478 



FISHES. 



thoracic, but rather remote from the base of the pectorals. 

 Vilhform teeth in the jaws, on the vomer and palatine bones. 



Fig. 212. — Platyoephalus oirrhonasus, from Port Jackson. 



About forty species are known, of which some attain a 

 length of two feet'. This genus 

 represents in the tropical Indian 

 Ocean the Cotti of the Arctic, and 

 the NotothenicR of the Antarctic 

 X' '• '^^^^^^IP' zone. Like these, they live on the 

 bottom in shallow water, Indden 

 Fig. 213.— Scale from the lateral in the sand, the colours of which are 

 line of the same flsh. assimilated by those of their body. 



Therefore, they are very scarce near coral islands which are 

 surrounded by great depths; whilst the number of species 

 is rather considerable on many points of the shelving Aus- 

 tralian coasts. Their long and strong ventral fins are of great 

 use to them in locomotion. P. insidiator is one of the most 

 common Indian and Australian fishes, and readily recog- 

 nised by two oblique black bands on the upper and lower 

 caudal lobes. 



HoPLiCHTHYS, similar to Platycephalus, but with the back and 

 sides of the body covered with bony spiny plates. No separate 

 dorsal spine. 



One species, H. langsdorffii, is common on the coast of 

 Japan, and frequently placed dry by the Chinese into their 

 insect-boxes. 



Trigla. — Head parallelopiped, with the upper surface and the 

 sides entirely bony, the enlarged infraorbital covering the cheek. 



