27. PLECTBdPOMA. 157 



head, body, and vertical fins with blue spots, those of the head and 

 of the front part of body oblong, elliptical, armnged ui irregnlar 

 longitudinal rows, the other ones circular and smaller. In speci- 

 mens from the Red Sea all the spots are circular and of equal size. 

 Red Sea ; Seas of Batavia, Singapore, Macassar, and Halmahcira. 



a. Large specimen : stuflfed. Red Seas. 



2. Plectropoma leopardinum. 



Holocentrus leopardus, Lacej). iv. pp. 332, 337. 



Plectropoma leopardinum, Ciw. ^ Val. ii. p. 392. pi. 36 (not good) ; 

 Faun. Japon. Poiss. p. 12 ; Sleeker, Java, p. 420. 



leopardus, Richardson, Ichthyol. China, p. 230. 



cyauostig-ma, Bleekir, Topoyr, Batav. in Nat. Gen. Arch. Ned. Ind. 



maculati var. b, Sleeker, Pcrc. p. 40. 



^- io-n-ii-12- ^- ^8=8::9- ^- ^^^' ■^^^• 



Prffioperculum exceedingly finely serrated behind, and with five 

 spinous teeth beneath, the three lowest of which are close together ; 

 suboperculum and interoperculum entire. Caudalis sUghtly emar- 

 ginate. Brownish red : head, body, vertical fins, and base of the pec- 

 torals with numerous, very small, round blue spots, much smaller than 

 the interspace between ; caudalis with a yellow posterior edge. 



Red Sea ; Javanese and Japanese Seas ; Australia ; Louisiade Ar- 

 chipelago'. 



a. Large specimen : stuffed. Louisiade Archipelago. Voyage of 

 the Rattlesnake. 



3. Plectropoma oligacanthus. 



Sleeker, Java, ii. 1854, p. 422. ' 



D.^^ A.f. L. lat. 120. 



Praeoperculum scarcely denticulated behind, and with three or 

 four spinous teeth below; sub- and interoperculum entire. Cau- 

 dalis slightly emarginate. Red with five or seven oblique blue 

 streaks from the eye to the sub- and inler-operculum ; two or four 

 other streaks from the eye to the snout ; the anterior part of body 

 with blue streaks ; the posterior and caudal fin with numerous ellip- 

 tical and round blue spots ; the soft part of the dorsal fin, ventrals, 

 and analis with obUque blue streaks ; pectoral fins with an orange- 

 coloured edge. (Bl.) 



Sea of Batavia. 



4. Plectropoma melanoleucum. 



Rcnard, i. pi. 22. f. 120 ; Valentyn, f. 497 (bad). 

 Bodianus melaiioleucuS, Lacep. iv. pp. 28.3, 297. 

 cyclostoma, Lacep. iii. pi. 20. f. 1, iv. pp. 282, 295. 



