1887.] fishes from muscat. 663 



Pediculati. 



114. Antennarius nummifer, Cuv. 



COTTID^. 



115. Platycephalus insidiator, Forsk. 



116. Trigla arabica, sp. n. 



D. 7-12. A. 12. 



Length of the head one third of the total ; length of snout once 

 and a half the diameter of the orbit ; interorbital space concave, 

 once and one fourth the diameter of the orbit ; profile of snout not 

 concave; praeorbital produced into a flat, triangular spine, the length 

 of which equals one third the diameter of the orbit ; preeoperculum 

 with two small spines, upper largest; operculum with a keel, ending 

 in a strong spine the length of which equals the diameter of the 

 orbit. Supraclavicula with a spine pointing downwards and another, 

 longer, pointing backwards ; the length of the supraclavicula equals 

 that of the opercular spine. Scales very small. Dorsal spines 

 strong, not tubercular, third and fourth longest ; the width of the 

 rugose plate at the base of the first dorsal equals two thirds the 

 diameter of the orbit. The pectoral reaches to the vertical of the 

 third anal ray. Upper half of body brownish, with numerous 

 small round blackish spots ; lower half white ; first dorsal with a 

 large black blotch ; second dorsal with a series of round black spots ; 

 the membrane between the pectorals bluish black. 



Total length 9 inches. 



A single specimen, in spirit. The discovery of a species of Trigla 

 at Muscat is of special interest, as the genus has not yet been re- 

 corded from the east coast of Africa nor from India. The nearest 

 ally of T. arabica is the Japanese T. hemisticta, 



GOBIID^. 



*117. GoBius jayakari, sp. n. (Plate LIV. fig. 2.) 



D. 6 Yo- A- h- ^' ^^t- 65^67. 

 No canine teeth. Length of the head one third of the total 

 without caudal ; eye one seventh of the length of the head, nearly 

 equally distant from the end of the snout and from the gill-opening ; 

 interorbital space once and a half the diameter of the eye ; maxillary 

 extending to below the eye ; upper jaw longer than lower. Depth 

 of body five and one third to six times in the total length ; sixteen 

 longitudinal series of scales between the second dorsal and the anal ; 

 scales on the nape much smaller than those on the sides. The dis- 

 tance between the first dorsal and the eye nearly equals that between 

 the end of tlie snout and the border of the prseoperculum ; dorsal 

 fins lower than the body. The extremity of the ventral halfway 

 between its base and the vent. Caudalis rounded. Pale brownish 



