481 



pectoral ray r6-r7, dorsal 1'7-2'1, anal 2'l-2*5, and caudal 

 I'T-l'S in the head. 



Form of the body variable. Snout somewhat produced 

 and compressed. Interorbital space concave or flattened, the 

 supraorbital margins somewhat elevated. The back rises 

 more or less abruptly from the interorbital space, generally 

 forming a broad occipital hump; thence it narrows, becoming 

 compressed into a keel on its upper and hinder portions, which 

 is higher in some specimens than in others. Abdominal profile 

 either flattened below and more or less compressed, or evenly 

 arched and broader. Lateral ridges obsolete, no true spines 

 on the carapace. Gill-opening behind or below the posterior 

 orbital margin; pectoral entirely behind the eye. 



Scutes of the carapace in close contact everywhere except 

 in advance of the gill-opening, where they are more or less 

 separated by naked interspaces. On the head they are orna- 

 mented with close-set rounded granules. The body-scutes are 

 also beset with similar granules, and their centres are elevated 

 to form obtuse or spiniform tubercles on the lower portions 

 of the sides; these tubercles are well developed and widely 

 distributed in some specimens, but are obsolete in others. A 

 broad saddle-shaped scute is present behind the dorsal, and 

 another behind the anal fin, and there may be others irregu- 

 larly placed between them ; a complete ring of scutes extends 

 around the caudal peduncle. 



Life Colours. — Ground colour yellow, tinged with pink, 

 with two dark-greyish areas on the back, which are bordered 

 with indefinite dark wavy lines; the anterior extends from 

 the occiput to the back, while the other covers its postero- 

 lateral portion, and extends forward toward the eye. 



Described from four specimens, 177-250 mm. long. The 

 largest is selected as the type, and is the example figured. 



Two young specimens, about 80 and 124 mm. long, 

 respectively, differ from the larger ones in their great depth 

 and in the pronounced sculpture of the scutes of the carapace, 

 while their colour-marking is greatly accentuated. The 

 greatest depth is 1*2 in the length, exclusive of the caudal 

 fin, the dorsal ridge being very high. Prominent, elevated, 

 granular ridges radiate from the centre of each scute to its 

 angles, and the spaces between them are covered with spaced 

 granules; a few irregular granular nodules are situated on 

 the ridges on one side of one of the specimens, but are absent 

 on the other side. The arrangement of the colour-marking 

 is similar to that shown in the figure, but the dark areas are 

 defined by conspicuous dark-brown lines. 

 Q 



