114 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



into a filament.* Scales — strongly ctenoid, and longitudinally fluted, mucli smaller above tlian below tlie lateral 

 line. Colours — body greyisli-bro-mi, darker along the back, and becoming black over the tail as well as on the 

 vertical fins, head, and chest : a lightish opercular band and a small but brilliant yellow shoulder spot : dorsal 

 and anal fins edo-ed with yeUowish-white : caudal canary colour. After death each scale seems to have a light 

 semilunar band. 



A colom-ed figure, nearly G inches in length, exists in Sir Walter Elliot's collection, termed Kid Icasa, and 

 Holacantlms rabJoplini-us. 



Habitat. — Ceylon and Madras to G inches in length. 



6. Holacanthus xanthometopon. 



Bleeker, Sumatra, ii, p. 2.^8 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 51. 



13. vi, D. -H' P- 1''' V. 1/5, A. tV. C. 17, L. r. 47, L. tr. 7/25. 



Length of head 2/9, of caudal 2/11, height of body 4/9 of the total length. JEyes— diameter 1/4 of 

 length of head, 1\ diameters from end of snout, and also apart. Vertical limb of preopercle with widely set 

 serrations, a strong spine at the angle of the preopercle not quite half so long as the head. Fins — soft dorsal 

 and anal fins angular : caudal rounded. Colours — blue, cheeks and opercles with numerous golden spots exter- 

 nally edged with black : some fine black lines on the lips and chin : a broad yellow interorbital band : body 

 violet, each scale with a brilliant blue spot : a yellow shoulder spot. Dorsal, caudal, and pectoral yellow, with a 

 black spot at the base of the last seven dorsal rays, caudal with a black edge : ventral and anal white vsdth a 

 blue edge. 



Hahitat — Andamans and Malay Archipelago. A specimen, 71 inches in length, exists in the Calcutta 

 Museum. A native artist attempted for a whole week to figure it but unsuccessfully. 



Genus, G — Scatophagus, Cuv. and Val. 



Cacodoxiis,f Cantor. 



Branchiostegals six : 'pseudohrancldai. Body much conqtressed and elevated, snout of moderate length. Pre- 

 opercle spineless. Palate edentulous. Two dorsals, united at their bases, the first having ten or eleven spines, and 

 anteriorly a recumbent one directed forwards ; the soft dorsal covered with scales : anal with four spines. Scales very 

 small. Air-vessel simple. Pyloric appendages rather numerous. 



Geographical distribution. — East coast of Africa ; Seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Scatophagus argus, D. 10 | tg-tti ^- Ti-Ve- Purplish, blotched all over with dark spots. Seas of India, 

 to China and Australia. 



1. Scatophagus argus, Plate XXIX, fig. .3. 



Choitodon argus, Gmel. Linn. p. 1248 ; Bloch, p. 1191, t. 204, f. 1 ; Bl. Schn. p. 232 ; Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 

 332; Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 61, pi. 78. 



Chcetodon pairatalis, Ham, Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 122, 372, pi. 16, f. 41. 



Chcetodon atromacidatus, Bennett, Fish. Ceylon, p. 18, pi. 18. 



Scatophagus argus, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 136 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 245 ; Gunther, Catal. ii, p. 58 and 

 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1867, p. 58 ; Day, Fishes of Malabar, p. 34 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. lOG. 



Cacodoxus argus. Cantor, Catal. p. 163. 



Scatophagus or)iatus, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 58. 



Sargus macidatus, Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 65. 



Qjt-ee, Sind. ; Chitsilloo aT:id_ Eesjmtti, Tel.; Sipili, Tam. ; Nutchar c/aic, Mai. ; Nga-pa-thoomg, Arral.. ; 

 Beeshatara, Chittag. ; Po-ra-dah, Andam. 



B. vi, D. 10 I T^l„, P. 20, V. 1/5, A. „*^, C. 16, Csc. pyl. 18 (20). 



Length of head 1/4, of caudal 2/11, height of body 1/2 of the total length. %es— diameter 2/7 of length 

 of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and 1^ apart. Body somewhat quadrangular, strongly compressed, and 

 the dorsal profile more curved than the abdominal. The maxilla reaches to about half way between the end of 

 the snout and the front edge of the orbit. Preorbital with the last half of its lower edge finely serrated. Some- 

 times a few very fine teeth at the angle of the preopercle and also along its lower limb : sub- and inter-opercles 

 entire. Opercle with a weak spine. Teeth — villiform in the jaws. Fins — dorsal spines strong, each alternate 

 one thicker on one side, interspinous membrane deeply notched, fourth spine the highest equalling the length of 

 the head behind the posterior nostril, anterior rays much the longest, but not quite equalling the length of the 

 fourth spine : anal spines all about the same length, each alternate one being the stronger : caudal fan-shaped, 

 its central rays rather the longest. Scales — minute, in about 110 irregular rows, and continued over the soft 

 portions of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, likewise on the head and opercles ; about 30 rows between the 6th 

 dorsal spine and the lateral-line. Colours — ^purplish, becoming white on the abdomen : large round blackish or 



* HaTing seen many specimen^ and all witli tliis prolonpation, I think it unlikely that such is 3. sexual distinction, 

 t Substituted fur Soatopha'jas, C. V. jire-ucciipied by ;Scatoihaga, Meigen, 1SU3 (Dijdera.J 



