THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 21 



the spines themselves : between the fourth and fifth rays they form two short longitudinal lines, 

 then the lowest ceases but the upper is continued to the termination of tho fin. Caudal stained 

 with black. Ventral and anal with a reddish golden tinge. Bye with a violet reflection. 



Common, does not grow to a large size, is eaten by the Natives. 



Habitat — From the Red Sea, along the East Coast of Africa, through the seas of India to the 

 northern shores of Australia. 



Pristipoma MACULATUM. 



Anthias maculatus, Block, t. 32G. f. 2. 



Caripe, Russell, pi. 124. 



Pristipoma caripe, Cuv. & Vol. v. p. 2G1 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 75. 



Pristipoma maculatum, Gunther, Catal. i. p. 273. 



Erruttum corah, Mai. 



S 



B. vii. D. 11. | tt.Lj. P. 17. V. \. A. f. C. 17. L. 1. 52. L. tr. T 



Length of head \, of pectoral \, of caudal J, of base of dorsal §, of base of anal ■fa of total 

 length. Height of head ^, of body J, of hard dorsal ^, of soft dorsal fa, of ventral J, of anal fa 

 of total length. 



Eyes — Close to upper profile, transversely oval, horizontal diameter ^, vertical diameter \ of 

 length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, §• of a diameter apart. 



Maxilla extends to nearly opposite anterior margin of orbit. Preorbital entire. Preopercle, 

 vertical limb slightly emarginate and finely serrated, angle rounded, with two or three 

 very inconspicuous serratures, inferior limb entire. Sub- and interopercles entire. Opercle with 

 two indistinct blunted points. Suprascapular, scapular, and coracoid bones entire. 



Teeth — Villiform, with an external conical series in both jaws, not much larger than the 

 posterior ones. 



Fins — Dorsal spines strong, the fourth slightly the longest. Ventral spine weak, first soft 

 ray prolonged. Second anal spine the strongest, more than three times as long as the first, and 

 slightly longer than the third. Dorsal interspinous membrane deeply notched. Pectoral pointed. 

 Caudal emarginate. 



Scales — Cover preorbitals, cheeks, and to between the orbits. A long scale at origin of 

 ventral. Those above lateral line considerably larger than those below it, passing upwards and 

 backwards from lateral line as far as the end of dorsal, whilst below it they proceed horizontally. 



Lateral line — In upper fourth of body, following the curve of back till opposite the end of 

 dorsal, from whence it passes straight. 



Colour — Greyish with a silvery abdomen, and in the monsoon months with a beautiful purplish 

 tinge on the nape. A vertical black band about eight scales wide passes over the nape and 

 descending backwards crosses the lateral line terminating about three scales below it. Posterior 

 to this are six black spots, three above and three below the lateral fine, which do not form 

 bands, but are slightly united, being placed like squares in a chess board. The first dorsal has a 

 yellowish buff base, otherwise stained with black, and minutely dotted with grey, and a large black 

 mark in its centre between the fourth and seventh spines. Soft dorsal yellowish, finely dotted with 

 grey, and the upper half stained with black. Pectoral, ventral, and caudal yellowish, the last 

 stained with black. " Over the infraorbitals an oblique blackish band edges the orbit, a second 



