13G ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



deep emargination. Teetli—tom- large and stron? canines in either upper jaw, and the same number in the 

 lower the outer of which are the lari^est, in the adult all the lateral row of teeth m the upper jaw with rounded 

 crowns increasino' in size to the last'but two ; in the lower jaw the first five of the teeth are more or less conical 

 and roiuided wlulst those behind have rounded crowns widest transversely except the last two. In younger 

 specimens the posterior teeth are not so rounded. Fins— dorsal spines of moderate strength mcreasmg in 

 leno-th to the third which equals rather more than li diameters of the orbit m height and scarcely so long as 

 the" lono-est ray it' is longer than the fourth. Pectoral nearly as long as the head : ventral reaches the vent : 

 second anal spine rather strongest but not so long as the third, which equals the length of the second of the 

 "dorsal fin and is nearly as hio-h as the rays, the longest of which does not equal that of the base of the soft 

 portion of the fin : caudal emarginate. Scales— H or i entire and 2 half rows between the lateral-lme and the 

 base of the spinous dorsal fin. "C'o?o?»-s— olivaceous-bro-mi becoming lighter on the abdomen, the centre of each 

 scale havino- a cobalt-blue spot forming longitudinal lines in the direction of the rows of scales, in some 

 specimens there are intermediate yellow bands r inside of mouth orange : pectoral flesh-coloured, base of its 

 second ray brio-ht blue : dorsal, caudal and anal slattscoloured, margined with orange, and having a line of spots 

 "aloiicr the cent're of the ravs ; venti-al externally slate-coloured. In most adult specimens a faint quadi-angular 

 spot Is seen between the lateral-line and the middle of the pectoral fin and indistinct vertical bands. In some 

 the edge of the opercle, sub-opercle and branchiostegous rays is of a blood-red colour, but this colour is 

 likewise seen in some specimens of L. mei»7os!<s. . ,__^ 



Hahltat.—'Red Sea, seas of India: the specimen figured was captured at Madi-as m June, Ibbi, and is 

 IG inches in length. 



4. Lethrinus nebulosus, Plate XXXIII, fig. 4. 





r; 



Scicrna nehuhsa,'Forii'k. -p. ._- „ ^. , -.-.r^ ^.. ,-, ^ ; , • </.a 



Lethrinus nehuhms, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 284; Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 118; Gunther, Catal. i, p. 460; 

 Klunz. Fische d. Roth. Meer. Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 86. 



B. yi, D. V, P- 13, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 46-48, L. tr. 6/16. 



Len<Hh of head 3/11 to 2/7, of caudal 1/6 to 2/11, height of body 3/11 to 2/7 of the total length. Eyes— 

 diameter 1/4 to 2/9 of length of head, 2 to 2^ diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. Height of the head 

 rather less than its length. Interorbital space nearly flat, dorsal profile not much elevated. The maxilla, 

 2- in the leno-th of the head, reaches to beneath the front nostril. Numerous fine open pores on the lower 

 surface of the^mandibles, and even on to the cheeks in the adult. Preopercle moderately oblique : opercle with 

 two blunt points separated by a shallow emargination. Teeth— ionr rather small canines m tlie front of either 

 iaw the first three of the lateral teeth in the upper jaw rather conical, the remainder with globular crowns, not 

 wider transversely than in their antero-posterior diameter : the first six or seven lateral teeth m the lower jaw 

 rather conical, the remainder with globular crowns and rather larger than in the upper jaw. Fms— dorsal 

 spines of moderate strength, increasing in length to the fourth which equals rather more than li diameters ot 

 orbit in heio-ht and is about equal to the longest ray. Pectoral nearly as long as the head : ventral reaches the 

 anus • second anal spine nearly one-fourth shorter than the third which is nearly as long as the third of the 

 dorsal fin and as hicrh as the anal rays, the highest of which last equals the length of the bases of the rays : 

 caudal forked lobes^'pointed. Scales— the row contaming the lateral-line rather smaller than the one above or 

 below it • five entire and two half rows between the lateral-line and base of the dorsal fin. Free portion of the 

 tail about as long as high at its base. Colours— & blue, black-edged band passes from the eye to the posterior 

 nostril a second to the angle of the mouth : another blue lino exists below the eye : preopercle spotted with 

 blue Inside of the mouth orange : opercular membrane yellow, sometimes blood-red. Body olivaceous, 

 becomino- lio-hter on the abdomen : scales orange along their centres, and every other row spotted with blue at 

 its base " in some specimens faint vertical bands are perceptible, and a darkish blotch between the pectoral fan 

 and the lateral-line, whilst the rows of scales below the pectoral have a narrow dark line along their centres. A 

 larcre specimen had a cobalt blue band over the last half of the eye, whilst the last row of occipital scales was of 

 the same colour: upper surface of the head tinged with blue. Dorsal, caudal and anal slate-coloured, the 

 dorsal edged with reddish, and having two rows of blue spots : faint lines along the sott dorsal and anal, the 

 caudal wi"th narrow blue transverse bars : upper pectoral ray blue in its basal half. ^_ . , 



The specimen figured was captured at Aden : my longest specimen is from Smd, and Ibi mclies m 



^""^ 'Lethrinus centurw* C.V. has the height of the body about 1/3 of the total len.gth. Si/es— in the 

 commencement of the last half of the head, 2^ diameters from end of snout, and U apart. Height ot head 

 1/4 more than its length. 



Hrtt/iai.— Red Sea and the seas of India: very common at Madras. 



5. Lethrinus opercularis. 

 Cuv. and Val. .vi, p. 289 : Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. xxiii, Spar. p. 14, Revis. Leth. p. 20 ; Glinther, 

 Catal. i, p. 4t53. 



? Lethrinus genirjuttatiis, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 304. 



* Lethrimis centwrio, C.V. -vi, p. .SOI ; Teters, Wicg. Arch. 1855, p. 243. 

 Lethrinus escidentus, C.V. vi, jjI. 153. 



