694 PLECTOGNATHI. 



small, situated between the upper end of gill-opening and first dorsal fin. Body oblong, snout moderately 

 produced with its upper profile convex. Fins — vertical ones low : dorsal spine weak. No ventral spLnc. 

 Caudal truncated or very slightly convex. Colours — brownish or blackish, the fins yellow. 



This fish "looks like a flounder at a distance, and has almost the same taste, but is not so fat," 

 Osbeck, 1. c. 



Hahitat. — East coast of Africa?, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and Japan : Atlantic portions 

 of tropical America. An example in the Madras museum is 15 inches in length. The specimen figured 

 ■was from the Andaman Islands. 



4. Monacanthus scriptus, Plate CLXXX, fig. 3. 



Balistes scriptus, Osbeck's Voyage, translated by Forster, i, -p. 174. 



I/ija trompa, Parra, p. 46, t. xxii, fig. 1. 



Balistes Icevis, Bl. Ausl. Fisch. t. ccccxiv. 



Balistes monoceros var. Irevis, Bl. Schn. p. 4G3. 



Alutarius Icevis, Cuv. Regno An. ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 327 ; Cant. Mai. Fish. p. 355 ; Bleek. Beng. 

 p. 80, and Balist. p. 22 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 149 ; Hollard, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1855, iv, p. 15 ; Day, 

 Fish. Malabar, p. 259. 



Balistes ornatus, Marion de Proce, Bull. Philom. 1822, p. 131. 



Aluteres pareua, Less. Voy. Coq. Zool. p. 106. 



Monacanthus prohoscicleus, Ranzani, Nov. Comm. Ac. Sc. In.st. Bonon. v, 1842, p. 8. 



Aleuteres Icevis, Richards. Voy. Sulph. Ichth. p. 131, pi. 61, fig. 3, and Ich. China, p. 202. 



Aluterius venosus, Hollard, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1855, iv, p. 14, pi. i, fig. 3. 



Alutera pieturata, Poey, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1863, p. 183. 



Aluteres scriptus, Bleek. Atl. Ichth. v, p. 141, pi. ccxxvii, fig. 4. 



Monacanthus scriptus, Gunther, Catal. viii, p. 252 ; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. 1871, p. 032. 



B. vi, D. 1/44-48, P. 15, A. 47-52, C. 12. 



Length of head 4 to 4i, of caudal fin 3} to 3§, height of body 4j in the total length. Ei/es — of 

 moderate size, situated between the upper end of the gill-opening and the first dorsal fin. Body oblong, snout 

 produced, with its upper profile concave. Teeth- — 8, compressed and pointed. Fins — vertical ones low, dorsal 

 spine weak and of moderate length. No ventral spine. Caudal wedge-shaped. Colours — buff, covered with 

 small brown spots and blue lines. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, and beyond : attaining 

 at least two feet ia length. The example figured (stuffed) 12 inches long, was from ISIadras. 



Genus, 4 — Anacanthus, Graij. 



Fsilocephalus, Swainson : Pogonognathus, Blocker. 



Body compressed, elongated. A fleshy barbel beloio the symphysis of the lower jaw. Incisoriform teeth in 

 hothjaius, in two rows in the upper and one roiv wi the loioer jaw. The first dorsal in the form of a single flexible 

 spine: the second and the anal with many rays : ventral fin absent. Body covered with fine asperities. Vertebrce 

 29-30. 



Geographical distribution. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, and beyond. 



Anacanthus barbatus, Plate CLXXIX, fig. 1 (Female). 



Balistes (Anacanthus) barbatus, Gray and Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. (Male). 



Alatarius barbatus, Cantor, Catal. Malay. Fish. p. 357, pi. viii, fig. 1 (Female). 



Pogonognathus barbatus, Bleeker, Celebes, p. 73, and Balist. p. 24, t. v, f. 11. 



Psilocephalus barbatus, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 327; Bleeker, Atl. Ich. v, p. 143, t. ccxxvi, f, 1 (Male). 



Aluterus barbatus, HoUard, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1855, iv, p. 17, t. i, f 4 (Female). 



Anacanthus barbatus. Gray, Zool. Misc. 1831, p. 8 ; Gunther, Catal. viii, p. 255. 



Crassi kola and Watamoo hola, Tamil. 



B. iii, D. 1/49-52, P. 10, A. 57-64, C. 12. 



Length of the head about 1/3 of that of the body excluding the caudal fin. Eyes — high up, behind 

 and above the branchial opening. Body strongly compressed, with a fleshy barbel below the symphysis of the 

 lower jaw. In the male there is a skinny prolongation from the throat and continued nearly as far as the anal fin, 

 it is supported by a prolongation of the pelvic bone. Fins — second dorsal and anal low : caudal wedge-shaped, 

 its central rays the longest. Colours — dull brown or gray, fins yellow, the caudal with about six vertical or 

 angular dark bands not so wide as the ground colour. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. Is very common at Madras, especially the young. 

 It attains at least 10 inches in length. 



Third group — Ostraciontina. 



Body angular, with the dermal covering forming a carapace, leaving the snout and bases of the fins 

 covered by skin. Spinous dorsal and ventral fins absent, except in the form of osseous protuberances. 



