94 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



caudal deeply forked. Colours — silvery, -witli four or five liorizontal golden bands along the sides, and a silvery 

 mark on the back behind the last dorsal ray : fins rosy, the dorsal, caudal, and anal being margined with red. 



Habitat. — Mam-itius, Ceylon to the Malay Archipelago, and beyond. This species exists in the Netley 

 Hospital Museimi, it was received from Ceylon. 



Genus, 25 — Shakis, Cuv. 



BrancMoste'jals six : pseiulolranchice. Body ohlong or cylindrical. Eyes of medium or large size, mouth 

 very protractile. Preopercle entire. Teeth in the jaws, none on the vomer. A single, sometimes deeply notched 

 scaleless dorsal fin, with from nine to fifteen feeble spines ; anal with three. Scales ctenoid, rather small. Air-vessel 

 not constricted, hut generally forked posteriorly. Pyloric appendages feiv. 



Geographical distriliution. — Mediterranean and Atlantic ocean, one species from Ceylon. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Smaris halteatus, D. \%, K. ^. - K sUvery band from the eye to the tail. 



1. Smaris halteatus. 



Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 424; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 389. 



B. vi, D. \i„ P. 17, V. 1/5, A. ^. 



Length of head 4j, of caudal 6|, height of body one-fourth in the total length. Eyes — diameter 2f in 

 the length of the head, 2/3 of a diameter from the end of snout. Body cylindrical and somewhat elongated : 

 mouth protractile : the maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit. Teeth — fine. Fins — division 

 between the spinous and soft portions of the dorsal well marked. Colours — reddish-brown along the back, dotted 

 with small brilliant silvery spots : the coloured part of the back streaked with the brilliant silver of the sides, 

 whilst below this coloured portion is a wide silvery longitudinal band, which passes from the superciliary region 

 across the opercle, and proceeds to the tail. Fins pale coloui-ed. 



Habitat. — Ceylon, to 4 inches in length. 



Genus, 2G — Cesio, (Comm.) Cuv. 

 CcBsio, sp. Cuv. and Val. : Paraccesio, Bleeker ; Odontonectes, Giinther. 



Branchiostegals six or seven : pseudohranchim. Body ohlong, sometimes soraewhat elevated. Mouth moderately 

 protractile, its cleft oblique, lower jaw sometimes the longer. Preopjercle entire or minutely serrated. Fine teeth in, 

 the jaics, sometimes deciduous ones on the vomer or pialate. A single dorsal fin, more or less scaled (rarely scaleless) 

 with the anterior piortioii the higher and having from nine to thirteen feeble spines:* anal with three. Scales very 

 finely ctenoid, of moderate or small size, and as a rule extended over the bases of the vertical fins. Air-vessel not 

 constricted. 



Bleeker (Fish. Madag. p. 38) has instituted a Genus Paraccesio for the reception of those species in which 

 the dorsal fin is scaleless. 



Geographical distribution. — From the Red Sea, through those of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. GcBsio pinjalo, D. -i^, A. -5%, L. 1. 50-55, L. tr. 9/18. Eoseate and yellow : dorsal and caudal edged 

 with black. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Ccesio cuning, D. ^J., A. -^, L. 1. 53. Bluish-green above, rosy below. Seas of India to the Malay 

 Archipelago. 



3. Ccesio chrysozona, D. \^, A. yt^tt- -^ golden longitudinal band : a black spot in the axil and a 

 black band along the middle of either caudal lobe. Eed Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Cassio pinjalo, Plate XXIV, fig. 4, 

 Pinjalo typus, Bleeker, Bydr. Topog. Batav. p. 521 and Revis. Ceesio, p. 25. 



Ccesio pinjalo, Bleeker, Msenid. p. 10, Java, i, p. 102, and Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xiv, fig. 3; Gunther, Catal. i, 

 p. 39L 



Mesoprion Mitchelli, Giinther, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, xix, 1867, p. 257, pi. ix. 



B. vii, D. W, P. 21, V. 1/5, A. ^, C. 17, L. 1. 50-5.5, L. r. ' ^H S L. tr. 9/18. 



Lengt,h of head 2/9, of caudal 1/5, height of body 2/7 of the total length. %es— diameter 2/7 to 1/4 of length 

 of head, 3/4 to 1 diameter from end of snout, and also apart. Body oval and compressed. Lower jaw the longer. 

 The maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit. Height of preorbital equal to half the diameter of 

 the orbit. Vertical limb of preopercle serrated, most coarsely so at its angle which is considerably produced. 

 Opercle with a weak, flat spine. Teeth — vUliform, with one or two, sometimes three, small conical ones on either 



* Referring to C cterulawi-eiis, Dr. Giinther remarks that " from the extremely delicate structure of the fin-rays, it is very 

 difficult to count them and to give the correct numbers, but which is the more necessary, as we do not yet know to what e.xtent they 

 vary in the species of this genus, "—Catal. i, p. 372. 



