NO. 1581. FISHES OF JAPAN— JORDAN AND RICHARDSON. 641 



7. PLATYCEPHALUS INDICUS (Linnaeus.) 

 KOCHI, MAKOCHI (True Kochi), GINGOCHI (Silver Kochi). 



Callionymus indkus Linn.*;us, Syst. Nat., lOtli ed., 1758, p. 250; 12111 ed.. 17()6, 

 p. 434; ("habitat in Asia"). 



CaUiomorus indicns Lacepede Hist. Poiss., II, 1800, p. 343. 



PlatyaphaJMs .'^pathula Block, Ichth., XII, 1795, p. 90, pi. ccccxxiv (Tranque- 

 'bar). 



CottKs hmdiator FokskAi., Descr. Animal., Pise, 1775, p. X (Rod Sea). 



Cottiis rogad: insidiator ForskIl, Descr. Animal., Pise, p. 25. 



riatyirphalus iusidialor, ("uvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 1829, 

 p. 227 (Pondicherry; Moluccas). — Temminck and Schlegel, Faun. Jap., 

 Pise. 1843, p. 39, pi. xv, fig. 1 (Nagasaki). — Richardson, Ichth. China and 

 Japan, 184(i, p. 216 (Canton).— Gunther, Cat. Fishes, II, 1860, p. 177 (China; 

 Japan; India; Red Sea; Cape of Good Hope; N. W. Australia). — Shore Fishes, 

 Challenger, 1880, p. 66 (Yokohama Bay).— Namiye, Class. Cat., 1881, p. 104 

 (Tokyo).— Day, Fishes India, 1878-1888, p. 276.— Nystrom, Svensk. Vet.- 

 Akad. Handl., 13, IV, 1887, No. 4, p. 25 (Nagasaki).— Steindachner and 

 DoDERLEiN, Beitr. Kennt. Fische Japan's (IV) 1887, p. 259 (Tokyo; Kochi; 

 Kagoshima). 



(?) Platycephahis (inyKsliis Steindachner, Sitzber. Ak. Wiss. Wien.. LIII, 1866, 

 p. 213, pi. I. lig. 4 (Surinam, error in locality). 



Plafycephalus indicns Bleeker, Atlas, IX, 1878, Platyc, pi. i, iig. 3. — Smith 

 and Pope. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.. XXXI, 1906, p. 486 (Kagoshima). 



Habitat. — East Indies to India and the Red Sea, and north to Japan. 



Head 3.2 to 3.4 in length witht)ut caudal; depth to 10; depth of 

 head 3.7 to 4 in its length; width of head 1.5; eye 7 to 9; inter- 

 orbital space tAvice diameter of eye, maxillary 2.6 in head, D. I-VII- 

 13; A. 13; scales about 120, lateral line entirely smooth. 



Head smooth, except for the lo\y superciliary, parieto-occipital, 

 scapidar and preopercular ridges, none of which is proyided with any 

 spines or serratiu-es ; a low blunt spine with a broad base in front of 

 the upper anterior orl)ital angle; preoperculum ending in two robust 

 spines, of almost equal length, both slightly upturned, and the lower 

 one reaching about half way to the margin of the opercle; a tongue- 

 like flap on the opercular membrane under the preopercular spines; 

 vomerine teeth canine-like, the bands bearing them semicrescentic in 

 form and set nearly transversely to the vomerine shaft; palatines 

 with a single most prominent row of canine-like teeth; jaws with 

 villiform teeth in broad bands; tongue as a rule convex in front, 

 sometimes (in large specimen) showing a very slight emargination. 



Highest dorsal spine scarcely equal to longest soft ray; posterior 

 margin of soft dorsal and anal cleft deeply between the rays, the mem- 

 brane joining the front edge of the rays below their middle ; free ends of 

 the rays well branched; pectorals 2 in head in young (2.4 in a specimen 

 14+ inches long); ventrals 1.5 to 1.7; caudal subtruncate posteriorly. 



Color in spirits brownish, with 8 or 9 obscure dusky, cloud-like bands 

 over back; back and top of head and muzzle everywhere vaguely 



