18. PLAXAX. 491 



vated ; the ventrals extending nearly to the middle of the anal fin. 

 A blackish band through the eye and another over the shoulder ; 

 dorsal, anal, and ventral fiais blackish. (CW.) 

 Coasts of Ceylon and Pondicherry. 



5. Platax xanthopus. 



Sleeker, Verhand. Balav. Genootsch. xxiii. CJiatod. p. 28, and Java, i. 

 p. 105. 



D.A A. A L.lat.60. 



Body as high as long (without fins) ; snout scarcely prominent ; 

 ventral fins extending to the anal spines. YeUowish-grey ; the ver- 

 tical fins black-edged, the ventrals yellow. (Bl.) 



Sea of Batavia. 



6. Platax arthriticus. 



? Dampier, Voy. New Holland, pi. 4, middle figure. 

 Chjetodon arthriticus, Bell, Phil. Trans. 1793, p. 8. pi. 6 (old age). 

 Platax bata^ianus, Cuv. 4" Val. vii. p. 225 ; Bleeker, Verhand. Batav. 

 Genootsch. xxiii. Clieetod. p. 28 (yoimg and middle age). 



ai-thi-iticus, Cuv, ^- Val. vii. p. 229 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 169. 



Skeleton of an old specimen : Owen, Osteolog. Catal. i. p. 64. 



D.5^.- A. ^3. L.lat.60. Vert. 11/13. 



The height of the body is less than its length (without fins) ; the 

 snout is prominent ; the dorsal, anal, and ventral fins are much elon- 

 gate in immatiu'e specimens, in adult ones rather obtuse, the ventrals 

 extending to the anal spines ; the ocular band disappears with age ; 

 ventrals black, the vertical fins edged with black. 



Seas of Batavia, Amboyna, and Pinang. 



a. Fine specimen. Amboyna. Purchased of ilr. Frank. 



h. Sixteen inches long : stuffed. Sea of Pinang. From Dr. Cantor's 



Collection. 

 c. Skeleton of a half-grown specimen. 



There is a sheleton in the Collection of the British Museum, which, 

 as I believe, belongs to this species. The upper surface of the skuU, 

 between the orbits, is rather flat, somewhat rugose ; the cro'wn is 

 elevated in a veiy high and strong triangular crest ; the lateral ridges 

 are httle developed, and take their origin fi'om the median line of the 

 skull. The basal portion of the brain- capsule is very compressed. 

 The jaAV-bones are short : the maxillary is slightly dilated posteriorly ; 

 the intermaxillary is stouter, -v^ith short posterior processes ; the 

 mandibula is very short, without muciferous channel. The posterior 

 praeopercular limb is twice as long as the inferior ; both meet at a 

 rather obtuse angle. The opercadum is 2^ as high as wide, with a 

 very open notch posteriorly. The subopercidum is much longer than 

 the interoperculum. The prteorbital is quadrangular, the remainder 

 of the infraorbital ring vcrj- narrow. The humei'al aruh does not 

 show any pcculiaritj'. The pubic bones are broad, each being com- 

 posed of three lamclltc, the interior of which is the l)roadcst. 



