22 
THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
from the occiput edges the margin of the preopercle and the operate,” (Cantor). Opercles 
bluish. Iris golden. 
Common, not esteemed as food, grows to sixteen inches in length. 
Habitat—Red Sea and seas of India to New Guinea. 
* Pkistipoma dussumieri. 
Pristipoma dussumieri, Cuv. & Val. v. p. 259 ; Gunther , Catal. i.-p. 291. 
B. vii. D. ff. A. f. L. 1. 46. L. tr. -j^. 
Length of head f, of pectoral | of total length. Height of body nearly f- of total length. 
Eyes—Diameter nearly j of length of head, rather more than 1 diameter from end of snout. 
Maxilla hardly extends as far as anterior margin of orbit, cleft of mouth narrow. Preopercle, 
vertical limb emarginate, angle not projecting. 
Fins—Dorsal spines strong', interspinous membrane notched, the fourth spine the longest 
and three-fourths of length of head. Second anal spine much the longest and strongest. Caudal 
truncated. 
Colours—Body silvery, slightly tinged with brown on the back, and with six longitudinal 
golden lines. The membrane of the spinous dorsal brownish, with a brown spot between 
each of the soft rays. The caudal blackish brown. The other fins are of a bright yellow, as is 
also the iris : the pectorals are pale. 
Grows to six inches in length. 
Habitat—Malabar Coast. 
* Pristipoma guoraka. 
Pristipoma guoraka, Cuv. & Val. v. p. 256 ; Cantor , Catal. p. 73. 
Guoraka, Bussell , pi. 132. 
B. vii. D. if. P.18. V. 1. A. f. C. 17. 
Form closely resembles the P. hasta, only slightly more elevated, the vertical limb of the 
preopercle more rectangular, and the scales smaller. The second anal spine excessively thick, 
striated on its anterior surface, in length rather more than half the vertical diameter of the 
body above it, and comparatively shorter than in the P. hasta. 
Air vessel elongated, nearly one-third of the total length, swelling in the middle, and 
terminating in a point; the anterior extremity blunt, and appears to have on each side a pointed 
process a little less than one-third of the length of the vessel itself, which is restricted at the 
origin of the lateral processes. 
Colours—Upper surface of head and back pale blackish olive; cheeks, opercles and sides 
silvery grey, with blue and golden reflections; abdomen yellowish silvery; most of the scales 
have the edges minutely dotted with brown, and those above the lateral line a pale brown 
spot at the root, forming six or seven indistinct parallel fines; fins pale yellowish; membrane of 
dorsal minutely dotted with brown, between the spines one or two series of large clouded brown 
spots, and a single series of smaller between the rays; margins of dorsal and caudal blackish ; 
the membrane of the latter and of the anal slightly dotted with brown. Iris golden. (Cantor.) 
Good eating, air vessel very thin, and consequently furnishes isinglass of but little value. 
Grows to two feet in length. 
Habitat—Seas of India and Malaysia; said occasionally to enter fresh water. 
