Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol.. Ill, 



Family BAlvlSTIDAK. 



Genus Bai^istes, lyacépède. 



Batistes stellaris, Bloch and Schneid. 



This is the onty species of the genus that has been taken by the " Golden Crown." 

 It is apparently not uncommon on the Siliquaria grounds off the Madras coast at a 

 depth of from 20 to 30 fathoms. 



Genus Monacanthus, Cuvier. 



No species of this genus {sensu stricto) has been taken by the "Golden Crown." 

 As, however, two new species have recently been added to the Indian fauna, the 

 following key may prove useful. All the Indian species are fully described in Giinther's 

 Catalogue: — 



Key to the Indian species of Monacanthus. 



A. — Ventral spine moveable; the ventral protuberance 

 not extending beyond it. 

 {a) Upper profile of snout concave; scales minute, 



each with four or five spines on the margin . . M. tomentosus. 

 {a') Upper profile of snout concave; scales minute, 

 not very rough, sometimes mixed with minute 

 cirri . . . . . . . . M. setifer. 



{a") Upper profile of snout nearly straight; skin 



velvety, with long fringed filaments . . M. nematophorus. 



B. — Ventral spine absent. 



Body subcircular, marked with purplish ocelli . , M. oculatus. 



B. 



Genus Ai^uterks, Bleeker. 



Key to the Indian species of Aluteres. 



-Dorsal spine not in front of the orbit. 

 {a) Dorsal profile of snout convex; caudal fin much 



shorter than the head .. .. A. monoceros. 



(a') Dorsal profile of snout concave; caudal fin nearly 



as long as or longer than the head . . A. scriptus. 



—Dorsal spine distinctly in front of the orbit. 

 Dorsal profile of snout convex; dorsal spine nearly 



as long as the head .. .. .. A. nasicornis. 



Aluteres monoceros (Osbeck). 



Monacanthus monoceros, Day, Faun. Brit. Ind., Fishes, vol. ii, p. 482. 



This species has been taken by the "Golden Crown" on several occasions. It 

 appears to be not uncommon, together with Batistes stellatus, on the Siliquaria grounds 

 off the Madras coast. 



