FAMILY, I — SCLERODERMI. 697 



12 in the upper and 10 in the lower jaw, weak, pointed, and of a reddish-brown colour. Fhis — dorsal and 

 anal highest anteriorly : caudal rounded, and about 1/5 of the total length. Scutes — 11 to 12 between the 

 branchial opening and the base of the caudal fin : and 6 or 7 transversely : 7 or 8 across the ventral surface. 

 Colours — greenish yellow, with small irregularly scattered round black spots, or one in the centre or at the 

 side of each scute : abdomen whitish : black spots on the tail and caudal fin. The young are bright orange- 

 yellow, with numerous black spots along the sides, and which are not situated in the centre of the scutes, 

 some black spots also exist over the caudal and on the base of the pectoral fins : the fins are yellowish, the 

 abdominal surface of a whitish yellow. Pupil golden. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and the Pacific. I procured two young ones at Cochin, 

 but have not obtained the adult. It attains to at least 8| inches in length. 



c. — Carapace ^i-ridged, spines present. 



5. Ostracion cornutus, Plate CLXXVI, fig. 4. 



Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 409; Bloch, t. 133; Gmel. Linn. p. 1443; Bl. Schn. p. 500; Lacep. i, p. 470; 

 Shaw, Zool. V, p. 223, t. clxx ; Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon. Poiss. p. 299, t. cxxxi, f . 4 ; Bleeker, Balist. 

 p. 32, and Atl. Ich. v, p. 33, t. ccii, f. 2 (//oung), t. cciv, f. 3 {adult); Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 150; 

 Hollard, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1857, vii, p. 158;' Peters, Monats. Ak. Wiss. Berl. 1868, p. 460; Giinther, Catal. 

 viii, p. 2(;5. 



Ostracion arcus, Bl. Schneider, p. 502; Bleeker, Atl. Ich. v, p. 35, t. ccii, f. 3 (adult), t. cciv, f. 4 

 (younrj). 



Lactophris cornutus, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 324; Kaup, Sclerod. p. 217. 



Ostracium cornutmn. Cantor, Catal. Malay. Fish. p. 365. 



Ostracion Valentin!, Bleeker, Joum. Ind. Arch. 1848 {very young). 



Martoo-plachee, Tamil. 



D. 9, P. 11, A. 9, C. 10. 



Car-apace 4-ridged and forming a bridge across the back of the tail. A long anteriorly directed and 

 conical supraorbital spine : and each ventral ridge terminates posteriorly with another somewhat similar one. 

 Dorsal ridge rather elevated aboat the middle of its length with a low ridge, but no spine. Interorbital space 

 very concave. Teeth — about 8 or 10 in either jaw, conical and weak. Fins — dorsal and anal highest 

 anteriorly : caudal truncated and equal to about 1/2 the total length. Scutes — about 10 between the gill-opening 

 and the tail, 5 or 6 transversely : and 7 across the ventral surface. Colours — carapace of a light brown, with 

 round blue spots all over it in moderate numbers, about one on each scute, some, however, being destitute of 

 any. Caudal blue spotted. 



Amongst Sir W. Elliot's drawings is one of a variety of this species of a yellowish colour with light 

 spots, whilst the spines are excessively elongated. It was captui'cd at Waltair, April 1850. 



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



4 V 



