THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
57 
opercle denticulated or crenulated. Bony opercle ending in one or two flat points. Two dorsal fins, the 
first with nine or ten feeble spines, the soft portion more developed than the spinous or than the anal. Anal 
with two small spines. Pectoral rays branched. Yentral thoracic, with one spine and five soft rays. 
Teeth in villiform bands, with more or less distinct conical canines, either in both jaws or only in the 
upper. A large loose bone in each auricular cavity. Scales of moderate size, ctenoid. Air bladder present, 
and with lateral appendages. Pyloric appendages few. 
Otolithus RUBER. 
JOHNIUS RUBER, Bl. Sck. p. 75, t. 17. 
Otolithus ruber, Cuv. & Val. v. p. 60, pi. 102 ; Cantor , Catal. p. 59 ; Gunther , Catal. 
ii. p. 309. 
B. vii. D. 10 | Jq. P.17. Y. l. A. l. C. 17. L. 1. 50. L. tr. j\. 
Length of head, from ^ in the young to f- in the adult, of pectoral -fy, of caudal base of 
first dorsal base of second dorsal p,, base of anal -fa of total length. Height of head if, of body 
little more than 1, of first dorsal of second dorsal yj, of ventral -fa of total length. 
Eyes—Diameter rather more than f of head, 1] diameters apart, 1 diameter from end of snout. 
Body gradually decreases in size from the head to the tail, sides moderately compressed. 
Mouth protrusible, lower jaw longest ; when closed its extremity is received into an emargi- 
nation in end of upper jaw. Maxilla very wide at its posterior extremity; it extends backwards 
to below the middle of orbit. Preorbital, ldng narrow; preopercle, posterior margin vertical, angle 
rounded, lower margin nearly horizontal, all with fine denticulations, which on the lower limb 
become very small and blunt. Opercle triangular, base in front, with one point moderately dis¬ 
tinct at centre of posterior margin, and a smaller one above it. Sub- and interopercles entire, 
interorbital space rather convex. Nostrils opening at anterior superior margin of orbit, in rather 
a depressed triangular space, having an elevated margin above, and bounded below by continuations 
from the orbital rim. 
Teeth—On either side of centre of upper jaw closely approximating, two conical teeth, the 
internal the shortest, with a row of villiform ones behind, and a very fine brush-like series posterior 
to them: a single external series of sharp short conical ones along the jaw, with an internal series of 
several rows of brush-like ones. Two large canines in lower jaw at its centre, with several rows 
of villiform ones behind, a single row of sharp short conical ones moderately far apart along either 
limb of lower jaw. 
Fins—First dorsal and ventral arise on a line, slightly behind the origin of the pectoral. 
Second dorsal commences midway between snout and base of caudal. Anal commences opposite 
centre of second dorsal. First dorsal of a long triangular shape, spines weak, extending beyond 
the membrane which is rather deeply notched, first spine one-third the length of second, which is 
about the same length as the third, from whence they rapidly decrease. Second dorsal slightly 
highest in front, but its upper margin is parallel with curve of back. Pectoral pointed. Yentral 
triangular. Anal square, spine one-third the length of rays. Caudal pointed in the young, but 
becomes rounded with age. 
Scales—Cover body, cheeks, snout and lower jaw, with some along the centre of caudal. 
The rows ascend backwards, and in rather an irregularly arched direction from above the lateral 
line, below it they pass more regularly upwards and backwards towards it. 
Lateral line—Gradually descends, forming a sort of curve to a little beyond the commence- 
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