204 



THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 



Scales — On the cheeks. Summit of head scaleless. 



Lateral line — Straight. 



Colours — Body olive green, becoming lightish brown on the sides, and dirty white on the 

 abdomen. Nine brown bars pass from the back half way to the lateral line, and a number of smaller 

 ones as well as some irregular bands descend along the sides to just below the lateral line. A 

 black bar at the base of the caudal, and a black spot on the upper half of the opercle. Dorsal 

 with two brown bars, the lowest of which is sometimes red. Caudal with three wide brown bars, 

 and a dark brown tija. 



Habitat — Malabar. 



Genus PLATACANTHUS, Day. 



Branchiostegals three. Body elongate, and moderately compressed : back low : a fleshy keel midway 



between termination of the dorsal and commencement of the 

 caudal fin, on to which it is continued for a short distance. Eyes 

 veiled. A free bifurcated suborbital spine situated close to the 

 lower margin of the orbit : snout obtuse, no tubercle on end of 

 lower jaw. Eight cirri, two on snout, four on superior mamillaries, 

 and two on lower jaw. Nostrils simple. Dorsal fin arises oppo- 

 site the ventral in the centre of the body. The internal ray of 

 the pectoral forming a large flattened spine, half the length of the 



soft rays. Caudal emarginate. Scales over opercular and suborbital region. No swimming bladder 



apparent. 



Platacanthus agrensis. PI. XIV. f. 2. 

 Platacanthus agrensis, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 296. 



B. 



D. 7. 



r. G . 



V. 



A. 6. C. 16. 



Length of head Jy, of pectoral \, of base of dorsal T ^, of base of anal ^, of caudal \ of the 

 total length. Height of head ^, of body £, of dorsal ^, of anal ^ of the total length. 



Eyes — Diameter t s of length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, \ a diameter apart. A 

 strong bifurcated suborbital spine arises below the orbit close to _its anterior margin, and then 

 passes backwards with a slight inward curve. 



Body elongated and compressed. Profile curving considerably from the snout to opposite the 

 orbits ; from the back of the head to the caudal it is nearly straight : a raised adipose keel passes 

 along the posterior sixth of the back, and extends on to the upper surface of the base of the caudal 

 fin. Sides compressed, but with a slight bulging just before the commencement of the caudal. 



Opening of the mouth below, transversely oval, and extending a very short distance posteriorly. 

 End of snout fleshy and overhanging the mouth. Lips thick, and continuous, no enlargement of 

 intermaxillaries, or tubercle on the lower jaw. Cirri, two fleshy ones on the snout with their bases 

 not united ; four on the superior maxillaries, and two on the lower jaw ; the longest cirrus reaches 

 as far as the eye. Nostrils midway between the orbit and the end of the snout ; neither of them 

 tubular. Upper margin of the orbit close to the profile. Eyes covered with a veil. Opercles 

 rounded posteriorly. Intcrorbital space smooth and scaleless. 



