236 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



Chcetodon haU sandaiva, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 68, pi. 87. 



Platax teira, Cuv. Reg. Anim. ; Riipp. Atl. I'isclie, p. 68, andN. W. Fisclie, pp. 33, 37 ; Cuv. and Val. vu, 

 p. 226; Cantor, Catal. p. 168; Bleeker, Chastod. p. 28; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Se. 18.Jl, p. 133; Peters, 

 Wieg. Arch. 18.5.5, p. 247; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 492; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 10] ; Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. 

 Wien, 1870, p. 123. 



ridtax Leschenauldi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 223. 



Flatax vespeHilio, Tern, and Sclileg. Fauna Japon. Poiss. p. 83, pi. 43. 



B. Yi, D. ^•^^, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. ^^-^, C. 17, L. 1. 40f. 



The height of the body, excluding the vertical fins, is rather more than, or equal to, its length* escludlng 

 the caudal fin. i/z/ts— diameter about 1/3 of length of head, rather above 1 diameter from end of snout, 

 and li apart. Dorsal profile more convex than that of the abdomen, it is very obtuse from the snout to 

 above the eyes. Angle of preopercle rounded and entire. Greatest depth of preorbital equals 2/3 of 

 the diameter of the eye. Fwis— anterior portions of dorsal and anal fins very prolonged in the young extending 

 (at 6 inches in length) nearly 1/2 the length of the entii-e fish beyond the end of the caudal fin, and the ventral 

 to the end of the caudal. These fins become comparatively much shorter as age advances. Caudal with its 

 central rays slightly prolonged, making the posterior end of the fin concave in either half. Colours— 

 in the young grayish, with an ocular band about as wide as the 63-6 passing downwards to the ventral fin : _a 

 second broad one from the spines and first few dorsal rays passes do-miwards behmd the head, half going m 

 front the other half behind the pectoral fin, and it is lost between the ventral and anal : a very broad 

 band passes from the last 2/3 of the dorsal fin to the same part of the anal : a narrow band over root of caudal 

 fin. Fins black, exclusive of the pectoral and ventral which are yellow except at their bases. The bands 



disappear with age. , . , ,, x 1 1 



In a specimen 9 inches long the dorsal, anal, and ventral fins have decreased m length so as to closely 



resemble the young P. vespeiiiUo, (PI. 51 A, f. 5), but the snout is more obtuse and the scales more numerous. 

 Eahitat.—Sens of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. Attaining at least 20 inches in length. 



Russell says their flavoiu- is excellent, and Cantor makes the same remark. 



2. Platax vespertilio, Plate LI, A. fig. 5. 



Chcetodon vespertlJlo, Bloch, t. 199, f. 2 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1257; Bl. Schn. p. 228; Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 344 ; 

 Bennett, Fish. Ceylon, p. 5, pi. v. ot ^ ,-1 1 



Flatax vespertilio, Cuv. Reg. Anim. ; Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 143, and N. W. Fisohe, p. 33 ; Cantor, Catal. 

 p. 166; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 133; Peters, Wieg. Arch. 1855, p. 247; Giinther, Catal. u, p. 489. 



Platax Oabiiardi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 216. 



Platax cjuUulatus, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 227, pi. 186 {young). 



Platax Beynaldi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 219 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 133; Gunther, Catal. 11, 



p. 490. 



Platax aWrpundatus, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 69, t. 18, f. 4 (young). 



Platax Blncldi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 222 ; Bleeker, Chretod. p. 27. 



Platax Ehreiibergil, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 221 ; Rupp. N. W. Fische, p. 23 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 245 ; 

 Cuv. Reg. Anim. 111. Poiss. pi. 42, f. 1. 



B. vi, D. ^=3^, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. ^^^, C. 17, L. 1. ||. 



The height of the body, excluding the vertical fins, is rather more than its length excluding the caudal 

 fin. £i/es— diameter 1/3 of 'length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and also apart. The dorsal profile 

 more convex than that of the abdomen, it is not quite vertical from the occiput to the snout.f Angle of 

 preopercle rounded, and its lower edge feebly seiTated. Fins— the anterior portion of the dorsal fin is elevated, 

 and its height exceeds the length of its base by about 1/3 the distance between the snout and its front edge. 

 Pectoral nearly as long as the head. Ventral reaches to about the middle of the base of the anal fin, its length 

 loeino' nearly equal to the anterior portion of the anal, which is 4/5 as high as that of the dorsal. Caudal sUghtly 

 ema?ginate. Scales— about 65 rows descend to the lateral-line, which contains about 65 tubes : the upper point of 

 the lateral-line below the base of the first dorsal ray is at nearly the junction of the upper and middle third of 

 the height of the body. C'oZo»rs— brownish, fins black, and last two-thirds of pectoral yellow. In the young^ 

 there is°a narrow ocular band+ scarcely above 1/3 the width of the orbit, passing through the eye to the base of 

 the ventral fin : a second, also narrow, from just anterior to the base of the dorsal, descends behind the base of 

 the pectoral towards the anal : a third is over the commencement of the free portion of the tail, and occasionally 

 a fourth at the base of the caudal which is yellow. 



I think that Dr. Gunther is correct in suggesting Platax orhicularis as the adult of this species (see 

 Chcetodon orhicularis, Forsk. p. 59 ; C. ;pentacanthus, Lacep. iv, p. 454, pi. 9, f 2 ; Flatax orhicularis, Cuv. and 



* Bleeker states both dimensions to he equal : Gunther, that the height of the body is more than its length : consequently it 

 may be assumed to vary slightly one way or the other. ■ 1 .u ■ 



+ This becomes more pronounced as age adyances, when the profile from the eye to the snout is less vertical than in 



young subjects. , .... 



X These bands gradually become detached from the specimen if preserved in spirit. 



