18. PLATA.X. 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 fins blackish. (Cuv.) 

 Coasts of Ceylon and Pondicherry. 



5. Flatax xanthopus. 



Bkeker, Verhand. Balav. f^^vootsch. xxiii. Ch<Btod. p. 28, and Java, i. 

 p. 105. 



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



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

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

 tical fins black- edeed, the ventrals yellow. {Bl.) 



Sea of Batavia. 



6. Platax arthriticus. 



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

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

 Platax batavianus, Cuv. 8f Val. vii. p. 225 ; Bleeker, Verhand. Batav. 

 Genooisch. xxiii. Chcetod. p. 28 (young and middle age). 



arthriticus, Cuv. 8f Val. vii. p. 229 ; Cantor, Catul. p. 169. 



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



D.^_. A.-r2-. L.lat.60. Yert. 11 13. 



29-32 22-23 



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

 snout is prominents 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 ; 

 ventials black, the vertical fins edged with black. 



Seas of Batavia, Amboyna, and Pinang. 



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



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



Collection. 

 c. Skeleton of a half-grown specimen. 



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

 as I beheve, belongs to this species. The upper sui'face of the skull, 

 between the orbits, is rather flat, somewhat rugose ; the crown is 

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

 are little developed, and take their origin from the median line of the 

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

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

 the intermaxillary is stouter, with short posterior processes ; the 

 mandibula is very short, without muciferous channel. The jjosterior 

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

 rather obtuse angle. The operculum is 2| as high as wide, with a 

 very open notch posteriorly. The suboperculum is much longer than 

 the interoperculum. The praeorbital is quadrangular, the remainder 

 of the infraorbital ring veiy narrow. The humeral arch does not 

 show any pcculiaritJ^ The pubic bones arc broad, each being com- 

 posed of three lamella?, the interior of which is the broadest. 



