74 Annals of the South African Museum. 



One specimen, 77 mm. in length, procured by the Cape Govern- 

 ment trawler P. Faure (s.) off the Natal coast, in 54 fms. ; Cape 

 Natal, W. by N. 6 miles. 



FAMILY COTTIDAE. 

 GEN. HOPLICHTHYS, Giinth. 



HOPLICHTHYS LANGSDOBFI, C. & V. 



Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv. p. 264, pi. 81, 1829. 



Teeth, a narrow band of minute villiform teeth on each jaw and 

 on vomer and palatines. Depth of body 3^ to 3f times in total 

 length excluding caudal, length of head 3 to 3^- times ; width of 

 head between base of preopercular spines 3i to 4 times. Head 

 greatly flattened; snout wide, produced, and rounded anteriorly. 

 3 to 3| times in length of head; diameter of eye 4 to 4^ times in 

 length of head ; interorbital space very narrow, deeply channelled ; 

 mouth inferior, the lower jaw shorter than upper, everywhere in- 

 cluded; maxillary reaches to vertical of anterior margin of eye. 

 Lateral profile of head formed by a sharp dentigerous ridge divided 

 into 4 lobes, in each of which the posterior spine is longest and 

 strongest ; preoperculum strongly produced at the angle where it 

 terminates in a strong sharp spine, vertical margin marked by a 

 double ridge with strong serrations ; opercle with 2 strong ridges 

 radiating from its upper angle, each armed with strong serrations 

 and ending in a strong opercular spine ; a strong humeral spine ; 

 orbital ridge strongly and coarsely serrated ; occiput with a sharp 

 spine pointing backwards, and with a cluster of 3 smaller spines 

 anteriorly on each side of nape. 



Dorsal vi 15 ; 1st dorsal longest anteriorly, its 1st spine strongest 

 and about 1 length of head; 2nd dorsal higher than the 1st and with 

 the rays slightly filamentous. Pectorals 13 + 3 ; with 3 simple rays 

 almost free but joined to each other and to the rest of the fin by a 

 very low membrane at the extreme base ; upper rays filamentous, 

 f length of head. Ventrals a little more than f length of head, 

 inserted in advance of pectorals. Anal 17 ; similar to soft dorsal. 

 Body naked with the exception of a single series of large lateral 

 plates, 27 in number, which extend over the greater part of the 

 back and sides from occiput to caudal ; each plate is armed at 

 its inner angle with a strong backward-pointing spine, with '2 much 

 smaller ones below it. 



