THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
47 
inferior portion. Opercle radiated below, finely granulated or vermiculated over tlie rest of its 
surface, its posterior superior border fringed. Spine on shoulder small and flat. No spine on 
sub- or preopercles. Posterior margin of occipital straight, unnotched. Posterior orifice of nostril 
long, and with a fringed border, anterior round. 
Teeth—In upper jaw villiform: strong, crooked, and rather distant apart in the lower jaw. 
Scales—Small, and in oblique lines. 
Colours—Brownish in spirit, with large oval spots forming two series on either side, and 
three in front: those in the same rows sometimes coalescing and forming bands. Below the lateral 
line of a whitish colour. Dorsal with two series of spots as on the back. Pectoral whitish, with 
a brown transverse band across its centre, and also a spot near its base. Caudal whitish with a 
large irregular brownish transverse band. Ventral and anal whitish. When fresh the colours are 
said to be reddish and the spots orange. 
Not eatable, grows to two feet in length. 
Habitat—Seas of India. 
Genus SILLAGO, Cuv. 
Branchiostegals, six : pseudobranchiae. Body elongate, somewhat cylindrical. Head rather pointed. 
Two dorsals, the first with from nine to twelve spines, the spinous portion with its base shorter than that of 
the soft. Anal developed like soft dorsal. Ventral thoracic, one spine and five rays, the lower of which 
are branched. Cleft of mouth small, upper jaw slightly the longest. Eyes lateral. Grill opening wide. 
Villiform teeth in jaws and vomer, none on palate. Preopercle denticulated: opercle ending in a point. 
Bones of head with a developed muciferous system. Infraorbital ring of bones do not articulate with 
preopercle. Body scaled, scales ctenoid. Air bladder simple. Pyloric appendages few. 
SlLLAGO S1HAMA. 
Atherina sihama, Forsk ., p. 70. 
Soring, Russell , pi. 113. 
Sillago acuta, Guv. & Vol. iii. p. 400. 
SlLLAGO ERYTHRiEA, Cuv. & Val. iii. p. 409. 
Sillago malabarica, Cantor , Catal. p. 21. 
Sillago sihama, Gunther , Catal. ii. p. 243. 
Cudeeraii, Mai. 
_1_ 
2 0 - 22 " 
P. 15-16. 
B. vi. D. 10-11 I 
Length of head t 3 q, of pectoral of caudal 
v.*. 
a ,_l 
C. 17. L. 1. 74. 
2 2-2 3 " 
of base of first dorsal 
L. tr. 
jt, of base 
of second 
dorsal f, of base of anal A of total length. Height of head of body Ar, of first dorsal of 
second dorsal A, of ventral of anal A of total length. 
Eyes—Oval, upper margin close to profile, horizontal diameter §, vertical diameter * of 
length of head, 2 diameters from end of snout, 1 diameter apart. 
Head cone-shaped, ending in an obtuse point where the mouth is situated, the snout being 
long. Body most compressed at its posterior third. 
