160 ACAifTHOPTEEYGII. 



near the dorsal profile and below tlie base of the two first dorsal spines, diameter 2/9 of length of head, 

 1~' diameters from end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Body and head strongly compressed, the anterior 

 profile ascends almost vertically from the snout to the base of the first dorsal spine. Maxilla reaches to below 

 the centre of the orbit. Preoi'bital with a strong curved blunt spine, having a smaller but similar one at its 

 base : four blunt spines along the margin of the preopercle and three on the opercle. Teeth^yiWiSorm in the 

 iaws,' and in a crescentic band on the vomer. Fins— the single dorsal commences over the front half of the 

 orbit, the first spine being rather curved, and the longest equalling the head excluding the snout, the last spines 

 as hio-h as the rays which are unbranched : fi-om the end of the dorsal fin a membraneous continuation extends 

 to the base of the caudal. Anal spines very weak : caudal rounded. Body and head studded with small obtuse 

 prickles. ' Lc(fem?-///ie— indistinct. Colours— hi\S, with five brown lines radiating from the eye ; upper edge of 

 dorsal purple : some large brownish blotches in the upper half of the body, all the fins more or less dotted with 

 brown, and a whitish spot at the upper and lower angle of the end of the caudal. 



'This species exists in the Calcutta Museum, where it was labelled Ajnstes spinosa, from the Andamans, it 

 attains a few inches in length. 



Habitat. — Andamans and Pinang. 



2. Cocotropus roseus, Plate XXXVIII, fig. 8. 



B. vi, D. V-t\% P- 14, V. 1/3, A. -,%, C. 12. 



Length of head 2/7, of caudal 1/7, height of body 2/7 of the total length. J?)/e.s- placed high up, 

 diameter 1/4 of length of head. If diameters from end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Body strongly 

 compressed : profile from dorsal fin to snout oblique : mouth slightly oblique, lower jaw a little the longer. 

 Preorbital with two blunt spines, the longest going backwards to beneath the first third of the eye,_ the lower 

 and shorter one a httle downwards and backwards. A rough ridge passes across the suborbitals to a little above 

 the ano-le of the preopercle on the vertical limb of which are two blunt spines, the upper the longer, and equal to 

 the diameter of the orbit in length : two more smaller spines along its horizontal limb : three opercular^ spines : 

 an elevated occipital ridge, and also a temporal one having three blunt spines. No barbels, recf/i— villiform in 

 iaws and vomer, none on the palate. Fins — dorsal fin continuous, it commences over the middle of the eye ; 

 spines strong, the second being slightly the longest and equal to half the height of the body, they subsequently 

 slio-htly decrease to the last which is as high as the first ray : a membraneous extension exists from the end 

 of °the dorsal fin, and nearly reaches the base of the caudal. All the articulated fin-rays are unbranched. 

 Pectoral equals the length of the head and reaches to the commencement of the anal : ventral short, reaching 

 half way to the anus, it has one spine and three rays : two weak anal spines only : caudal rounded. Scales- 

 absent, skin with many widely spread rough elevations, becoming somewhat spinate in large specimens : tubes 

 of lateral-line 10 or 11 distinct ones in number, which occupy its whole length. Colours — fleshy, the fins having 

 more of a pinkish tinge. Dorsal fin edged with white, having a dull grey band along its centre, and most 

 distinct in its last half : caudal edged with white, and having a dull base due to numerous grey spots : pectoral 

 and anal reddish, the former having many black spots upon it : ventrals white. 



These fish are very common in Macb-as in October, and through the cold months, but they rarely exceed 

 2h or 3 inches in length. . 



Jerdon observes (Madr. Journ. Lit. and Sc. 1851, p. 141), " Agrioims , I possess a drawing of a 



small species of this genus of a mottled red colour throughout. I only procured it once, it was named Crasi 

 toumhi, Tam." The specimen is in the British Museum, as Tetrarorje twjiiamtus (ii,p. 13G), from which it may 

 be readily distinguished, as the spines on its head are blunt, and its articulated fin-rays are unbranched, which 

 is not the case in A. tceniajwtus (see p. 157). 



My reasons for considering this distinct from C. echinatus are the more obhque profile from the snout to 

 the dorsal fin : the second dorsal spine (instead of the first) being the highest : the pectoral having 14 (instead 

 of 10) rays, &c. . 



Habitat.— Covom&ndcl coast of India. The specimen is figured life-size. 



Genus, 13 — Pelor, Cuv. and Val. 

 Branchiostegals seven. Read irregularly shaped. Villi form teeth in the jaws and vomer. The three first 

 dorsal spines conne'ded hy a membrane and are at a little distance pwn the others (12-14) which are som&ivhat isolated 

 one from another, due to the interspinous membrane being deeply cleft : two free rays at the base of the pectoral fin, 

 having a connecting membrane: ventrals tlioracic. AHic^dated fiyi-rays brarw,hed. Scales absent. Head, body ami 

 fins with skinny appendages. Air-vessel small. Pyloric appendages few. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Pelor didactylwn, D. 3 1 ^-.\*, A. 11-12. Brownish-grey, irregularly banded. Andaman islands to the 

 Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



1. Pelor didactylum, Plate XXXIX, fig. 1. 



Seorpcena didactyla, Pallas, Spic. Zool. Fas. vii, p. 26, t. 4. 

 Trigla rubicunda, Hornst. Nga Handl. ix, p. 45, t. 3. 



