iiC2 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



Family, XXI— TRACHINID/E, (Sivains.) GuntUr. 



Branchiosteg'als from five to seven: pseudobranchiae. Body more or less elongated, posteriorly 

 compressed : head often large. Eyes more or less lateral. Cleft of mouth, almost horizontal, lateral, or even 

 nearly vertical. Some of the bones of the head usually armed : the suborbital ring of bones articulates with 

 the preopercle. Teeth in the jaws, present or absent on the vomer and palatines. Dorsal fins sometimes in 

 two distinct portions but more or less connected .- the spines may be in excess of the rays, but as a rule there 

 are more of the latter : anal generally similar to the soft dorsal : ventrals thoracic : pectorals with 

 or without appendages. Body scaleless, scaled, or with a single series of plate-like scales. Lateral-line 

 continuous. Air-vessel present or absent. Pyloric appendages few. 



SYNOPSIS OF GENERA. 



1. Percis. A sinjrle dorsal fin, the spines (4 or 5) short and continuous at their base with the soft 

 portion. Ventrals a little anterior to the pectorals. Canine teeth : no palatine teeth. Red Sea, throughout 

 those of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Sillago. Two dorsal tins, the first with 9 to 12 spines, slightly separated from the second. 

 Muciferous system of head well developed. Ventrals thoracic. No palatine teeth. Red Sea, seas of India to 

 the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



Genus, 1 — Percis, Bl. Schii. 



Tarapercls, Bleeker. 



Brancliiostegals six : pseudohrancMw. Body rather elcDif/ated and mi-cylindrical : head a little depressed. 

 Eyes lateral, directed someu'liat upwards. Cleft of mouth sliijhihj ohliqiie : lower jaw the longer. Opercle with one 

 or two spines: pre- and sub- opercles are sometimes slightly serrated. VilUform teeth in the jaws, with an outer 

 enlarged row, some of ivhicli are canine-like: teeth also on the vomer, but not in the palatines. The first dorsal fin 

 with four or five spines, more or less contimwus with the second dorsal, which has a moderate number of rays, and Is 

 similar to the anal : ventrals slightly anterior to the pectorals, the rays of ichich are branched. Scales ctenoid, rather 

 small. Air-vessel absent. Pyloric appendages, ivhen present, few. 



Geographical distrihution. — From the Red Sea and East coast of Africa, through the seas of India to the 

 Malay Archipelago and beyond. The common forms on the Coromandel coast of India are small, the larger, 

 P. hexophtliahna, I have only taken at the Andamans, and it is not figured in Sir W. Elliot's collection of 

 Indian Fishes. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Pertis punctata, D. 5 | 21-22, A. yyly^, L. 1. 58-60, L. tr. 5/16. Pre- and sub- opercles serrated. 

 Diameter of eyes 1/4 of length of head. Caudal rather rounded. Vertically banded, a few black spots in the 

 bands. Soft dorsal with three rows of black spots : caudal with two grayish bands : ventral slate-coloured. 

 Seas of India. 



2. Percis prdchella, D. 5 | 21-22, A. ^, L. 1. 60-62, L. tr. 5/18. Preopercle entii-e, a few serrations may 

 exist on subopercle. Diameter of eye 3f in length of head. Caudal cut square, with its upper ray a little 

 prolonged. Body with six vertical bands : head with dark spots superiorly, three blue bands go from the eye 

 over the sub- and inter- opercles. A row of spots along the soft dorsal fin : five rows of yellow spots along the 

 anal. Lower half of caudal darker than the upper, which is barred. East coast of Africa, seas of India 

 to Japan. 



3. Percis hexophthalma, D. 5 | 19-21, A. 17-18, L. 1. 62, L. tr. 7/21. Pre- and sub- opercles entire. 

 Diameter of eye 1/5 of length of head. Caudal cut square, with its upper ray a little prolonged. Upper part of 

 body gray with vertical lines : a row of three white spots each having a black centre along the abdomen : 

 opercles with narrow stripes below the eyes. A black blotch on caudal fin. Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas 

 of India to the Malay Ai-chipelago and beyond. 



1. Percis punctata, Plate LVIII, fig. 1. 



? Percis punctata, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 264 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 238. 



B. vi, D. 5 1 21-22, P. 16-17, V. 1/5, A. y^?^, C. 15, L. 1. 58-60, L. tr. 5/16. 



Length of head from 41- to 5, of caudal 7 to 7\, height of body 6 to 6^ in tlie tot<al length. Eyes— 

 diameter 1/4 of length of head, 1 to Ij diameters from end of snout, and 1/4 of a diameter apart. 

 Greatest width of head equals its length behind the middle of the eye, its height equals 1/2 its length. Snout 

 sharp : cleft of mouth somewhat oblique, lower jaw a little the longer, the maxilla reaches to nearly below the 

 front edge of the eye. Greatest depth of preorbital c(iuals half the diameter of the eye. Preopercle coarsely 



