hy 
Hemiramphus fer (Forskal). ¥ 
5: the 
Head 4¢:to 42; depth 54 to 9; D. i, 11 or 12; A. i, 9 
or 10: Pectoral i, 10; V.i, 53; seales 48 to 52 from shoulder 
to caudal base; snout 2 4/5 to 3 in head; eve 3 2/5 to 4; 
preorbital length 6 1/5 to 7; interorbital 3 1/8 to 3 7/8. 
Body well compressed, lower profile more convex than upper. 
Caudal peduncle compressed, long as deep, least depth 35 to 
3 1/8 in head. Head with flat sides well constricted below, 
width 2 2/5 to 2 3/5 its length. Snout blunt, about long as 
wide, width 1 7/8 its length. Eye slightly advanced, 1 2/ 
to 14 in postocular. Eye combined with postocular about 2 2/5 
in beak. Maxillary vertieal, almost concealed, about to nostril, 
which is close oe A eye. Teeth fine, in bands 
extend on front of maxillary insid 
profile of latter. Interorbital widely convex. 
8 or 9 - 22 to 24, lanceolate, 15 in filamentl and 
about 15 in eye. Scales largely adherent, narrowly imbricate; 
basal striae 1 to 3; fine circuli parallel and terminal about 
100; vertieal fins finely scaled. Dorsal origin slightly be- 
fore first thidr in space between ventral origin and caudal 
base, first branched ray 1 2/3 to 2 in head. Anal similar 
but smaller, inserted slightly before middle in dorsal, though 
nearer caudal base than ventral origin, first branched ray 
3s to 3 2/3 in head. Caudal deeply forked, lower lobe longer 
or about long as head. Pectoral 1 2/5 to 15 in head. Ventral 
inserted slightly nearer end of depressed pectoral than 
mm 
caudal base, slightly more forward in younger examples. Two 
