1887.] DR. A. GUNTHER OX FISHES FROM MAURITIUS. .551 



The spines of the dorsal fin are rather strong and pungent ; the 

 hindmost a Uttle longer than the eye. The rays are longer than 

 the spines, and es[)ecially the penultimate is so far produced as to 

 reach the base of the caudal. The vent is nearly opposite to the 

 first soft ray of the dorsal, the anal commencing immediately behind 

 it. The anal fin resembles much the soft dorsal, but its posterior 

 rays are less produced. Caudal cleft, not quite so long as the head. 



Of the pectoral rays the sixth and seventh (counted from the 

 upper margin of the fin) are the longest, as long as the head without 

 snout. Ventral inserted below the root of the pectoral, scarcely 

 more than half the length of the head. 



Tlie body is of a uaiform light olive colour, rather darker on the 

 back. A dark violet band runs from one eye to the other across 

 the front of the snout. Dorsal fin dark violet, yellowish along tlie 

 base and on the last rays ; the upper third of the pectoral fin bluish, 

 the remainder, as also all the other fins, yellowish. 



The specimen is nearly 8 inches long. 



Platycephalus subfasciatus. (Plate XLIX.) 

 D. 1/8/12. A. 11. L. lat. 74. 



The angle of the praeoperculum is armed with three spines, the 

 upper of which is more than twice as long as the middle one and 

 not quite half as long as the eye ; it has a minute spine at its base. 

 The middle one is curved downwards, equidistant from the upper 

 and lower. The lowermost is extremely short. The length of the 

 head is one third of the total with the caudal, and contained twice 

 and two thirds in it, without the caudal ; its width between the 

 prseopercular spines is nearly one half of its length. The inter- 

 orbital space is a deep and narrow groove, the width of which is 

 scarcely one third of the vertical diameter of the eye ; the horizontal 

 diameter of the eye is rather shorter than the snout. The ridges 

 on the head, namely the supraciliary, occipital, and infraorbital, are 

 but slightly prominent, with \ery fine serrature. The lateral line is 

 very indistinct and smooth. There are sis or seven scales in a 

 transverse series between the first dorsal fin and the lateral line. 

 Anterior nostril with a very short tentacle. Light greyish brown, 

 with somewhat irregular, broad, brownish-black cross bands, which 

 are more or less interrupted on the middle of the side ; three corre- 

 spond to the first dorsal fin and three to the second ; the hindmost 

 occupies the back of the end of the tail and encloses a whitish spot. 

 Anterior dorsal dark-coloured, with irregular black spots ; the rays 

 of the second annulated with black. Anal whitish, with an ill-defined 

 blackish intermarginal band ; base of the caudal whitish, the lower 

 part of its posterior half blackish, the npper spotted with black. 

 Pectoral and ventral fins variegated with black and whitish, the tips 

 of most of the rays white. Head with black cross bands, one between 

 the eyes and the other across the occiput ; a black band below the 

 eye is most conspicuous. 



One specimen from ilauritius. Of incheb long. 



