706 PLECTOGNATHL 



p;„s_rounded, the dorsal situated in the last fourth of its total length excluding the caudal fin, its height 

 somewhat exceeds half the length of the head. Length of caudal fin equal to 4^ in the total length. ,S>mes — 

 small, cover the entire body except the forepart of the snout. C'o/o?}CS— upper surface of the body deep gray or 

 brown, becoming white below : with from eight to ten longitudinal black stripes, which, under the eye, as well 

 as round the mouth and pectoral fin, are concave : on the back are darker blotches anteriorly (where blackish 

 bands suri-ound spots of white or gray), it is chequered with black posteiiorly : caudal reticulated with black on 

 a white ground. In the young the bands on the cheek are wanting. 



Bleeker observes that this species is deemed poisonous in the Malay Archipelago. 



Habitat.— Sens of India to the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. It attains at least seventeen 

 inches in length. 



12. Tetrodon hispidus, Plate CLXXXIII, fig. 2. 



(?Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 411 ; Bloch, t. cslii ; Bl. Schn. p. 504;) Lacepede, i, p. 4S7, t. xsiv, f. 2; 

 Richardson, Voy. Samarang, Fish. p. 17, pi. is, fig. 3, 4 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 297 ; Klunz. Fische Roth. 

 Meer. 1871, p. 641, 



Tetraodon perspicillaris, Rijppell, Atl. Fische, p. 63. 



Tetraodon semistriatus, Riipp. N.W. Fische, p. 58, t. xvi, f. 3. 



Tetrodon implutus, Jenyns, Voy. Beagle, Fish. p. 152. 



rrfro(Zo« to/i'iams, Cantor, Catal. Mai. Fish. p. 377; Bleeker, Beng. p. 78, and Atl. Ich. v, p. /3; 

 Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 298. , , 



Tetrodon stellattis, Eyd. and Soul. Voy. Bonite, Poiss, p. 212, t. x, f. 2 (not Lacepedo). 



Tetrodon laterna, Richardson, Voy. Sulphur, Zool. p. 124, pi. Ixi, f. 2, and Ich. China, p. 199 ; Bleeker, 

 Blootk. p. 23 and Moluk. p. 299; Giinther, Fish. Zanz. p. 131. 



ArothroH laterna, Bleek. En. Pise. p. 200. 



Crayracion implutus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. v, p. 71. 



Grayracion laterna, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. v, t. ccv, f. 3. 



B. V, D. 10, P. 17-18, A. 10-11, C. 11. 



Length of head equals its distance from the base of the dorsal fin. %ra— of moderate or rather small size, 

 from 2^ to 3 diameters from the end of snout, and 3 apart: orbit prominent and interorbital space concave, upper 

 profile of snout rather concave, i^ws— rounded : caudal about 1/5 of the total length. Spines— small, those 

 on the abdomen with two or three roots, they cover the body from the snout to a short distance behind the 

 base of the dorsal fin. In some examples they appear not to extend so far, as Jenyus described the T. implutus 

 with its " body everywhere smooth except the middle of the abdomen from underneath the pectorals to the 

 vent, and not veiy prickly here." Colours— Browa superiorly, with a moderate number of bluish-white spots : 

 one or two bluish-white bands sometimes exists round the orbit, another well-marked one round the gUl-opening 

 and pectoral fin : sometimes there are lines or spots of black on the abdomen, but they do not ascend to the 

 cheeks : some have several black blotches along either side of the abdomen, or bands descending on to it. 



Bleeker observes that the superior pharyngeal bone in this species has its summit of moderate size, a. 

 little obtuse, and armed with many\-ows of small' teeth, whereas in T. reticularis the summit of this bone is 

 obtuse and rounded without visible teeth, but divided by numerous transverse ridges. 



Cantor's type of T. &0M.cZa77«s (a painted skin) , is in the British Museum, and is unquestionably this 

 species, and must have been coloured almost identically to the example figured pi. clsxxii, f. 2. ■ • • 



HaMtat.—¥vom the Red Sea through the seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, and beyond. Attaining 

 at least twenty inches in length. The example figured (life size) was from Madras. 



13. Tetrodon leopardus, Plate CLXXX, fig. 2. 



.*' Tetraodon, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 1 9 and Bondaroo kappa, pi. xxvii ; Jerdon, M. J. L. & Sc, 1851, p. 150. 



B. v, D. 11, P. 18, A. 8-9, C. 11. 



Length of head equals its distance to the base of the dorsal fin. Eyes— of moderate size, 1^ diameters 

 apart and the same distance from the end of the snout : interorbital space flat. Teeth— abont the same size in 

 both jaws. Fins— doisal highest in front, situated in the last third of the distance between the front edge of 

 the eye and the base of the caudal fin : anal similar to dorsal. Caudal rounded and 4| in tlie total length. 

 Spines— two rooted, widely separated along the back, extending from the front edge of the eyes to the dorsal fin : 

 interiorly they are closer together and reach to the vent. Colours — Olive superiorly, extending two-thirds 

 of the distance down the sides, with an interrupted black network surrounding white spots : three black 

 cross bands, one over the head, with a V-shaped light interorbital band posterior to it : the second, above the 

 pectoral fin : the posterior one from the base of the dorsal. Reticulated narrow black lines enelosmg large 

 white spots on the caudal and dorsal fins, the latter having likewise a narrow black basal band. 



Russell's description of T. bondaroo kappa corresponds in colour to the one here described, but the 

 spines resemble T. reticularis. It is open to question whether one species is not merely a variety of the other 

 dilfering in colour, and also in the extent to which the body is sjiined. 



Habitat. — Seas of India. 



