Toxotidæ (toksotide)

pl. [NL., represented by the genus Toxotes. The body is oblong; the dorsal outline ascends nearly straight from the prominent lower jaw to the dorsal fin; the ventral outline is convex; the mouth is oblique and deeply cleft; the dorsal fin, which begins at about the middle of the body, has five strong spines and a short rayed part; the anal is opposite but rather longer than the dorsal, and has three spines; the ventrals are abdominal in position, with one spine and five rays. Several species inhabit East Indian and neighboring seas, as Toxotes jaculator, the archer-fish IMG:content-0676.png:[ocr errors]