43« Triacanthus weberi, sp. nov 



By B. L. Chaudhuri. 

 (With Plate XXXII.) 



D. V, 22-23; P. 13-14; A. 18-19; C. 13-14. 



Height of body slightly greater than the length of head 

 and both contained about 3 times, the distance of cloaca! 

 opening from the root of caudal contained 2| times, and the 

 length of caudal peduncle 4 times in the total length exclud- 

 ing caudal fin. Length of snout is contained 1£ to li times in 

 the length of head. 



Eyes more elliptical than circular, major axis of the 

 ellipse almost coinciding with the direction of the length of the 

 fish, and is about 1| times of the breadth of the eye. In 

 the young, however, the eye is more round. Length of eye is 

 contained 3 — 3| times in the length of head, 2 times in the 

 length of snout and one time in intraorbital space which con- 

 sists of two lateral convexities with a shallow fossa in the 

 middle. The distance between the upper edge of the eye and 

 the base of first dorsal spine is almost equal to the length 

 of eye, and the post-orbital part of the head is very much 

 shorter than the length of eye. the former length being con- 

 tained 2 1 times in the latter. 



Fins. — The first dorsal spine is twice as long as the second 

 ray of the spinous dorsal and is slightly longer than the ven- 

 tral spine but shorter than the length of head. The ventral 

 spine is contained nearly 1$ times and first dorsal spine about 

 1] times in the length of head. Length of base of anal fin is 

 contained 1| times in length of base of the soft dorsal fin. The 

 pelvis between the ventral spines is moderately broad and pos- 

 teriorly terminates tapering to a point. 



Shape. — Dorsal profile of the head shows two concaviti* 

 which are separated by the slight convexity in front of the 

 eye. The concavity above the eye is slight ; sub-orbital con- 

 cavity is in the superior side of the snout and is more prominent 

 than in any other species of this genus ; this concavity is still 

 greater in the young. The ventral profile of the head shows a 

 convexity anterior to ventral spine which ends in a shallow 

 concavity in front which again merges gradually in the ventral 

 profile of the prolonged portion of the snout. The convexity 

 n the ventral profile of the head just d- ribed gives a (list in- 



