402 ACA^THOPTERTGII. 



A. CheeTcs without or with merely a few nidimentarij scales. 



1. Novamla rufa, D. 2 | tV- ^- A. L. 1. 20. Two rows of minute scales below and beHnd the eyes. 

 Reddish, caudal with reticulated gray lines. Madras. 



B. Cheehs more or less scaled. 



2. Novaculaperdadadyla, T>. 2 \ ^, A. tV, L. 1. 28. Eight or nine rows of scales descend from the eye 

 to behind the angle of the mouth. Reddish-brown, with a row of spots behmd the eye : a dark spot on side : 

 dorsal and anal fins with oblique blue markings. Bombay to China. ^ , , ■ j 



3. Nuvacida punctulata, D. 2 | -^, A. tV, L. 1. 27. Eight rows of scales descend from the eye to behind 

 the angle of the mouth. Reddish-bro^Ti, no spots behind the eyes : most of the scales with a red base and blue 

 streak : anterior profile blue. Fins with bluish lines. Seas of India to China. 



1. Novacula rufa, Plate LXXXV, fig. 6. 



? Xiriehthjs cyanifrons, Cnv. and Val. xlv, p. 46; Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. o-i. 



? Novacula cyanifrons, Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 171. 



Novacula rufa. Day, Proc Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 238. 



B. vi, D. 2 I tV. P- 14, V. 1/5, A. tV- C 14, L. 1. 2G, L. tr. .5/13. 



Length of head 2/7, of caudal 1/8, height of body nearly 1/3 of the total length. i:yes-h.\g\ up, above 

 2 diameters from end of snout : some small scales behind and below the orbit. Body strongly compressed, dorsal 

 profile nearly vertical : upper and anterior edge of head sharp. J'-vis-two first dorsal spines produced, and 

 a deep notch in the intersplnoas membrane between them and the rest of the fin : spines as long as snout. 

 Outer ventral ray produced, the fin reaches 2/3 of the distance to the base of the anal. _ CuZo«w-rosy becoming 

 yeUowish on the abdomen : the fins yellowish, except the caudal, which has dark grayish reticulated bands 



Specimens fi-om PondicheiTy marked Xiriehthjs cyanifrons, which I saw m Pans, appeared to be identical 

 with the species described above, with the exception of longer ventrals : they had a few scales as seen m rnja but 

 some other specimens marked as from Bombay were destitute of these scales. N. Celehca, Bleeker, judgmg 

 from the specimen in the British :Museum, appears closely allied to this species. 



Hahitat.—Seas of India. The specimen figui-ed (life-size) is from Madras. 



2. Novacula pentadactyla. 

 Coryphmnapentadactyla, Linn. Syst. i, p. 446; Bloch, t. 173; Gmel. Linn. p. 1191 ; Bl. Schn. p. 294. 

 Heinipteronotiis qidnmie-maculatHS, Liice-p.iu, -p. 215. -di i -n i 



Novacula pentadactyla, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 69, pi. 39.5 ; Richard. Ich. Chma, p. 20l ; Bleeker, Bengal 

 en Hind. p. 54, and Celebes, p. 222 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 177. 



Novacula s&v-maculata, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 72. . i a f a 



Hemipteronotus pentadactylus, Bleeker, Labr. p. 294, and Atl. Ich. i, p. loO, t. xxx, t. 4. 



B. vi, D. 2 I tV, P- 12, V. 1/5, A. A, C 12, L. 1. 28. 



Length of head 4 to 4i, of caudal &\ to 6f, height of body 3| in the total length. iJ.vas-high up, 1/2 

 a diameter from the dorsal profile, 4^ diameters in length of head, 2 to 2\ diameters from end of snout. 

 Heio-ht of head hardly exceeds its length. Profile from snout to forehead nearly vertical. Preorbital m the 

 aduft, equals in height about 2 diameters of the eye. Fins-t\^e first two dorsal spines remote from the rest, 

 thin, flexible, longe? than those in the remainder of the fin, and with the mterspmous membrane cleft almost to 

 its base. Outer ventral ray rather elongated. Caudal rounded. BcalesS to 9 rows descending from the 

 eye to behind the an-le of the mouth. Colours-^gU reddish-brown, a row of five or six round red spots 

 behind the eve, most of the scales on the bodv with a red basal spot : a blackish blotch on the side of the body 

 iust below the lateral-line above the end of the pectoral fin, and a reddish blotch inferior to the black one. 

 Oblique narrow blue lines on the dorsal fin, two horizontal ones along the anal, and several vertical ones 



m'lhttat.-Yvom Bombay through the Malay Archipelago to China. A specimen from Bombay exists in 

 the Paris Museum. 



3. Novacula punctulata, Plate LXXXVIII, fig. 2. 



Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 73 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 177 (? Bleeker, N. pentadacjyla Labr. p. 22). 



XyricUhys cyanifrons, Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 135 (not Cuv. and Val.). 



B. vi, D. 2 I ^L, p. 11, V. 1/5, A. A, C. 14, L. 1. 27, L. tr. 4/13. 



Length of head 4|, of caudal 6i, height of body 4i in the total length. _ f //e'-l^'?!i ^P' ^l^^.f 

 3 diameters from the end of snout. Profile from snout to forehead very abrupt. Height of head exceeds its 

 len^h bv one-third. Fins-t^o first dorsal spines separated by a cleft from the remainder of the fin : ventral 

 reaches the anal when laid flat. Caudal rounded. S«,?es-cheeks covered mth about 8 rows. Colour^ 

 brownish, with a dark spot on the side above the end of the pectoral fin, most of the scales on the body with a 

 blue spot or streak, and reddish base : anterior profile bluish : fins oi-ange, two blue bands along the dorsal, and 

 three along the anal fins, also numerous oblique grayish bands : vertical blue bands on the cauaui. 



