FAMILY, XXXVIII— LABTRINTHICI. 371 



B. Fixed teeth in jaws, palate edentulous. 

 Genus, 2— PoLTACASTHUs, (KiM. and v. Hass.) Cuv. and Vol. 



Brancliiostegals six : pseudohraricUos glandtdar or absent. Body ohlong, compressed. Moutli, small^ and hut 

 little protractile. Opercles spineless. Teeth small and fixed in the jaws, pialate edentulous. Borsal fin single, the 

 spiiwus portion of much greater extent than the soft : the anal of a similar description ; ventral with mie_ spine and 

 five ivell-developed rays, some of which are usually elongated. Scales rather large, ctenoid. Lateral-line interrupted, 

 and may he partially or even entirely ahsent. Air-vessel simple. Pyloric appendages, when present, few. 



Geor/raphical distrihation. — rresh waters and estuaries along the coasts of India and Ceylon, but usually 

 not far uiland. Occasionally, according to Dr. Jerdon, wounds £i-om their spines inflict a most severe bui-ning 

 pain, wliich lasts for two or three hours. 



Uses. — Although their size is minute, the lower classes of the natives employ them for food. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1.' Pohjacanthus cupanus, D. »f:|S A. \%Z\i, L. 1. 29-32, L. tr. ji-g. Greenish, barred, having a scarlet 

 ventral ray. India. 



'2. Foly acanthus signatus, D. V-t</. A. W-'rh L- 1- 20, L. tr. 4/9. Olive. Ceylon and Java. 



1. Polyacanthus cupanus, Plate LXXVIII, fig. 4. 

 Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 357; Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 331; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 218 ; Day, Fish, of 



Malabar, p. 134, tt , 7 • rr 1 



Caringanah and Wunnuttee, Mai. : Pminah, Tarn. : Ta-hut-ti, Can. and Mai. : Reh-bu-ti, iel. 



B. Yi, D. H:i% P- 1')' V. 1/5, A. '|:H, C. 13, L. 1. 29-32, L. tr. ^%. 



Length of head 1/4 to 1/5, of caudal nearly 1/4, height of body 1/4 of the total length. Eyes—dJmMeiev 

 1/4 to 1/5 o^f length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout and apart. Preorbital serrated. Posterior half, and 

 the angle of the preopercle finely serrated, as are also the sub-opercle and posterior half of the inter-opercle. 

 Teeth— c&vAiiovxa in jaws, none on vomer or palatines. J'Mts— dorsal spines not so high as the rays, the soft 

 dorsal and sometimes the anal rather elongated, caudal wedge-shaped. Lateral-line— in the form of a smgle 

 round hole in each scale, has three entire and two half rows of scales between it and the base of the first dorsal 

 spine, it ceases about the fourteenth scale. CoZokw— rifle-green, with the prolonged ventral ray scarlet : caudal 

 barred in spots, as is also the dorsal more especially in its soft portion : a round dark spot at the base of the 

 caudal, and numerous small ones on the head. Fac/efj/— rose-coloured -with two horizontal black bands,-^ one 

 from above the orbit to the upper part of the caudal fin, the second from the angle of the mouth through the 

 eye to the lower part of the same fin : head and cheeks spotted. The colour reminds one of the young of the 

 Ophioeephalus micropeUes (see page 365), and appears somewhat to resemble P. Deissneri, Bleeker. 



mdjitat.—M.sAahii.v and Coromandel coasts, often found in ditches, paddy fields, and shallow waters, 

 o-enerally within or not far removed from tidal influence, but I have likewise taken it in the Bowany at 

 Mettapo'lliam and also along the base of the ghauts in Canara. It lurks under stones, or amongst weeds, and 

 becomes very tame in an aquarium. It gi-ows to about three inches in length. 



2. Polyacanthus signatus. 



Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 379. 



B. ^-i, D. ^f:H, P- 11. V. 1/5, A. iiiif, C. 14, L. 1. 29-32, L. tr. 4/9, Vert. 10/16. 



Leng-th of head 3f to 4^, of caudal 3^ to 4, height of body 3^ to 3i in the total length. %es— diameter 

 4i. to 5 in the length of head, 1 diameter from end of suout, and 1 apart. Lower edge of preorbital veiy finely 

 serrated : angle of preopercle finely serrated, the other opercles entire. The maxilla reaches to below the front 

 edcre or first third of the eye. Teei/t— villiform, the outer row in the jaws rather enlarged, some specimens have 

 a caniniform tooth on either side of the middle of the lower jaw. i-'/jis— dorsal spines stout, rather short, 

 increasing in length to the last : soft portions of the dorsal and anal elongated and pointed due to the 

 prolongation of their central rays : outer ventral ray prolonged into two filaments. Caudal with its central 

 rays the longest. ia«em?-/uie— sub-inten-upted. G'o?oh/-s— reddish olive in spirit : probably greenish during 

 life : a rouncl blackish spot on the middle of the base of the soft dorsal. 



Habitat. — Ceylon and Java, attaining at least 5 inches in length. 



Genus, 3 — Ospheomenus, (Commerson) Lacepcde. 



Trichopus, Lacep. : Ctenops, McClelland : Trichopsis, Kner. 



Branchiostegals, six. Body, moderately elevated, compressed. Opercle without a ^spine : opercular pieces 

 serrated in the immature. A superhranchial organ. Mouth small, ohlique, protractile. Small and fixed teeth in 



* These bamU appear to be mo.-th- seen in the young in the Canara district, whilst their cheeks have well marked black spots. 



3 B 2 



