i. Solenostomus 



Lacepede. 



(LACEPEDE, 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. 



. - 



Solenostomus cyanopterus Blkr. 

 i.i X a ^ ter JORDAN & SNYDER 



