Descriptions of FisJies from the Coast of Natal. 31 



irregular oblique patch on each side of nape ; base of soft dorsal 

 and anal covered with smaller scales for about \ their height, base of 

 caudal covered with small scales. Lat. 1. 54, lat. tr. T 7 ^. 



Colour (when fresh), body below lateral line and side of head 

 salmon-coloured, more gamboge yellow on head and pinkish on 

 body ; above lateral line and on top of head darker and purplish ; 

 dorsal fin dark red, other fins of same colour as body but rather 

 darker. 



Colour (of preserved specimen), body above lateral line and fins 

 dark, below lateral line whitish. The oblique rows of scales above 

 lateral line are marked by white streaks, the rows of scales below 

 lateral line by a series of horizontal dark streaks. 



One specimen, 500 mm. in length, from the Fish Market, Durban, 

 Natal. 



GEN. DIAGEAMMA, Guv. 



DlAGEAMMA GEISEUM, C. and V. 



Teeth in jaws villiform, the outer row containing slightly larger 

 ones. Depth of body nearly 2f times in total length excluding 

 caudal, length of head a little more than 3| times. Snout 1| times 

 diameter of eye, which is 4 times in length of head and 1 T 3 ^ times in 

 interorbital width. Upper profile of head descends parabolically 

 from origin of dorsal fin to mouth, with a concave depression above 

 nostrils ; snout obtuse, lips thick and fleshy, cleft of mouth hori- 

 zontal ; maxillary reaches to vertical of posterior nostril ; preoper- 

 culum slightly emarginate, distinctly serrated, with a rounded angle; 

 4 or 5 small pores below symphysis of lower jaw. Scales extend 

 over the head to between the nostrils and laterally over the posterior 

 portion of the preorbital ; cheeks and preoperculum covered with 

 small scales ; suprascapula serrated. 



Dorsal xiii 22, commences above suprascapula and ends above the 

 middle of the distance between caudal and anal fins ; the length of 

 the spinous portion is more than that of the soft and the distance of 

 the last soft ray from the caudal equals that between the 1st and 5th 

 spines ; spines strong, the 3rd is the longest and is nearly -| length 

 of head, the remaining spines successively decreasing ; anterior soft 

 rays slightly longer than adjacent spine, remainder gradually rising 

 to height of 3rd spine, the posterior rays decreasing so as to form a 

 rounded edge to the fin. The spinous portion of the fin moves in a 

 scaly sheath, which is deeper and more conspicuous below the last 

 3rd of the fin ; the soft rays are covered with scales for about ^ their 



