Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Fishes Vol 1).djvu/451

SCOMBEESOCID.E. 429 b. Pectorals blackish, with an oblique white band 5. E. altipinnis, p. 430. c. Pectorals neither spotted nor banded . . 6. E. bahiemis, p. 431. D. Ventrals only just reaching or not quite reaching anal 7. E. mento, p. 431. 551. (1.) Exoccetus micropterus. Exoccetus micropterus, Cm. 8f Val. H. N. Poiss. xix, p. 127, pi. 503 ; Day, Fish. India, p. 518 (see synon.). B. xiii. D. 15-16. P. 11-12. V. 6. A. 14-15. C. 15. L. 1. 50. Length of head 5|, height of body 7| in the total length. Eyes 3| diameters in length of head, nearly 1 from end of snout. A pair of short barbels under symphysis of lower jaw, which is prominent. Fins dorsal commences a little anteriorly to anal, and in the 'last fourth of the body, the highest dorsal rays scarcely exceed 1| diameters of orbit; upper edge of fin rather convex. Pectoral not reaching so far as to the ventral, the latter, which is inserted midway between pectoral and caudal, not extending to anal. Anal of same shape as dorsal. Lower caudal lobe the longer. Colour bluish above ; silvery on the sides and beneath; fins dark. Hob. Malabar to the Malay Archipelago. 552. (2.) Exoccetus evolans. Exocoetus evolans, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 521 ; Day, Fish. India, p. 519, pi. cxx, fig. 5 (see synon.). D. 12-14. P. 14. V.6. A. 13-15. C.17. L. 1. 40-42. Vert. 25/19. Length of head 5, height of body 6 in the total length. Eyes 3| diameters in length of head, from end of snout, and 1 apart. Fins dorsal arises above or slightly in advance of origin of anal. Pectoral reaches to base of caudal. Ventral short, reaching half- way to base of anal. Caudal lobed, the lower lobe much the longer. Scales 6| rows between origin of dorsal and lateral line. Colour bluish along the back, becoming lighter on the sides and beneath. Pectoral grey or black, and with a light edge. Nab. Indian and other tropical and subtropical seas ; attaining at least 9 inches in length. 553. (3.) Exoccetus furcatus. Exocoetus furcatus, Mitchell, Lit. and Phil. Trans. New York, i, p. 449, pi. v, fig. 2 ; Day, Fish. India, p. 519 (see synon.). D. 13. P. 13. V. 6. A. 9-10. A pair of barbels at symphysis of lower jaw. Fins dorsal moderately high, but its longest rays do not extend to caudal. Ventrals reach root of caudal, and pectorals nearly as far ; the former arise slightly nearer to base of caudal than to snout. Colour posterior part of ventrals and lower part of anal black. Young with three broad vertical bands across the anterior half of