130 
THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
No pseudobranchiae. 
Grows to six inches in length. Common in the rivers and paddy fields. It is a voracious fish, 
preys on small cyprinidse, and is very tenacious of life. 
Habitat—Fresh waters of India and Malaysia. 
Nandus Malabaricus. Plate VIII. 
Catopra Malabarica, Gunther * Annals Nat. Hist. 1864, p. 375; Day , Proc. 
Zool. Society, 1865, p. 30. 
B. vi. I), if. P. 15. V. l. A. f. C. 16. L. 1. 25. L. tr. f. Vert. ff. 
Length of head about of pectoral f, of caudal f, of base of dorsal f, of base of anal f of 
total length. Height of head f, of body f, of hard dorsal f, of soft dorsal j, of ventral f, of anal 
| of total length. 
Eyes—Diameter f length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, nearly 1 diameter apart. 
Body compressed ; mouth situated below the central line of the body; there is a considerable 
rise to the dorsal fin. 
Jaws equal: intermaxillaries protractile, their posterior process being two-thirds the length 
of the diameter of the orbit: upper lip rather fleshy. The superior maxilla extends to slightly 
behind the anterior margin of the orbit. Upper surface of eye nearly close to profile. Preopercle, 
posterior limb almost vertical, roughened, angle rounded and finely serrated, inferior limb hori¬ 
zontal, entire, and little more than half the length of posterior limb. Sub- and interopercles with 
a few very fine serratures at their approximating extremities. Opercle with two rather strong flat 
spines, and ending in a membraneous point. Preorbital entire. Nostrils rather wide apart, pos¬ 
terior the largest. Pseudobranchiae present. Branchiostegal rays covered : gills three and a 
half. 
Teeth—Several rows of fine teeth in the intermaxillaries, with an external larger band of 
curved ones. In the mandibulae several rows of nearly equal sized villiform ones, and four large 
curved teeth external to them at the symphysis. On the front of the vomer is a transverse oval 
patch of villiform ones, divided by a short interspace from a nai’row band of the same description 
which exists on the palatine bones. Pterygoid bones, and root of the tongue covered by rounded 
teeth, which posteriorly become roughened and even pointed. Sharp villiform teeth on the pharyn¬ 
geal bones. 
Fins—Origins of pectoral and dorsal on a line, ventral slightly behind: anal arises opposite 
commencement of soft dorsal. Spinous dorsal can be laid flat on the back, in a groove, 
its base occupies nearly four-fifths of that of the entire fin. Dorsal spines rather strong, 
shorter than the rays, the third the longest, the remainder nearly the same. Interspinous 
* Dr. Gunther affixed the name of “ Catopra Malabarica” to a specimen of this fish which I had given 
to the British Museum. In deference to the expressed opinion of that excellent ichthyologist, I adopted 
his designation in my “ Fishes of Cochin but its preorbital being entire, &c., I, at the suggestion of the 
late Sir John Richardson, forwarded a specimen to Dr. Sleeker for his opinion, who pronounced it to be 
undoubtedly a “ Nandus” as at present constituted, but which will probably at a future date have to be 
placed in a distinct, but nearly allied genus. Having been furnished by the Rev. II. Raker with four more 
specimens from India, I have been enabled to obtain a skeleton, which fully confirms the views entertained 
by Dr. Sleeker. Should more species be discovered, I would suggest the generic term of Paranandus, differing 
from the Nandus by its mouth being moderately protrusible, by its having two opercular spines, pseudo- 
branchiae, &c. 
