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THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
Lateral line—Composed of single well developed tubes. It passes straight from the bead to 
the centre of the caudal along the mesial line., and is continued on the caudal fin to its posterior 
extremity. Interorbital space scaled. 
Colours—Leaden above, fins dark blackish grey, under or left surface dirty white. 
Grows to six inches or more in length, and is good eating. 
Habitat—Malabar and China. 
Genus PLAGUSIA, pt. Cuvier. 
Branchiostegals, six: pseudobranchiae. Body compressed, flat, the left side coloured. Mouth rather 
narrow and unsymmetrical, the upper part of the snout produced backwards, covering the mandibulae ; 
lips on the left side with tentacles. One nostril on the left side before the angle of the lower orbit. 
Teeth minute, and only on the right side, none on vomer or palate. Vertical fins confluent. Ho pectorals. 
Gill opening narrow. Scales small, ctenoid. Lateral line on left side, double or triple. 
PLAGUSIA BILINEATA. 
Pleuronectes bilineatus, Bloch , pi. 188. 
Jerree Potoo, E. Bussell , pi. 74. 
Plagusia bilineata, Cantor , Catal. p. 227 ; Gunther , Catal. iv. pi. 492. 
B. vi. D. 96. A. 73. C. 8. L. 1. 85. 
Length of head § of total length. Height of body of dorsal T y, of anal ^ of total length. 
Eyes—Situated on the upper surface of the head, the left one being behind the centre of the 
head, just above the posterior extremity of the opening of the mouth, and the lower orbit posterior 
to the upper one. Diameter of length of head. 
Body elongate and lanceolate. Muzzle bluntly pointed. A single nostril in front of the lower 
eye close to the lip. Lips fleshy. 
Teeth—The left side of the jaw toothless. The teeth in the right side are fine and setaceous. 
Fins—Dorsal commences before the orbits, the fifth ray being over the upper eye; the 
anal arises a short distance posterior to the opercle, and both fins are joined to the caudal, which 
is pointed : the points of the rays project slightly above the membrane. Left ventral situated at 
the gill opening and above the anal. 
Scales—Ctenoid. 
Lateral line—Commences at the muzzle, and proceeds straight to the upper margin of the 
opercle, where it ascends slightly, then again bends downwards to opposite the commencement of 
the second third of the body, from whence it proceeds nearly straight to the centre of the caudal. 
Above the preopercle it gives an oblique ascending branch to the second lateral line, the anterior 
branch of which commences at the snout, ascends to close to the anterior margin of the dorsal, 
from whence it continues a short distance below it to nearly the base of the caudal. There are 
fifteen rows of scales between the upper and lower lateral line. 
Colours—Left side pale reddish brown. Scales with rather iridescent reflections. Opercles 
with a bluish tinge. Fin membrane light brown: rays buff. Iris golden round the pupil, the 
rest blackish lilac. The right side is brownish white, opercles and over anterior part of abdomen 
bluish yellow. 
Grows to nine inches in length, and is very good eating. 
Habitat—Bed Sea, Seas of India, and Malaysia. 
