The thread-fins {Polynemidce) constitute an important group of commercial
fishes in Indian waters of which Polydactylus indicus forms probably the
most important species in Bombay and Saurashtra coasts. Except for stray
records of the different species of the family in various localities and of a
brief study of the breeding season and maturity of Eleutheronema tetradactylum
by Karandikar and Palekar (1950), and a descriptive account of
the larval development of the same species by Sarojini and Malhotra (1952),
very little pubUshed information is available regarding the distribution, food
and feeding habits, maturity, breeding, commercial catches etc. of this important
group of fishes. During the two years, 1951-53, a detailed study
of the exploratory trawl catches of the cutters, M. T. " Pratap " and M. T.
" Ashok ", of the Government of India Deep Sea Fishing Station, Bombay,
and of the commercial catches of the Japanese trawler, " Taiyo Maru "
No. 17, of the Taiyo Fishing Co., Ltd., Bombay, was made, with biological
observations on the diifferent groups of fishes as they were hauled up on board
the vessels, or, in a few cases, at the dock where the catches were landed.
The observations made on Polydactylus indicus (locally called Dara or
Dhara) are given in this communication
