FAMILY, VII— SCORP^NID^. 157 



in length and having a small one at its base. Preopercle with a sharp spine as long as the orbit, and three or 

 four blunt points along its angle and lower limb. Opercle with two spines. Teei/i— villiform in jaws, vomer 

 and palate. Fins — dorsal spines sharp but slender ; the first arises over the middle of the eye, the interspinous 

 membrane is deeply notched, the second or third spine the longest equalling half the height of the body, all 

 three are longer than the spines of the second dorsal, the membrane of which latter is deeply notched. All the 

 articulated rays are branched. Pectoral a little longer than the head and reaching to above the middle rays of 

 the anal : ventral reaches the anal spines, the thii-d of which is the longest : caudal cut almost square. Scales — 

 rudimentary. Colours — greyish-brown, a black blotch on the dorsal fin between the third or fourth and seventh 

 or ninth spines : soft dorsal nearly black in its last three-fourths : pectoral blackish, as is also the outer half of 

 the ventral and the anal : caudal yellowish-white with some small brown spots. 



Habitat. — Common in the seas in Western India and Ceylon, especially off Canara, where it attains 

 3 inches in length. 



Genus, 9 — Ambltapistus, Bleeker. 



Apistus, sp. Cuv. and Val. : Platypterus* Swainson. 



Bramch'ostegals five or six. Read and hody strongly compressed : no groove across occiput. Strong and sharp 

 pjreorhital and preopercular spines : opercle armed. Villiform teeth in jaws, vomer and palate. A single dorsal fin 

 with more spines than rays (D. "flx^) generally elevated anteriorly: three anal spines: pectoral without any free 

 ray at its base. Articulated fin-rays branched. Scales, if present, rudimentary. Air-vessel present. Pyloric 

 appendages few. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Arnhlyaijistus tainianotus, D. 'i;|°, A. Jy. Second dorsal spine as high as the body. Reddish, with 

 irregular dark spots and blotches : a brown mark between the fifth and seventh dorsal spines. Andamans to 

 the Malay Archipelago. 



2. AmUyapnstus longispinis, D. lf:i^ A. J^-. Second dorsal spine two-thirds as high as the body. 

 Scales minute. Pinkish, with blotches and a white spot on the side. Seas of India to China. 



3. AmUyapistus macracanthus, D. '■^.\i, A. |. Brownish-black : pectoral with a white border. Anda- 

 mans and Malay Archipelago. 



1. Amblyapistus taenianotus, Plate XXXVIII, fig. 5. 



Tmnianotus latovittatus, Lacep. iv, pi. 3, f 2 (no description.) 



ApAstus tatnianotus, Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 404 ; Richairdson, Voy. Samarang, Fish. pi. 4, fig. 1 and 2 ; Bleeker, 

 Amb. ii, p. 557. 



Tetraroge taenianotus, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 136. 

 Platypterus tcenianotus, Swains. Fish, ii, p. 265. 

 Amblyapistus tcenianotus, Bleeker, Fish. Maur. p. 87. 



B. V. D. if-1% P- 12, V. 1/5, A. ^.V, C. 12. 



Length of head 3/13, of pectoral 2/7, of caudal 4/17, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eyes- 

 diameter 3/10 of length of head, nearly 1 diameter from end of snout and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Body 

 strongly compressed, the profile from the snout to the commencement of the dorsal fin almost vertical. The 

 maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit, lower jaw slightly the longer. Preorbital spine curved and 

 vei7 sharp, of moderate length and having a small basal one : preopercle with a sharp spine a little above its angle, 

 and three or four blunt ones along its lower margin : two opercular spines, the upper the longer. Teeth — villi- 

 form in jaws, on vomer, and in a small patch on the palate. Fins — dorsal high anteriorly, its first spine a little 

 above one diameter of the orbit in length, its second as high as the body, and its thu-d a little shorter : from 

 about the fourth spine to the end of the rays all are of about the same height : a slight membraneous continuation 

 between the end of the dorsal and base of the caudal fins. All the articulated fin-rays branched.f The ventrals 

 do not reach the anal and are shorter than the pectoral : third anal spine the longest : caudal slightly rounded. 

 iS'^a^es—rudimentary. Lateral-line — first sixteen tubules distinct, subsequently they coalesce into one tube. 

 Colours— reddish, with irregular brownish spots, a brown mark between the fifth and sixth or seventh dorsal 



spines. . . i m 



Habitat. — Andaman islands, Malay Archipelago and beyond, attaining a few inches m length, ihe 

 specimen figured is in the British Museum collection. 



2. Amblyapistus longispinis, Plate XXXVIII, fig. 4. 



Apistus longisfinis, Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 408 ; Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Astrol. Poiss. p. C94, pi. xi, fig 4. 

 Apistes multicolor, Richardson, Voy. Samarang, Fishes, p. 3, pi. iv, fig. 3, 4. 

 Tetraroge longispinis, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 134. 

 B.vi.D. H:i%V.l/4A.T-V,C. 12. 



» Preoccupied (K. and V. Ha^is.) Cuv. and Val. Fishes, 1R.37. &c. .,,,,, 



t The sptcuneu maiked •' 6. Young, Madras. Presented by T. C Jerdon, Esq ," has none of Us articulated raya branched, 

 it is A. rosetui. 



