1908.] OF THE FAMILY ORECTOLOBID/E. 361 



Chiloscylli'um indicuin, vavs. y and ^ (part.) Giinth. Cat. Fish. 

 viii. p. 412 (1870). 



Chiloscyllium indicum Day, Fish. India, p. 726, pi. clxxxviii. 

 fig. 3 (1878). 



A single more or less prominent dorsal keel. Mouth much 

 nearer to the vertical from the eyes than to the end of snout ; 

 fold of the lower lip continuovis ; nasal ciri-us extending to the- 

 edge of nasal valve or slightly beyond. Anterior part of spiracle 

 below the posterior part of eye. First dorsal originating above 

 the posterior end of base of pelvics ; free edge of fin straight or 

 convex ; length of base from | to as long as the distance from 

 second dorsal. Origin of anal at a distance from the vertical 

 from end of base of second dorsal a little less than the length of 

 the latter ; anal as deep as lower caudal lobe, | to |- the length 

 of the latter in front of the notch.. Pectoral extending -j to g of 

 the distance from its origin to that of the pelvics. Young with 

 very distinct, broad, dark cross-bars, which become somewhat 

 narrower on the sides and broaden out again and unite below, 

 the lower surface being uniformly dark ; interspaces between the 

 bars in great part occupied by oblong or oval spots ; bars about 

 12 in number, one across the snout, four more anterior to the 

 first dorsal ; one at the end of the base of each dorsal and one 

 in front of the second dorsal ; three or four behind the second 

 dorsal. Half-grown examples Avith bars less distinct and not 

 united below, sometimes edged with darker lines or series of 

 spots ; interspaces and lower sui-face uniformly pale. Adults, 

 uniformly greyish or brownish. 



Coasts of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



I. Adults, without cross-bars. 



1. (580 mm.) $, type of Moluccas. Dr. P. Bleeker. 



C. hasseltii, 



2. (550 mm.) ? . Kurracliee. F. W. Townsend, Esq.. 



3. (460 mm.) $, C. ob- Moluccas. 



scuriiin Gray. 



II. Half-grown specimens, with more or less distinct cross-bars. 



A. Cross-bars without darker edges. 



1-3. (140-245 mm.) Vizagapatam. Capt. Mitchell. 



4-6. (120-340 mm.) Madras. F. Day, Esq. 



7-9. (120-270 mm.) Malabar. F. Day, Esq. 



B. Cross-bars edged with darker lines or series of spots. 



1. (245 mm.) Pinang. Dr. Cantor. 



2-3. (170 and 190 mm.) 



III. Young, with cross-bars very conspicuous and united below. 



1. (122 mm.) Malay Peninsula. Mr. Evans. 



Miiller and Henle's typical specimen, from Malabar, evidently 

 belongs to this species. The discrepancies which they observe 

 between their specimens and the figure which they reproduce is 

 due, not to the inaccuracy of the latter, as they supposed, but to 

 its representing another species, viz. C. punctatum,. 



