T h e trunk. T h e back assurgent, carínate, and on the ridge, before the dorsal fin, five or six spicilli under
the skin, may be felt by the f in g e r ; the throat and abdomen declivous, ridged, the sides and tail compressed,
the former a little convex; five spiculi between the anus and the anal fin, rather more perceptible than those
on the back, are found just piercing the skin.
T h e lateral line rising from the upper edge o f the opercula. forms an arch over the pectoral fin to the end
o f the dorsal, and is then continued straight along the upper part o f the ta il; another line but le.ss conspicuous
rising with the first, runs straight to the middle o f tl.e caudal fin. T h e anus small, considerably nearer the
head than the tail.
T h c > s . T h e dorsal rising from the higliest point o f the back, consists at first o f eleven or twelve longer
ray s, disposed in somewhat o f a crescent-form, and then becoming narrow and equal, is continued along the
declivity, to where the tail grows narrowest. T h e anal of the same length, rises opposite to the d orsal; the
pectoral nearer the belly than the back, long, sharp, lanceolate, or acuminate in the middle; the caudal fin
deeply forked.
T h e colour. T h e back dark, with a bluish or purplish c a s t; tlie rest a silver g r a y ; the dorsal and caudal fins
a little lighter than the back. T ile anal has a very pale yellowish cast.^^^^^^
T h e length, from tlie nose to the caudal fin - - - - - - 9 5
Greatest breadth - - - - - - - - - - 6 o
Leng th o f the caudal fin - - - - - - * - " 2 5
No. XLIII.
S t r o m a t e u s corpore ovato, squamoso ; p in n is pectoralibusJalcatis.
T h e S t r o m a t e u s , w ith a sq u am o u s , o v a te , b o d y ; a n d falcate p e c to ra l fins.
Stromateus n iger maxillis aqualibus. Bloch, PL 42 2.
C a lled b y th e N a tiv e s N a e a S a n d a w a l i .
B la c k F om fre t o f th e E n g lis h .
J?. v i. / ) . 4 5 . P . 19. V .O . A . 3 9 . C. 2 2 .
T h e body ovate, much compressed; scales oblong, roundish, Close, smooth, tenacious.
T h e head much compressed, as in the former fish, but the nose less blunt, or round; the tower part o f the
face covered with scales. T h e mouth small, and capable o f more extension ; both jaw s being in some degree
extractile, and the rostrum not projecting as in the former. T h e teeth numerous, but larger ; the eyes proportionally
larger also and more distant from the rostrum ; nostrils as in the former.
T h e opercula ciliated as in the former, but rounder; in some parts covered- with scales, and not being tied
down behind, leave the membrane visibly exposed.
T h e trunk. T h e back arched, carinate; the throat, belly, and tail, also carinate, but the latter, where the
dorsal and anal fins terminate, becomes very small and round ; the sides hardly convex. T h e two exterior
branchiae are pectinate and tuberculous, the interior tuberculous only. T h e lateral line gently curve, but from
the end o f the pectoral fin runs straight along the middle o f the t a i l ; and is there carin ate; there is no
appearance o f a second line. T h e spines before the fins, in the former fish, are liere w a n tin g ; and the anus is
placed still nearer tlie head, on a line with tlie pectoral fin.
T h e > s . T h e dorsal and anal resemble those o f the former fish, in their situation, but have less o f the
crescent-form; the pectoral are long and falcate; there are no ventral fin s ; the caudal forked, tliough not so
deeply as in the white Pomfret.
T h e colour universally dark, tending to black, except the throat and belly, which are some shades lighter.
T lie skin, as also the membranes o f tlie fins are remarkably thick.
T h e length from the nose to the caudal fin, seven inches; the greatest breadtli, four.
T h e white and the black Pomfrets, are.esteemed two o f the most delicious fishes on tlie Coromandel coast;
but they must be eat when fresh caught, as they are injured g rea tly by being kejit only a few hours. I 'h e
black, though a less firm fish, is b y some preferred to the white.
In the latter fortnight o f March, and during part o f April, Pomfrets were in most plenty at Vizagapatam.
It was remarkable that they were never caught in abundance for more tiian two or three days successively;
after which they, in a manner, disappeared for a like number o f days, and again returned.
T h e Pomfrets which I saw at Madras, agreed exactly with the descriptions given ab ov e ; but there arc other
species on that part o f the coast, o f which notice shall be taken hereafter.
T h e figure o f one species o f this genus has been given by Sir Hans Sloane in his history o f Jamaica,* where
it is known under the name Parapus, or Pampel, whence probably the name Pomfret among the English in
die East Indies ; sometimes pronounced Poniplet, or Poniflet.
No. XLIV.
S t r o m a t e u s corpore sub-orbiculato, squamoso ; maxillis obiusis sub-aqualihus.
T h e S t r o m a t e u s , w ith a b o d y n e a rly o rb ic u la r, co v e red w ith small s c a le s ; th e niaxilJze
ob tu se, an d n e a rly o f e q u a l le n g th .
Called b y th e N a tiv e s A t o o K o i a .
B . D . 4 4 . P. 2 4 . V. 0 . A . 4 0 . C. 2 2 .
T h e hody nearly orbicular, much compressed, s ca ly ; the scales small, romid, close, less tenacious than in the
other species.
T h e bead round, compressed, short, the rostrum obtuse, like that o f the white Pomfret, and the crown and part
o f the front squamous. T h e mouth small, capable o f little extension ; the jaws short, nearly o f equal length,
hardly extractile, the under one only moveable and obtuse; the teeth are unlike those in the other species : the
upper jaw is rough to the finger like a file, the under is a bone distinctly pectinate. T h e tongue roundish,
thick, smooth, bridled; the palate also smooth. T h e eyes small, round, not protuberant. Nostrils double, close to
the nose, the posterior large, oval; the anterior smaller, round.
T h e opercula can scarcely be called two-leaved ; tliey are not so ])ointed as in the white Pomfret, and more
confined, while the branchial aperture is so small that the membrane is completely hidden.
I h e tnmk. T h e back and belly arched, carinate; the sides compressed; the tail grows narrow where the
dorsal and anal fins end, but again expands to receive its own fin. There are no spiculi on the back or belJy.
Th e lateral line conspicuous, supreme, carinate, arched; but towards the end straight, and terminates not
exactly at the middle o f the caudal fin. The re is no second line. T h e anus much nearer the head than the tail.
The /«j._ T h e dorsal and anal are placed more forward than in the white Pomfret; they are nearly alike in
•V o l. II. Tab. 250, Fig. IV.