25 



r^ 



I. Solenostomus 

 Lacepcde. 



(LACKi'i^UE, Hist. nat. Poissons V. 

 1803, p. 361). 



Anterior dorsal with 5 

 spines, short but high; poste- 

 rior or soft dorsal and anal 

 opposite, long but low, with 

 elevated base and 18 — 23 

 rays. They are unbranched, 

 like those of the caudal and 

 the pectorals, which are ex- 

 tensive, rounded but short. 

 Ventrals opposite spinous 

 dorsal, very large with I 

 spine and 6 bifurcated rays; 

 free in the male, in the 

 female with their inner marg- 

 in adnate to abdomen, their 

 outer margins united at their 

 base for a short distance, 

 forming a large pouch for 

 the reception of the eggs, 

 which are fastened by pe- 

 duncles on thread-like fila- 

 ments of the abdominal skin. 



For other characters see 

 those of the family. 



Distribution: From 

 Red Sea, East Africa, Mada- 

 gascar, Mauritius, Indie, 

 through indo-australian Ar- 

 chipelago, to China and 

 Japan. 



Living partly in shallow- 

 water among sea-weeds, 

 partly in deeper water. 



Fig- 13- 



Solenostomus cyattoptcrus Blkr. 

 I.I X after Jordan & Snyder, 



