| OCR Text |
Show 1889.] FISHES FROM MUSCAT. 237 place. Thanks to the exertions of Mr. Jayakar, the number of species of Fishes recorded from Muscat now known amounts to 256. ACANTHOPTERYGII. PERCID^E. 1. SERRANUS LATIFASCIATUS, Schleg. 2. SERRANUS DIACANTHUS, C. & V. 3. SERRANUS SALMONOIDES, Lacep. 4. SERRANUS COROMANDELICUS, Day. D..J-J. A. |. P. 17. L. lat..145-150. L. tr. jgg. Canines moderate ; two rows of teeth on the sides of the lower jaw, those of the inner row largest. Length of the head thrice and three fifths or thrice and two thirds in the total; forehead very convex, with a depression between the nostrils ; diameter of the eye six or six and a half times in the length of the head ; maxillary reaching posteriorly to the vertical of the posterior third of the eye ; prseoperculum finely serrated posteriorly, the denticulations stronger at the angle, which is rounded and not produced ; upper border of opercle slightly sinuous ; median opercular spine nearer the lower than the upper, lower much further back than the latter. Depth of the body about four times and a half in the total length. Third and fourth dorsal spines longest, a little longer than the longest branched rays, which are about once and a half as long as the posterior spines. Pectorals reaching to below the sixth or seventh dorsal spine. Caudalis truncate, when spread out with perfectly straight posterior border. Dark purplish brown on the upper surfaces and fins, paler brown inferiorly ; body and dorsal fin with scattered subcircular whitish spots of various sizes. A single dry specimen, 21 inches long, is in M r . Jayakar's collection ; another, 26 inches long, stuffed, likewise from Muscat, formed part of the collection of the late East-India Museum transferred to the British Museum in 1880. Except in the rather smaller scales, these specimens agree well with one of the types, a half skin from Madras, presented by M r . Francis Day. 5. SERRANUS JAYAKARI, sp. n. D. jgy. A. |. P. 17. L. lat. 140-150. L. tr. gJJ. Canine teeth small; teeth on the sides of the lower jaw mostly in four rows. Length of head thrice and one fourth to thrice and one third in the total; forehead convex; diameter of the eye six and a half or seven times in the length of the head ; maxillary reaching to below the centre of the posterior border of the eye; praeopercu-lum finely serrated posteriorly, the denticulations slightly stronger at the angle, which is obtuse and not produced; upper border of opercle slightly sinuous ; median opercular spine nearer the lower |
