78 ACAJSTTHOPTERTGII. 



3. Blarjramma Orientale, D. tt-Vt?. ^- f- TellowisTi-wliite, with four or five complete or inteiTupted 

 chestnut bands. Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. , . , , 



4. Llarimmma cmctum, D. yJ.^rT. ^- f- Slatey-grey, covered with large black blotches which also exist 

 on the fins. Sind, China, and Japan. ,,,., ^ . ,^.p- j.tj- 



5. Dlaqmm.ma grisewn, D. H-if. ^- r-9- '^'^^J '■ ^^^ Wackish. East coast of Africa, seas of India. 



6 Bkigramma pictum, D. -^-'i^, A. f. Front portion of spinous dorsal elevated. Caudal rounded. 

 Longitudinally banded. Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



7. Dhiqramma pundatum, D. ^|:-B, A. f. Front portion of spinous dorsal not elevated : caudal notched, 

 spotted and blotched with yellow. Red Sea, seas of India to the i\Ialay Archipelago. 



8. Dkirjmmma iJicoides,!). l-}, A. f. Four large hght blotches. Indian seas. 



1. Diagramma crassispinum, Plate XX, fig. 4. 



Bkigramma crassispinum, Ruppell, N. W. Fische, p. 125, t. 30, f. 4 ; Bleeker, Scieen. p. 2G ; Giinther, 

 CataL i, p. 319 ; Klunz. Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 738. „ ^ . , ^ . , • oon 



Pristipoma niqrum, Cantor, Catal. p. 74 ; ? Cuv. and Val. v, p. 258 ; Gunther, Catal. i, p. 289. 



Biagramvia affine, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 319 ;* Playfair, Fishes of Zanzibar, p. 20. 



Biagramma nigrum, Day, Malabar Fishes, p. 23. 



Biagranima altmn. Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 18G9, p. 514 Ojoung). 



PlectorhyncJms crassispina, Bleeker, Ternate, p. 232 and Rev. Plec. 1873, p. 2i i. 



B. vii, D. tJ_H> P- 17. V-l/5> ^- *' C. 17, L. 1. 50-60, L. r. f^:ff, L- tr. 10/17, Ca;c. pyl. C. 



Lencrth of head 2/7, of caudal 1/G, height of body in the adult 1/3 of the total length. %es— diameter 

 in the adutt 2/9 of length of head, li diameters from end of snout, and more than one apart. The maxilla 

 does not reach so far in the adult as" to below the front edge of the orbit. Open pores but no groove below 

 the mandible. Vertical lunb of preopercle finely serrated in the adult, more coarsely so in the young, and its 

 ano-le rounded, posterior half of its horizontal limb serrated. Terf/t— vilhform in the jaws. Fi)W— dorsal 

 spines strong, the alternate ones thicker on one side, the fourth the highest, nearly equallmg the length of the 

 head without the snout : pectoral rather longer than the highest dorsal spine, it reaches to rather beyond the 

 ventral, which latter extends three-fourths of the way to the anus. Second anal spme much stronger than the 

 third, it equals the highest of the dorsal tin. Free portion of tail rather longer than high at its commencement. 

 Colours— greyish., or slatey-grey, with a violet tinge over the head, and a brassy one on the body : fins nearly 

 lilack. A few h-regular coppery spots on the body, and a tmge of the same coloui- over the spinous dorsal : the 

 other fins of a violet slate-colour, lightest along their centres. In the young the caudal is yellowish-white, and 

 in one specimen having a dark caudal, which I kept a few years in spirit I now find the fin nearly white, 

 the colouring matter having disappeared. , . „ 



This fish appears to alter considerably with age. The height of the body is at first equal to nearly 

 half of the total length. In some the maxilla' extends to below the first third of the orbit, m others to beneath 

 the posterior nostril ; whilst the size of the eye varies in individual specunens. _ . . 



The specimen marked Biagramma crassispimim in the British Museum, received from Zanzibar, is a skin 

 under 10 inches m length, and not in a good state ; the spines are a little shorter than in a Malabar specimen 

 of the same size, irrespective of which it has several narrow black bands passing backwards and downwards 

 from the base of the dorsal fin over the body. , r. i ■ i i 



Jerdon, M. J. L. and S. 1851, observes of Swlopsidcs : " a fourth species is also found, ot which, however, 

 I only saw one specimen. Its colours were inky black, with the edges of the soft dorsal white, and the caudal 

 pale yellowish-white. It was caUed Tawooloo pinnel" The figure is amongst Sir W. ElHot's coUection named 

 as above by Jerdon, and is this species. 



Eahitat.—'Red Sea, seas cf India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. It attains two teet or more m 

 length and is good eating. 



2. Biagramma lineatum, Plate XX, fig. 5. 



8cia;na lineata, Linn. Mus. Ad. Frid. t. xxxi, f. 4. 



Perca diagramma et lineata, Gmel. Linn. p. 1319. 



G)-a«imwie« ZmeafMs, Bl. Schn. p. 18G. m n rf ^ ■ 



Biagramma lineatum, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 309 : Bleeker, Amboina, iv, p. 112 ; Gunther, Catal. i, p. 330 ; 

 Klunz. Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 735. „ , .. -,-,r, . o, -di i t^ ^ 



Biagramma Lessonii, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 313 ; Less. Voy. Coq. Zool. u, p. 119, pi. 24 ; Bleeker, liat. 

 p. 463 : Gunther, Catal. i, p. 329, and Fische d, Sudsee, p. 28, t. xxiii. ,. n- ^^ 



Biagramma albovittatum., Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 125, t. xxxi, fig. 2 ; Bleeker, Makass. p. 4b ; Gunther, 

 Catal. i, p. 330 ; Klunz. h c. p. 736. , ti • m ^ no,- 



PlectorhyncJms Uneatus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxviii, f. 4, Ternate, p. 2b2 and Revis Fleeter, p. 2bb. 



PlectorhyncTius Lesson i, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxxix, fig. 3 and Revis. Fleeter, p. 288. 



Plectorhynckus albovittatus, Bleeker, Revis. Plector. p. 280. 



* Keferenees to the plates and figures cited in the British Museum Catalogue are omitted as misleading, for such have not 

 been published, and the figures do not now exist. 



