4. BALISTES. 213 



Balistes stellaris, Bl. Schn. p. 476 ; Hollard, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1854, i, 

 p. 320. 



vachellii, Richards. Votj. Sulph. Fish. p. 129. 



phaleratiis, Richards, in Stokes, Discov. in Austral, i. p. 484, 



pi. 1. tigs. 4-5. 



Leiurus stellatus, Bleck. Atl. Ichth. Balist. p. 105, pi. 1 ; Kner, No- 

 vum, Fisch. p. 398. 



D. 3 I 27. A. 25. L. lat. 44. 



Tail depressed behind, with two obtuse ridges on each side. 

 Twenty-four scales in a transverse series running from the origin of 

 the soft dorsal fin to the vent. A patch of enlarged scales behind 

 the gill-opening. Dorsal and anal tins not elevated ; caudal fins 

 with the posterior margin undulated, and with the lobes produced 

 into long filaments (in the adult). Ventral spine moveable. Adult 

 examples with but a few distinct markings, viz. a whitish band 

 along the middle of the trunk, and dark longitudinal stripes on the 

 dorsal and anal fins. In young examples there are four large white 

 spots on the back — the first between the eye and dorsal spine, the 

 second between the dorsal fins, and the last on the tail. The body, 

 besides, is ornamented with more or less irregular bluish spots. In 

 very young examples the white dorsal spots are very distinct, the 

 ground-colour of the back being a deep brown. 



Indian and Pacific Oceans. 



(/. Young. Hed Sea. 



b, c. Half-grown. Zanzibar. Presented by Lieut.-Col. Playf.dr. 



d-f. Half-grown and young : skins, Zanzibar. Presented by 



Lieut. -Col. Playfair. 

 g-li. Adult : stuffed. Mauritius. Prom Dr. Janvier's Collection. 

 i. Adult : skin. Ceylon, From Dr. Kelaart's Collection. 

 Tc. Young, Singapore, 



I. Young. Amboyna. Purchased of Hr. Frank. 

 m. Very young, China Seas. Pi'esented by Vice-Admiral Sir E. 



Belcher. 

 n. Very young. West Australia. — Type of B. phalcratus. 

 o-p. Adult (19 inches long): stuff'ed. Hope Island (North-east 



Australia). 

 q-r. Adult : stuffed. Louisiade archipelago. Voyage of the 



' Rattlesnake.' 

 s. Half-grown : stuffed. 



B. Tlie free portion of the tail is co>npressed. 



1. l^eeth lohite, uneven, more or less deeply notched : Balistes. 



a. A groove hi front of the eye, below the tiosfrils. 



a. Cheeks entirely scaly. 



aa. No osseous scutes behind the gill-opening. 



2. Balistes maculatus. 



Ciuaperva longa, WilUiyhby, Append, p. 21, tab. I. 20. 

 Sabaco, Parra, p. 17, lam. 10. 



