FISHES. — 3*QCDLL0CH. 141 



spots which have fine darker edges. Back speckled with minute 

 brown dots. Spines and rays of all the fins except the anal with 

 oblique rows of brown spots. 



hoc. — Described from a single specimen, 228 mm. long, which 

 I collected at Murray Island in Torres Strait, which agrees well 

 with Bleeker's description and figure. 



Insidiator macracanthus, Bleelcer. 



Vlatycephalm macracanthus, Bleeker, Versl. Akad. Amsterdam 

 (2), iii., 1869, p. 253, and Lor. cit., xix., 1870, p. 22, also 

 Atl. Ichth., ix., 1877, pi, ccccxxix., fig. 1. Id., Day, Fish. 

 India, 1878, p. 276. pi. lix., fig. 3. 



D. ix. 11-12 ; A. 12 ; P. 19-20; V. i. 5 ; C. 11 ; L. lat. 53-54. 

 Head 2.8-2.9 in the length to the hypural. Eye 3.9-4.5 in the 

 head and 1.1-1.2 in the snout, which is 3.1-3.6 in the head. 

 Interorbital width 2.6-4 in the eye. 



Upper surface of head with large bony plates, which are 

 rough with granular ridges radiating from large upstanding 

 spines. A large anterior orbital spine ; hinder half of supraor- 

 bital ridge coarsely denticulated. Bony stay of cheek arising 

 in a star-like cluster of ridges on the preorbital, and armed along 

 its length with numerous spines ; these may be either very strong 

 or rather weak, and the two largest are placed below the eye. 

 Preoperculum usually with three spines, of which the upper 

 is very large and strong ; and is usually about as long as the eye. 

 Interorbital space concave. Maxillary reaching to below the 

 anterior third or fourth of the eye. Teeth minute, subequal, 

 forming a broad band on the upper jaw, and a narrower one on 

 the lower. There are two short and widely separated bands on 

 the vomer, and a long, vei-y narrow one on each palatine. No 

 orbital tentacle. 



Lateral line scales not enlarged, those of the anterior third 

 armed with rather strong spinules. Well formed scales cover 

 the operculum and postorbital part of the preoperculum. There 

 are 54-55 and 7L-77 rows of scales above the lateral line accord- 

 ing to the direction in which they are counted. 



Colour. — Brownish above, lighter below, the scales of the 

 ventral surface sometimes margined with blackish dots. First 

 dorsal dusky with black spots ; second lighter with rows of dark 

 spots. Pectorals light-coloured above and dusky below, or 

 dusky with a large light spot on the upper half. Ventrals and 

 caudal dusky with lighter margins. Anal white. 



A series of thirty-two specimens, 128-204 mm. long, exhibits 

 two well marked forms which may be sexual. In one, repre- 



