outer much the largest. Yilhform 
teeth on vomer and palate. 
Fins—Dorsal spines moderately strong, first shghtly more than one-third height of second, which 
is a little above three quarters as long as the third, from thence they decrease, the spinous portion 
occupies nearly three fourths of the length of the fin. Ventral spine weak. Second anal spine 
longest, and much the strongest, being twice as long as the first, and four-fifths longer than the 
third. Soft portions of dorsal and anal rather pointed. Caudal truncated and slightly emarginate. 
Ventral pointed, first ray prolonged. 
Scales—None between or before orbits, two broad rows, separated by several smaller ones, pass 
over the shoulders. Above the lateral line the rows are a little irregular, at first parallel to the 
back, they subsequently turn upwards to the soft dorsal, beyond which their course is straig'ht. 
Below the lateral fine the first five rows terminate in it, those below passing horizontally. 
Lateral line—In upper fourth of body, parallel with the back. 
Colours—Back of a dark reddish brown, which below the lateral line becomes of a dull cherry 
red: the bases of the scales darker than then.’ circumference. Pectoral orange, edges of caudal 
reddish brown, the other fins greyish brown. A blue fine runs along the suborbital ring of bones. 
Eye dark red. The young have eight or nine irregular and very narrow vertical white bands on 
the body, a reddish orange streak along the margin of the hard dorsal, the ventrals externally 
with a broad white margin, and the lower part of the cheeks tinged with golden. 
Common; esteemed for food in Malabar and Pinang, not at Vizagapatam. Grows to upwards 
of two feet in length. 
Habitat—Seas of India and Malaysia. 
