FISHES OF INDIA. 



SUPPLEMENT, OCTOBER, 1888. 



During the ten years wliich liave elap.sed since the publication of my "Fishes of India," many new 

 piscine forms have been obtained from both the seas and fresh -waters of that portion of Asia. Extended 

 investigations among specimens in European museums have likewise shown me that some species which I 

 formerly considered as undescribed, had no title to that designation, while several of my new species have 

 been redescribed as novelties in the Proceedings of Societies, in scientific journals or other publications. I 

 am also indebted to Mr. Thurston of the Madras Museum, and Mr. Haly of the Colombo Museum, for some 

 new Indian forms. I have likewise had the opportunity of consulting the volume of beautiful coloured drawings 

 of Burmese fishes with their descriptions by the late Col. Tickell, several of which I have included in the 

 present supplement. 



As it is now proposed to re-issue my work in a more portable size, one better suited for travellers and 

 collectors, and in which it would be very inconvenient, on account of the necessary space it would require, 

 to embrace the entire synonymy of every species, I have considered it advisable to complete the original work 

 to the present date. By this means the references would be available for those who are concerned in working 

 out each species, for doubtless a vast number of Indian fishes still remain to be discovered. 



Page 9. Lates calcaeifer. Add synonym. 



Pseudolates cavifrons. Alleyn and Macleay, Pro. Lin. Soc. N. S. W. i, p. 262, pi. iii. 



Page 9. Cromileptes altivelis. Add to synonyms as varieties. 



Serranus striolatus, Giinther and Playfair, Fish. Zanzibar, p. 11, pi. iii, f. 2. 

 „ gihhosus, Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1887, page 654. 



The chief structural reason why these two varieties have been separated from the 

 original form appears to be in consequence of the comparatively low spinous dorsal fin : 

 and the colours in which last S. striolatus and S. gihhosus likewise differ. S. striolatus has 

 its third and fourth dorsal spines, said to be the longest (both are broken in the single 

 example) and one-third the length of the head (thus differing from S. altivelis). In the 

 figure, the third spine is one-fourth longer than the la.st, which, however, exceeds the 

 penultimate one (which is also broken), while it is more than half the height of the 

 longest dorsal ray (1'4 to 2 '4). The height of the soft portion of the dorsal and anal 

 fins equals that of altivelis, but the pectoral is shorter. In colours it has fifteen or more 

 rows of short brown streaks and numerous brown spots on the head and body. The single 

 skin is 19 inches in length. 



Serranus gihhosus. The unique specimen has been preserved in spirit, and is 15 inches 

 in length. The third dorsal spine is longer than the last, which is one-third shorter than 

 the longest ray. Its colours are an advance from striolatus towards altivelis, it being 

 generally brown with spots or blotches of a larger size than in striolatus, some of which 

 are surrounded by a light ring, but having a tendency to form about seventeen lines along 

 the side. 



I think these two new species cannot be specifically separated, but may be varieties of 

 altivelis, which latter has not been recorded from the Red Sea, nor known to extend to 

 Muscat or Zanzibar. If, therefore, they are varieties, they are evidently outlying speci- 

 mens which show a variation in the length of the dorsal spines from what obtains in 

 those captured more to the east. The pectoral fin appears rather short in striolatus, but 

 more of the normal length in gihhosus, whereas in all the number of scales appears to be 

 the same. 



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