126 MEMOIRS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 



third of its length and one tenth more than the length of the head; caudal 

 peduncle stout, a little longer than deep, its least depth 64 in the length of 

 the body. Head with upper profile rounded and rather strongly acclivous 

 anteriorly, the cheeks somewhat swollen, its width 1-31 in its depth, which is 

 .about equal to its length and 3-33 in the length of the body. Snout obtusely 

 rounded, about one fourth of the length of the head and as long as the eye- 

 diameter ; interorbital region narrow and flat, its width 1-64 in the eye-diameter. 

 Mouth small, with strongly oblique cleft, not extending to the vertical from 

 the eye ; anterior nostril tubular. Preopercle with a few short stout spines 

 at its rounded angle. 



Scales 2/24/6, large and ctenoid, of equal size throughout; cheeks, 

 opercles, occiput, and lower surface of head behind the chin covered with large 

 scales. 



Dorsal fin with vi, i 10 rays ; 2nd and 4th dorsal spines with a moderately 

 developed, 3rd with a long filamentous appendage, the latter when depressed 

 reaching to the end of the soft dorsal ; soft dorsal higher than the spinous, the 

 rays increasing in length from the front, the middle ones 1-55 in the length of 

 the head, but not so high as the body below them, the last two produced in 

 :short filaments, extending well along the caudal fin. Caudal rounded, with 

 none of the rays produced; the middle rays longest, 3-85 in the body -length. 

 Anal with 1-9 rays, originating below the 2nd dorsal ray, similar to but shorter 

 than the soft dorsal, and without filamentous tips to the last rays. Pectoral 

 with 17 rays, the middle longest, one third of the body-length, extending when 

 appressed to beyond the middle of the anal fin. Ventrals elongate and close 

 together, the 4th ray longest, 1-1 in the length of the head and reaching to the 

 3rd anal ray. 



Anal papilla long and slender. 



Olive brown, clouded with darker brown, the markings forming irregular 

 vertical bars, and with several series of small well separated pale blue spots. 

 A broad dark bar from the antero-inf erior angle of the orbit to behind the cleft of 

 the mouth ; a similar but more obscure bar along the hinder border of the 

 preopercle, and a third rather better marked across the chin. Spinous dorsals 

 like the back, but the tips of the first four spines and the filaments white; soft 

 dorsal brown, shading to lilac marginally, except the two last rays, the tips 

 of which are blackish ; basally and mesially it has a series of translucent spots ; 

 caudal lilac, with many similar spots and a basal dusky band; anal, ventral, 

 and pectoral fins lilac, the former with dusky tips to the rays. 



Etymology : — Latin : semi, half ; punctatus, spotted. 

 Beg. No. in the Queensland Museum — I. 14/1737. 



Range : — From the Bed Sea eastward through those of India and Malaysia 

 to Northern Queensland and the South Sea Islands 



