1. PEGA8X7S. 147 



1. PEGASUS. 



Pegasus, L. ISyst. Nat. i. p. 418. 



Body broad, much depressed. Pectoral fins horizontal, broad, 

 long, composed of aimple rays, some of which are sometimes spinous. 

 Ventral fins one- or two-rayed, the outer ray being long. Upper 

 part of the snout produced into a shorter or longer process. Mouth 

 inferior, toothless. Suborbital ring well developed, forming a suture 

 with the gill-cover. Intestinal tract rather short, with one or two 

 complete circumvolutions. Vertebrae not numerous, thin ; ribs 

 none. 



Indian Ocean and archipelasro ; Chinese and Australian seas. 



1. Pegasus dracouis. 



Valmt iii. p. 428, tab. 271 ; Rnysch, p. 12, t. 7. figs. 2 & 3. 

 Cataphractus, sp., Gronov. Zioophyl. no. 356, tab. 12. figs. 2 & 3. 

 Pisciculus .'■iiboinensis, Gronov. Mus. Ichth. i. p. 65. no. 146. 

 Pegasus draconis, L. Syst. Nat. i. p. 418 ; Bl. Ausl. Fisch. i. p 52, 



taf. 109. figs. 1 & 2 ; Lacep. ii. p. 78, pi. 2. fig. 3. 

 Pegasus v.olans, Lacep. ii. p. 83; Bleek. Nat. Ti/ds. Ned. Im lii. 



p. 307 ; or Verh. Bat. Gen. xxv. Trosk. p. 27. 



latirostris, Richards. Ichth. Chin. p. 203. 



Cataphractus draco, Gronov. Syst. ed. Gray, p. 144. 



Pegasus di-aco, Kaup, Lophobr. p. .5, pi. 1. fig. 3 (P. nutans) ; Gilnih. 



in Fish. Zanzibar, p. 138. 



D. 5. A. 5. P. 11. V. 2. 



Vent nearly midway between the posterior margin of the eye and 

 the root of the caudal fin. Tail composed of eight rings. Trunl 

 gibbous, the median depressed part being divided by three cross 

 ridges. Obtuse tubercles at the meeting points of the transverse and 

 longitudinal ridges. A pair of deep grooves on the neck. The first 

 and second and the fourth and fifth tail-rings have a compressed 

 spine directed backwards in the middle of the side. The fifth pec- 

 toral ray not stronger than the others. Snout prolonged, ynth four 

 denticulated ridges, the two lower of which are dilated with age, 

 forming a semioval expansion. Body finely reticulated with brown ; 

 snout and the two or three last caudal rings black. Pectoral rays 

 with fine brown dots ; pectoral fin with a broad milky-whito 

 margin, within which there is anotlier concentrical band of a whitish 

 colour. 



Indian Ocean and archipelago. 



a. Adult : dry. Ceram. 



b. Half-grown. Amboyna. Purchased of Hr. Frank. 



c. Half-grown. East-Indian archipelago. From the Collootion of 



Dr. van Lidth de .loiide. 

 d-e. Half-grown andjoung: dried. Zanzibar. From tbe Collor- 



tion of Lieut. -Col. Playfair. 

 f, (/, 7i-k. Adult (4 inches long) and youii,i>:. 

 /-«. Adult: dried. 



