FAMILY, I— PERCID^. 33 



Val. type of the species. It appears identical witli tMs fish. Length of head J, of caudal i, height of body 

 nearly ^ of the total length. Eyes — diameter 6f in the length of the head, 2 diameters from end of snout, and 

 1| apart. Fins — fourth and fifth dorsal spines of equal height, and 2f in the length of the head. 



The type specimen of Mesoprion rubeltus, G. V., in the Paris Museum is a skin from Pondicherry of this 

 species, its scales are L. r. 67, L. tr. 12/25. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seag of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. It is 

 captured all the year round at Madras, but is most abundant during the cold months when its fry are also about. 

 Pig. 1 is from a specimen 6 inches in length, and represents the immature fish : Pig. 2, or the mature fish is 

 from a specimen a Httle over 12 inches long. Both are from Madras. 



4. Lutianus dodecacanthus, Plate X, Pig. 3., 



Mesoprion Malahwricus, Bleeker, Sumatra, v, p. 497 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 204 (not Bloch, Schn.) 



Jjutjcmus dodeoaccmthws, Bleeker, Amb. ii, p. 278 and Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxiv, f. 2. 



Mesoprion dodecacanthus, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 206. 



Lutjanus Malabofriaus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. fa Ixxv, fig. 1 and Lutjani, p. 50 (in part). 



B. vii, D. H:^if', P. 17, V. 1/5, A. f , C. 17, L. 1. 62, L. r. ff, L. tr. 8/23. 



Length of head 3|-, of caudal 1/5, height of body SJ of the total length. Hyes — diameter 1/4 of length . 

 of head, Ij diameters from end of snout, and nearly 1 apart. Body compressed, profile above the orbit some- 

 what concave : the distance between the eye and the upper edge of the maxilla equals a Httle more than one 

 diameter of the orbit. The maxilla extends to beneath the front edge of the orbit. Vertical limb of preopercle 

 having a shallow emargination, the whole being finely serrated superiorly, but more coarsely so at its angle : 

 lower limb finely serrated in its anterior half. A smaU interopercular knob. Teeth — a pair of moderately sized, 

 curved canines in the premaxillaries, and having two smaller intermediate ones : an outer row of curved, canine- 

 like teeth in both jaws, largest in the mandible, especially about its centre : none on the tongue. ViEiform 

 ones in a A-form on the vomer, and ia a band on the palatijaes. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength, the 

 fourth and fifth the longest, and, equal to SJ in the height of the body, they gradually decrease to the last, 

 which is only two-thirds as long as the fourth : the soft portion of the dorsal angular, and one-fifth higher 

 than its base is long. Pectoral reaches to above the anal spiues, and is as long as the head : ventral just 

 reaches the vent. Second anal spine not quite so long as the third, which equals the longest in the dorsal fin : 

 its soft portion angular, one-fourth higher than the length of its entire base : caudal slightly emarginate. 

 Scales — vn oblique, straight (not sinuous) rows above the lateral Une, and also as low as a level with the eye, 

 below which all are horizontal : twelve rows between the occiput and base of the dorsal fin, and six across 

 the cheeks. Colours — uniform scarlet, with a golden line along each row of scales and a nacreous spot across 

 the free portion of the tail just behind the base of the dorsal fin. A narrow black edge to the dorsal, caudal, 

 and anal fins. 



This species seems to be identical with Bleeker's : he observes that three of his specimens have twelve 

 dorsal spiues, but which appears to be due to the transformation of the first ray into a weak spine. 



There are two fine specimens in the British Museum, one about 16 inches in length, wherein the eye is 

 2 diameters from the end of the snout : the other is 15 inches long, the diameter of the eye 1/4 of the length 

 of the head, and If diameters from the end of the snout. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. The epecimen figured is 14| inches in length and 

 from Madras. 



5. Lutianus Bengalensis, Plate X, Fig. 4. 



? Scicena Jcasmira, Forsk. p. 46. 



Holoeentrus Bengalensis, Bloch, t. 246, fig. 2 ; Bl. Schn. p. 316 ; Lacep. iv, p. 330. 



Ferca polyzonias, Forst. Mss. p. 226. 



Diacope octolineata, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 418, vi, p. 626 (in part) ; RiippeU, Atl. p. 75 ; Tern. & Schleg. 

 Fauna Japon. p. 12, t. vi, f. 2 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 229. 

 ■ Biacope octovittata, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 628. 



Mesoprion pomacamthus, Bleeker, Amb. p. 407 (in part) ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 210, 



Genyoroge Bengalensis, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 178 (in part.) 



Oem/oroge octovittata, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 180. 



Evoplites pomacamthm, GiU, Cuban Fish, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1862, p. 234. 



Genyoroge Amboimends, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 679. 



Diacope Icasmwa, Klnnz. Fische d. R. M. Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870,_p. 695. 



Imtjarms Bengalensis, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxiv, f. 3 and Lutjani, p. 34. 



Veri-heechoM, Tarn. 



B. vii, D. ^_L^,* P, 16, V. 1/5, A. I, C. 17, L. 1. 48, L. r. W-U, L- ^^- ^-8/18, Csec. pyl. 0. 



Length of head from 2/7 to 4/16, of caudal 1/5, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eyes—diameieT 

 from 1/4 to 2/9 of the length of head, IJ diameters from the end of snout, and 3/4 apart. _ The distance from 

 the eye to the upper border of the maxilla equals half the diameter of the orbit. The maxilla reaches te below 

 the middle of the orbit. Vertical Hmb of preopercle with a moderately deep notch above its rounded angle, 



* Bleeker has found the following amongst specimens of this species : D. rr-TT or 1" 1 Ti-TT or tt-tt or 11 | ts-tt* 



