FAMILY, III— PLEURONECTID^. 431 



Genus, 8 — PLAGnsu, pt. Cuvier. 



Paraplagusia, Bleeker. 



Branchiostegals six. Oill-openings very narmv. Eyes on the left side. Anterior ^portion of snout prolonged 

 and curving dowmvard.s and haekwards in the form of a hook ivhich covers the mandible. Mouth rather narrow and 

 unsymmetrlcal: lips on the coloured side fringed. A single nostril on the left side before the angle of the lower eye, 

 but none in the interorbital space. VeHical fin confluent. Pectorals absent. Scales ctenoid, small. Lateral-hne on 

 the coloured side, double or triple. 



Geographical distribution.— Red Soa and east coast of Africa, tlirough the seas of India, to the Malay- 

 Archipelago and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Plagnsia marmorata, D. 99-106, A. 75-86, L. 1. 90-100. Two lateral-lines on the left-side separated 

 by 16 or 17 rows of scales. East coast of Afi-ica, seas of India, to China. 



2. Plagusia bilineata, D. 96-102, A. 70-74, L. 1. 84-94. Two lateral-lines on the left side separated by 

 13 or 14 rows of scales. Red Sea, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Plagusia marmorata, Plate XCV, fig. 1. 



Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. i, p. 411, Pleuronec. p. 20 ; Gunther, Catal. iv, p. 491 ; Kner, Novara 



Fische, p. 293. 



Paraplagusia marmorata, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Pleur. p. 28, t. 246, f. 5. 



Nah-lah-ku, Tamil. 



B. vi, D. 99-106, V. 4, A. 75-86, C. 10, L. 1. 90-100. 



Length of head 4^ to 4i, height of body Sf to 4 in the total length. Eyes—sm&il, the upper in advance 

 of the lower, they are placed in the middle of the length of head, nearly 1 diameter apart. Lips fringed. The 

 rostral hook reaches to some distance beyond the posterior edge of the lower orbit. jAogle of mouth below the 

 hind edge of the eye and nearer the hind edge of the opercle than the snout. A tubular nostril in front of 

 lower eye : nostril developed on the blind side. Fins — a single ventral. Scales — ctenoid. Lateral-lines — two on 

 the left side separated by 16 or 17 rows of scales, and one on the right side. CoZowrs— brownish, finely 

 marbled with darker. 



Habitat.— ^a.si coast of Africa, seas of India to China. The specimen figured was from Madras. 



2. Plagusia bilineata. 



Pleiironectes bilineatus, Bloch, t. 188 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1235 ; (not Bl. Schn.* p. 158) Russell, Fish. Vizag. 

 i, p. 58, and Jerree-potoo, pi. 74 ; Bennett, Life of Sir S. Raffles, p. 692. 



Plagusia dipterygia, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 123, t. 31, f. 3, and N. W. F. p. 84. 



Plagusia bilineata, Cuv. Ri:g. Anim. ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 303 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 227 ; Jerdon, 

 M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 148 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 492 ; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 174; Klunz. Vorh. z. b. Ges. 

 Wien, 1871, p. 573. 



Plagusia lUochii, Bleeker, Pleur. p. 21, and Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. i, p. 411. 



Paraplagusia marmorata, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Pleuron. p. 27, t. 244, f. 5. 



Arahi, Tamil. 



B. vi, D. 96-102, V. 4, A. 70-74, C. 8, L. 1. 84-94. 



Length of head 4|, height of body 3f in the total length. Eyes— diameter 8 to 12 in the length of head, 

 1 diameter "apart, the upper in advance of the lower, and the two occupying the middle of the length of the 

 head. Height of head ecjuals 8/9 of its length. Angle of the mouth considerably nearer gill-opening than to 

 the end of the snout, the rostral hook extends to below the hind edge of the lower eye. A single tubular nostril 

 on the coloured side in front of the lower eye and close to the lip. A well- developed tubular nostril on the 

 blind side. Fins — a single ventral attached to the anal. Scales— ctenoid. Lateral-line— two on the coloured 

 side separated by thirteen or fourteen rows of scales : a single lateral-line on the blind side. Colours — opercle 

 tino-ed with bluish-black : each scale on the body lightest in its centre : fins dull orange. 



° Habitat.— Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. It attains at least 10 inches in length, and 

 is good eating. 



Genus, 9 — CrNOGL0SSDS,t Hamilton Buchanan. 

 Cantoria, Arelia, Trulla, Icania, Kaup. 



Branchiostegals six. Gill-openings very narrow. Eyes on the left side. Anterior poHiun of snout prolonged, 



* Bl. Schn. says of P. a/rel, p. 159, "Nariiim foramine superiore inter oonlos minorcs, quam in bilineato, infcriore ante 

 ocnlam inferiorem," evidently sliowing the presence of two nostrils in the species which he described. 



t Dr. Giinther observes Cy^wylossus et Achirus H. B. I am unable to find the former name employed by II. B. except as a 

 specific term. 



