190 
THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
Length of lieacl - 5 , of pectoral T 2 r , of caudal 1, of base of first dorsal y 1 ^, of base of second dorsal 
t L, of base of anal y’y of total length. Height of head of body of first dorsal A, of second 
dorsal jL, of ventral -f 7 -, of anal y 2 y of total length. 
Eyes—Oval, situated near the profile, and in the anterior half of the head. Horizontal 
diameter vertical diameter -1 of length of head, ^ of a diameter from end of snout, and 2 dia¬ 
meters apart. 
Profile rather convex from the snout to the first dorsal, from whence it sinks to the anal. Ab¬ 
dominal profile straighter than that of the back. Thickness of body greatest opposite the opercles. 
Head obtuse and rounded in front. Width of the head rather more than the height of the 
body. Mouth forming nearly a semicircle, and cleft midway to the anterior margin of the orbit. 
Upper jaw slightly the longest. Opercle ending in an obtuse point, which is rather produced : its 
whole surface roughened in lines. Upper surface of head* as far as the centre of the orbits 
roughened in small sinuous closely approximating elevations. Occipital process long and narrow, 
half as wide at the base as it is high, and divided from the basal bone of the dorsal by a bone 
shaped like an arrow-head, directed forwards, and meeting the summit of the occipital process. 
Basal bone nearly triangular, concave in front and posteriorly; all are roughened the same as the 
summit of the head. Central longitudinal groove broad posteriorly, where it commences opposite 
the posterior margin of the orbit; it is continued to opposite the posterior nostril; between the 
upper end of the groove on the head and the base of the occipital process, and a short distance on 
either side, is an irregular depression, the two rather converging posteriorly, and rather expanded 
externally. Shoulder bone nodulated. Nasal cirri as long as the head : maxillary widest at their 
base, and extended as far as the posterior extremity of the ventral. The two pairs of mandibular 
cirri reaching to the posterior extremity of the opercles. Nostrils, posterior one round, not far 
from the mesial hue, and a short distance from the anterior one, which is more external. 
Teeth—In intermaxillaries numerous, and in a small, fine, sharp band: vomerine teeth in a 
narrow crescentic band sub-interrupted in the centre. 
Bins—Dorsal arises opposite the posterior third of the pectoral: ventral slightly beyond the 
extremity of the dorsal: second dorsal opposite anal. First dorsal spine rather feeble, half as long as 
the head, its sides smooth, with one or two serratures at its upper and anterior extremity, whilst 
its upper third is posteriorly serrated, it ends in a soft prolongation: the fin pointed. Pec¬ 
toral spine stronger than that of the dorsal, and equal to the distance from the anterior margin of 
the orbit to the posterior margin of the opercles : anterior edge rugose, posterior strongly serrated. 
Caudal deeply lobed. 
Lateral line—Curves down to opposite the end of the ventral fin, then proceeds direct to the 
base of the caudal, where it divides into two very indistinct branches, the upper curving over the 
bases of three rays above it, and the lower over the bases of two below it. 
Colours—Greenish olive, with three brown longitudinal bands, the centre one of which 
commences from a large black ocellus behind the head : the bands and ocellus are more distinct 
in young specimens than in adults. There is sometimes a dark spot on the middle of the root of 
the caudal. 
I have with some hesitation considered this fish to be Hamilton Buchanan’s “ Pimelodus 
tengara,” but it is without doubt Dr. Gunther’s “ Macrones tengara,” and as he has probably 
described his specimen from Hamilton Buchanan’s typical one, I conclude some mistake may have 
arisen in the “ Fishes of the Ganges,’'’ especially as it is there asserted that the fish is small 
and inhabits ponds, that its dorsal spine is smooth, and that its maxillary cirri reach to the end of 
