258 THE FISHES OF MALABAE. 



occasionally eat them, but as they frequently cause indigestion and irritation of the intestines, 

 they are generally avoided as food. The Native doctors prescribe them in cases of phthisis. 

 Habitat — Seas and estuaries of Malabar, Malaysia, China, and Japan. 



Ceayeacion Cochinensis. Plate XX. f. 2. 

 Crayeacion Cochinensis, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 314. 



B.v. D. 9. P. 18. A. 10. 0.11. 



Length of head nearly \, of pectoral -fa, of base of dorsal \, of base of anal ^, of caudal A of 

 total length. 



Eyes — Diameter^ of length of head, 2 \ diameters apart posteriorly, 1| anteriorly, 2 diameters 

 from end of snout. 



Fins — Dorsal arises at the commencement of the posterior third of the back, and at a distance 

 equal to its base in front of the anterior margin of the anal. All the fins are rounded. The first 

 ray of the anal, and three first of the dorsal are undivided. 



Spines — Single, sharp, closely set, commencing from the interorbital space, and behind the 

 upper and lower jaws, and continued on the back as far as the anus. Anteriorly from the inter- 

 orbital space they are continued in rather a fine band, surrounding the nostrils, posteriorly in a 

 crescentic form. There are none on the space around the pectoral fin anteriorly. Nostrils pro- 

 vided with a broad, imperforate, bifurcated tentacle, and placed above and slightly behind the 

 anterior margin of the orbit. 



Colours — Olive green on the back, becoming lighter on the sides, and dirty white on the 

 abdomen. A large spot of pure white — longer than the diameter of the eye — exists over each orbit. 

 Dorsal, caudal, and anal fins of a yellowish green, stained with a darker shade at their extremities. 

 Pectoral brownish olive. 



Pare. A single specimen was captured in June, 1863, five and a half inches in length. 

 Habitat — Cochin on the Malabar coast. 



Genus LEIODON, Swains. 

 Leiosomus, Swains. 

 Chelonodon, Mull. 

 Aphanacanthus, teteodon, et monoteetus, Bib. 



Differs from the Tetraodon and Crayracion, in that the nostrils are situated on either side in a wide 

 imperforate pit having raised edges. Body above and below spinate or smooth. Lateral fine simple. 

 Dorsal and anal fins short. 



Leiodon vieidipunctatus. Plate XX. f. 2. 

 Leiodon vieidipunctatus, Day, Proc. Zool. Society, 1865, p. 315. 



B.v. D. 12. P. 18. A. 11. CIO. 



Length of head \, of pectoral \, of base of dorsal ^ of base of anal Jj, of caudal A, of the 

 total length. 



