FAMILY, VII— SCORP^XID^. 151 



Length of head 4/13, of caudal 2/11, height of body 4/17 of the total length. Eijes — diameter l/o of 

 length of head, 1| diameters from end of snout, and 1 aj^art. Interorbital space deeply concave, with two low 

 ridges along its whole extent, and which do not end in spines, between them anteriorly is a third : a deep 

 groove below the front third of the orbit continued as a shallow one below the eye : a groove across the occiput 

 having one spine anterior to it and two more belonging to the occipital ridge posterior to it. Three strong 

 spines along the upper edge of the orbit with a tentacle between the last two. A strong turbinal spine. A 

 tentacle to the front nostril. Preorbital with ridges in a star-shape, about seven in number, and ending in 

 spines : a spinate ridge across the cheeks to a strong spine in the centre of the vertical border of the preopercle, 

 which has two more below it and one blunt one along its lower limb : opercle with two spines. Temporal ridge 

 spined and one spine between it and the occipital ridge. A spine on the shoulder girdle just above the base of 

 the pectoral fin. Tentacles— hesides those enumerated, there exists' a large one above the angle of the mouth, 

 some small ones along the margin of the preopercle, a few also on the lateral-line and on some of the body scales. 

 Teeth — villifoi-m in jaws and vomer. Fins — dorsal spines rather strong, the third very slightly longer than the 

 fourth, and equal to two-fifths of the height of the body and about as long as the rays ; pectoral as long as the 

 head witliout the snout and reaching as far as the ventral : second anal spine much the strongest and equal to 

 the length of the head behind the last third of the eye : caudal cut square. Scales — present on the upper 

 portions of the opercle and preopercle, eight rows between sixth dorsal spine and lateral-line. Colours — reddish, 

 clouded with brown, and having a few blackish spots : a dark band commences in the apper half of the 

 interspinous membrane between the second and third dorsal spines, and passing along the upper tliird of the 

 fin, descends between the sixth and seventh on to the back : many blotches on the fins : a dark band descends 

 over the last half of the caudal : three narrow dark horizontal bands go across the lower half of the anal : 

 undivided pectoral rays spotted ; ventral with bro\vu spots. 



In a young specimen (2j inches long) captured along with the one described above, the eye is compara- 

 tively much larger, the cheeks and opercles are scaled, there are two supraorbital tentacles and a short one on 

 the upper angle of the eye, whilst the body is comparatively higher. 



Habitat. — Nicobars to the Malay Ai-chipelago and beyond : the specimen figured (over G inches in length) 

 was obtained at the Nicobars. 



4. Scorpsenopsis rosea, Plate XXXVI, fig. 4. 

 Scorpcena rosea, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 18(37, p. 703. 

 B. vii, D. 11 I ^.Vo, P. e-fXII, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 15, L. 1. 43, L. tr. 7/18. 



Length of head 1/5, of pectoral 1/4, of caudal 1/5, height of body 1/3 of the total length. Ei/es — 

 somewhat elevated, with a deep groove below, and anterior and posterior depressions : interorbital space 

 deeply concave, vrith an elevated smooth ridge on either side : diameter of eyes 1/4 of length of head, 1| from 

 end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Snout rather elevated, a transverse depression between it and the 

 orbit. The maxiUa reaches to below the centre of the orbit : lower jaw the longer. A sharjj turbinal spine ; 

 a broad fleshy fringed tentacle to the anterior nostril. Above the angle of the preopercle is a ridge vrith five more 

 backwardly directed spines. Along the angle and lower edge of the preopercle are three denticnlatious, the 

 superior strong and sharp, the others blunted, also thi-ee fleshy tentacles along its border and one on its surface. 

 Interopercle with a blunt spine and tentacle. Opercle with a central bony ridge ending in two spines. Temporal 

 ridge containing three spines, and occipital one likewise spiny ; whilst there is one spine between it and the ridge 

 below it. Orbit with a strong spine at its posterior-superior — and another at its superior — edge, the last with a 

 long wide tentacle at its base. Several fleshy tentacles exist on the snout, a large one at the angle of the 

 mouth, and two on the end of the upper jaw : also three rather large ones on the lower jaw. Teeth — viUiform, a 

 V-shaped patch on the vomer, none on the palatines. Fins — dorsal spines modei-ately strong, the third the longest, 

 interspinous membrane rather deeply cleft and extended beyond each spine. Pectoral with its lowest twelve 

 rays unbranched and minute fleshy appendages attached to them. Second and third anal spines of equal length, 

 the foraier much the stronger. Caudal cut nearly square. Scales — present, some on the upper part of the 

 opercle, head otherwise scaleless. Lateral-line in 23 or 24 tubes. Colours — rosy, marbled with greyish : one 

 or two irregular vertical grey bands on the caudal fin : dorsal, anal, and ventral also banded : pectoi'al with 

 numerous dark spots. 



S. Mati/ritiana, C.V. appears very similar, it has 43 rows of scales above the lateral-line and 40 below it. 

 Sis branched pectoral rays but only 10 simple ones. 



Habitat. — Madras. 



5. Scorpaenopsis venosa. 

 Scorpmna mooroo-hontoo, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 44, pi. 56. 

 Scorpeena venosa, Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 317; Swainson, Fish, ii, p. 2G6. 

 B. vii, D. 11 I i, P. 18, V. 1/5, A. I, C. 16, L. 1. 38. 



Length of head 1/3 of the total length. Eyes — rather above one diameter from the end of snout and also 

 one apart. The maxilla reaches to below the last third of the eye. Interorbital space very concave with two 

 longitudinal ridges that end posteriorly in spines : a groove before the eyes : a quadrangular space on the vertex 

 bordered by spines : turbinal and preorbital spines, a spiny ridge across the cheeks : vertical limb of preopercle 



