FAMILY, II— SQUAMIPINNES. HI 



Rah Hat. —Ea,si coast of Africa, througli the Indian Ocean and Malay Archipelago : it is said to attain 

 18 inches in length. 



Genus, 4 — Zanx'LUS,* Cuv. and Val. 



Gnathocentrum, G-uicli. ; Gonoptenis, (Gronov.) Gray. 



BrancUostegals four: psewdohrancMce. Body elevated and compressed. Snout of moderate leiigtli. Pre- 

 opercle without any spine, it and the pireorhital may he serrated. 'Teeth in the jaws, none on the palate. One dorsal 

 fin with seven spines, the third of which is very elongate : anal with three. Scales small. Air-vessel present. Pyloric 

 appendages in moderate numhers. 



Geographical distribution.— ^ea.s of India to the ]\Ialay Archipelago and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OP INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Zanclus corniitvs, D. ^o'tt. A. -^'>.^. Yellowish- white, with three vertical dark bands. Seas of India 

 to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



1. Zanclus cornutus, Plate XXVIII, fig. 4. 

 Chcetodon conmiMS, Linn. Syst. p. 4G1 ; Bl. p. 1179, t. 200, f. 2 ; Bl. Schn. p. 221; Lacep. iv, p. 473, 



'''"' ' Zanclus cornutus, Cay. and Val. vii, p. 102, pi. 177; Swainson, Fish, ii, p. 212; Bleeker, Verh. Bat. 

 Gen. xxiii, Chastod. p. 22 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p.^4'J3. 



Gonopterus mairens, Gronov, ed. Gray, p. 77. 



B. iv, D. ^'„, P. 19, V. 1/5, A. 3^V. C. 16, Ca;c. pyl. 14, Vert. 9/13. 



Length of head nearly 1/3, of caiidal 4/17, height of body 5/7 of the total length, i/i/es— diameter 2/7 

 of length of head, 1 diameter apart, and twice the length of the postorbital portion of the head. Upper edge 

 of orbit serrated in its front half and a parallel serrated ridge just above it. F/ras— dorsal spines very elongated 

 and filifoi-m, the last rays are very short : anal much the highest anteriorly : caudal emargmate. Scales— minniv. 

 (7o;o,„,.s_yellowish-white, with three broad, dark, vertical brown bands, the anterior from the two first dorsal 

 spines and upper profile as far forwards as the orbit, descends over the opercles and cheeks to the ventral fin : 

 the second band commencing from the base of the fourth spine to the first ray passes downwards to the highest 

 portion of the anal, it has a white hmd edge : the last goes over the caudal fin, having a concave posterior 

 maro-in and a white front edge. There is also a band over the snout : pectoral yellow. 



Hal itat.— Sens of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



Genus, 5 — Holacanthus, Lacrp. 



Genicanthus, Swains. 



BrancUostegals six : pseiidohranchi(e. Bodi/ compressed, and as a ride much elevated. Preopercle serrated, 

 with one or more strong splines at its angle directed backwards. No palatine teeth. A single dmsal fin ivtth from, 

 twelve to fifteen spines: anal loith three or sometimes four. Scales of moderate or small size, more or less covering the 

 vertical fins. Air-vessel with tivo horns posteriorly. Pyloric appendages many. 



Geographical distribution.— Throughout the seas of India and generally in those of the tropics. 



SYNOPSIS OP SPECIES. 



A. Scales small. 



1. Holacanthus imperator, D. -^_W, A. ^'^. Bluish, with three narrow blue bands on the head and 

 about nineteen nan-ow oblique canary coloured bands on the body ; chest brownish, caudal yellow. From seas 

 of East Afi-ica through those of India to the Malay Archipelago. • ■ , i i 



2. Holacanthus Nicobarlensis, D. ^.\r, A. ^. Blue, with light vertical more or less semicircular bands 

 on the body. Red Sea, East coast of Africa, India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. _ 



3. Holacanthus annularis, D. -^\j, A. „?^. Brown, with a blue ring on the shoulder, and six or seven 

 blue body bands radiate from the eye : caudal yellow. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



B. Scales of moderate size. 



4. Holacanthus diacanthus, D. \^, A. ^\, L. r. 52. Yellowish, with eight to twelve vertical blue brown- 

 edged bands. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. , , i ■, „ 



6. Holacanthus xanthurus, D. if, A. ^^^, L. 1. 50. Greyish, with a light opercular band and a yellow 



shoulder spot. Seas of India. ,,,,-, i . i.i, i i 



6. Holacanthus xanthometopon, D. if, A. ^\, L. 1. 47. Blue, with yellow black-edged spotson the cheeks 

 a yellow interorbital band, a blue spot on each scale on the body. Andamans to the Malay Archipelago. 



* This genus is included by Dr. GUnther amongst the Carangidx. Respecting the skeleton he observes of Z. cornutus, which 

 has vertebrce 9/13, that " the anterior and posterior portions of its vertebral column are so shortened m their longitudmal diameter, that, 

 at both extremities, one vertebra ha.s not been developed," Catal. ii, p. 493. One of his definitions of the iamily Cwrangida being 

 ■■ Vertebra 10/U" 1. c. p. 417. 



