PARALICHTHIN.E 



103 



Depth of body ij to 2 J in the length, length of head 3I to 3f. Upper profile of 

 head straight or a little notched in front of eyes. Snout (in adults) longer than eye. 

 diameter of which is 45 to 7 in length of head ; anterior margins of eyes level or upper 

 a little in advance of lower ; upper eye separated from edge of head by a space equal 

 to J to J its diameter. Maxillary extending to below posterior edge or hinder part 

 of eye (middle of eye in young), length 2 J to 2§ in that of head ; lower jaw not pro- 

 jecting, I J to 2 in head. Lateral teeth of upper jaw small, and rather close-set ; 

 2 to 4 pairs of rather large canines anteriorly ; lateral teeth of lower jaw much 

 stronger and wider apart than those of upper jaw ; 6 to 13 teeth on blind side of jaw, 

 and one or two pairs of strong canines anteriorly ; none of the teeth with barbed tips. 

 Gill-rakers of moderate length or rather short ; 8 to 15 on lower part of anterior 

 arch. Scales ctenoid on ocular side, cycloid on blind side ; 69 to 80 in lateral line. 

 Supratemporal branch of lateral line reaching eighth to twelfth ray of dorsal fin. 

 Dorsal 72-80 ; commencing above or a little in advance of nostrils of blind side, and 

 at a distance in front of eye equal to J to 3 its diameter. Anal 54-62 ; tip of first 

 interhaemal spine feeble, not projecting. Pectoral of ocular side with 11 to 13 rays, 

 length i^ to 2 in that of head ; that of blind side 2 to 2| in head. Caudal double- 

 truncate ; caudal peduncle 2J to 3i times as deep as long. Brownish or greyish, 

 generally with some darker spots and rings : usually a dark spot, sometimes surrounded 

 by a ring of white dots, at junction of straight and curved parts of lateral line, either 

 small and distinct or larger and more diffuse ; frequently one or two smaller spots on 

 straight portion of lateral line ; head and body sometimes with numerous scattered 

 small dark spots, with or without bluish-white margins [polyspilus) ; median fins with 

 brown spots and rings. 



Type. — None.^ 



Distribution. — From the East coast of Africa through the Indian Ocean and 

 Archipelago to the Pacific. 



Specimens Examined : 



Near Mouth of Uu 

 Port Natal. 

 Durban Bay, Natal. 

 Zanzibar. 



Muscat. 

 Persian Gulf. 

 Karachi. 



S. Canara. 



Sind. 



Madras. 



Puri Beach, Orissa. 



Balasore Bay, Orissa. 



Chilka Lake. 

 Calcutta. 



Bengal. 



Andaman Is. 



. R..Port Natal. 



Ay res. 



Warren. 



Playfair. 



Jayakar. 



Townsend. 



Townsend. 



(" Golden Crown "J. 



Ind. Mus. 



Day. 



Waterhouse. 



Day. 



' According to Hora {1929, Mem. Ind. Mus., ix, p. 175). no zoological collections were ever 

 kept by Hamilton (formerly Buchanan). Apart from the original description, therefore, the only 

 indications of his species are the manuscript drawings, many of which (including that of P. arsius) 

 are preserved. 



