ON FISHES FROM THE PERSIAN GULF, 325 



Percis Smithii. 

 Depth of body G times in the length (without caudal), length of head 

 4 times. Snout shorter than eye, the diameter of which is 3-3£ times 

 in the length of head and nearly 3 times the interorbital width. 

 Maxillary extending to below anterior edge of pupil. Prseoperculum 

 denticulated ; suboperculum finely serrated. Dorsul V, 22 ; the fourth 

 spine the longest, more than § the length of head and more than 

 twice as long as the fifth. Anal 19. Caudal slightly emarginate. 

 Pectoral as long as the distance from anterior edge of eye to extremity 

 of opercular spine. Ventrals extending to the vent. 60 scales in a 

 longitudinal series. Brownish (in spirit) with traces of darker 

 blotcues or bars on the side ; spinous dorsal pale ; soft dorsal with 

 two rows of white spots ; caudal with undulating alternate light and 

 dark cross-bars and with a pair of dark spots near the base ; pectoral 

 pale, with a dark axillary blotch ; ventral pale, with the innermost 

 ray blackish ; anal pale, immaculate. 

 Length, to base of caudal, 113 mm. 

 Two specimens from Muscat, 15-30 fathoms. 



Callionymus persictjs (PI. Ill, fig. 1). 

 Depth of body 6f-7f times in the length (without caudal), length 

 of head 3£-3g times ; breadth of head 4-4^ times. Diameter of eye 

 3-3| times in the length of head; eyes contiguous; gill-openino 

 small, superior ; prseopercular spine straight, with serrated inner edop 

 and a forwardly directed spinous process at its base. Lateral line single. 

 Dorsal IV, 9 ; the anterior fin, in the male, elevated, and with the rays 

 produced as filaments, in the female lower and with the rays not 

 produced ; rays of the second dorsal equal, the last reaching the base of 

 caudal when laid back. Anal 8, the posterior rays the longest. Vent- 

 rals extending to pectorals beyond origin of anal. Caudal, in the male, 

 elongate, as long as the fish, in the female about ^ as long. Body with 

 4 or 5 irregular dark cross-bands and with dark mottlings and lioht 

 spots. Males with a V-shaped or heart-shaped blackish blotch on the 

 throat, on each side of which alternate light and dark longitudinal 

 stripes separated by narrow white lines extend back from the apex of 

 the lower jaw over the gill membranes on to the ventral fin. 

 Anterior dorsal dark, with undulating oblique white lines and with a 

 small black spot at the upper margin just behind the second ray ; second 



