Oshima: Fishes of the Family Centriscid^e. 261 



Body elongate, strongly compressed, provided with a dorsal cuirass 

 which is formed by portions of the skeleton; the longitudinal axis of 

 the tail is not in the plane with that of the trunk. Scales none. Two 

 dorsal fins, situated on the hindermost part of the back ; ventral fins 

 rudimentary, abdominal. Three or four branchiostegals ; gill-opening 

 of moderate width, four gills and pseudobranchise ; air-bladder large; 

 pyloric appendage none. 



Distribution : From the eastern coast of Africa to the seas of China. 



Key to Species Found in Formosa. 



fli. Length of head three or more than three in the total length ; ventrals with 

 three rays inserted midway between the anterior border of orbit and the 

 last anal ray ; the distance between the pectoral and the tip of snout equal 

 to that between the former and the root of the first dorsal spine. 



scutatus, I. 



a-. Length of head less than three in the total length; ventrals with four rays 

 inserted behind the midway between the anterior border of orbit and last 

 anal ray ; the distance between the pectoral and the tip of snout much 

 longer than that between the former and the root of the first dorsal spine. 



capita, 2. 



I. Centriscus scutatus Linnreus. (Plate XIII, fig. 2.) 



Yoroi-uwo (Japan) (Armour-fish). 



1758. Centriscus scutatus Linn^us, Syst. Nat., Ed. X, p. 415. — Gmelin, Car. 

 Linn. Syst. Nat., 1778, p. 1460. — Bloch, Naturg, ausl. Fisch., 1786, IV, p. 

 80, PI. 123, fig. 2; India. — L.'^cepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 1798, p. 88, i, 

 PI. XIX, fig. 2. — Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 1801, p. 113. — Shaw, 

 Gen.- Zool., V, 1800, p. 458, pi. 181. — Bleeker, Versl. Akad, Amst. (2) II, 

 1868, p. 298; Waigiou. — Fish. Madagascar, 1875, p. 75; Madagascar. — 

 Jordan & Seale, Bull. Bur. Fish., XXVI, 1906, p. 9; Manila. — Weber, 

 Fisch Siboga Exped., 1913, p. 99; Lombock ; Banda ; Timor. 



1763. Centriscus sp. Gronovius, Zoophyl., No. 396, tab. 7, fig. 3. 



1817. Amphisile scutata Cuvier, Regne Anim., Guer. Iconogr. Poiss., pi. 45, 

 fig. 3. — Bleeker, Journ. Ind. Arch. 11, 1848, No. 9, p. 633; Sumbawa. — 

 Jerdon, Mad. Journ. Linn. Sc, XVII, 1851, p. 140; Madras. — Bleeker, Nat. 

 Tijdschr. Ned. Ind., II, 1851, p. 245; Banda. — /. c. Ill, 1852, p. 235; 

 Amboina ; Ceram. — /. c. XII, 1856, p. 216; Nias. — /. c. XII, 1856, p. 234; 

 Batae Is. — /. c. XIII, 1857, p. 372; Sangi Is. — /. c. XV, 1858, p. 202; 

 Coram Arch. — /. c. XVIII, 1859, p. 373; Banka. — Act. Soc. Sc. Indo-Neerl., 

 VIII, i860, p. 63. — GrNTHER, Cat. Fish., Ill, 1861, p. 525; East Indian and 

 Chinese Seas. — Bleeker, Act. Soc. Ind. Neerl., VIII, i860, p. 15; Celebes. — 

 Versl. Akad. Amst., XII, 1861, p. 41; Singapore. — /. c. XIV, 1862, p. 103; 



