134 BULLETIN 100, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Day, Fauna Brit. India, Fishes, vol. 1, p. 525, 1889. — Gilchrist and 

 Thompson, Ann. South African Mus., vol. 13, p. 68, 1914 (Natal). — Pelle- 

 GRiN, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, vol. 39, p. 229, 1914 (Nossi B6, Madagascar). — 

 Pearson, Ceylon Administr. Rep., 1915-1918, pp. F16-F18. — Gilchrist 

 and Thompson, Ann. Durban Mus., vol. 1, pt. 4, pp. 356, 357, 1917 (refer- 

 ences). — Malpas, Ceylon Administr. Rep., 1921, pp. E6, E7. 

 Gytnnocranius rivulatus Kltjnzinger, Verh. zool. bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 20, p. 766, 

 1870 (Red Sea); Fische Roth. Meer., p. 36, 1884. 



Depth 2K to 2K; head 3. Eye 3 to 3 K in head, slightly less than 

 snout, 1 to 1% in interorbital, about equals preorbital depth; canines 



4 to 6, rather variable in size as are lateral teeth; nostrils close to- 

 gether, hind one not elongate, scarcely larger than front one. 



Scales 45 to 49 in lateral line; 6 or 7 above, 17 to 19 below; 4 or 



5 rows on cheek to preopercle ridge, flange scaleless; predorsal scales 

 not extending forward opposite front eye edge. 



D. X, 10 or 11, fourth and fifth spines longest, equal preorbital part 

 of head; A. 9 or 10. 



Silvery, grayish above. Waved blue lines across snout, cheek 

 and opercle. Dorsal and anal rosy or yellowish, with deeper colored 

 edge. Caudal and pectoral pinkish. Ventrals yellow. Length, to 

 400 mm. (Barnard.) 



Red Sea, Madagascar, Natal, Ceylon. 



Genus MONOTAXIS Bennett 



Monotaxis Bennett, Life of Raffles, p. 688, 1830. (Type, Monotaxis indica 



Bennett, monotypic.) 

 Sphaerodon RtJppELL, Neue Wirbelth., Fische, p. 112, 1835. (Type, Sciaena 



grandoculis Forskal, monotypic.) 



Upper front profile steep, strongly convex. Eye large. Teeth in 

 front of each jaw conic; in several rows, outer row of conic canines; 

 molars uniserial laterally and posteriorly. Branchiostegals 6. Py- 

 loric coeca 3. Vertebrae 24, of which 14 caudal. Scales moderate. 

 Cheeks scaled. Dorsal spines 10, rays 10 or 11. Anal spines 3, 

 rays 9 to 10. 



A single species, valued as a food fish. 



MONOTAXIS GRANDOCUUS (ForskftI) 



Sdaena grandoculis ForskAl, Descript. Animal., pp. xii, 53, 1775 (type locality: 

 Djedda, Red Sea). — Bonnaterre, Tabl. Ichth., p. 125, 1788 (Red Sea). — 

 Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Linn., vol. 1, p. 1305, 1789 (Arabia). — Walbaum, 

 Artedi Pise, vol. 3, p. 311, 1792 (on ForskIl). 



Sparus grandoculis Schneider, Syst. Ichth. Bloch, p. 276, 1801 (on ForskAl). — 

 Lac^p^de, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 4, pp. 35, 112, 1802 (Arabia). 



Aurata grandoculis Cloquett, Diet. Sci. Nat., vol. 12, p. 564, 1818 (reference). 



Chrysophrys grandoculis Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 6, p. 134, 1830 

 (on ForskAl). 



Sphaerodon grandoculis Ruppell, Neue Wirbelth., Fische, p. 113, pi. 28, fig. 3, 

 1835 (Djedda).— GtJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, p. 466, 1859 

 (Red Sea).— Klunzinger, Verh. zool. bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 20, p. 756, 1870 

 (Koseir, Red Sea). — GtJNTHER, Journ. Mus. GodefFroy, vols. 2-3, pts. 5-6, 



