FAMILY, I— PERCID^. 39 



separating them further than varieties. It differs in its rounded instead of emarginate tail : in its vomerine teeth : 

 its second anal spine and slightly in its scaling, &c. Cantor's specimen appears to be identical with it. He 

 observes : " according to RusseU this fish is not much esteemed. At Pinang and Singapore, where single 

 individuals occur at all seasons, it is of excellent flavour and considered a great acquisition for the table. At 

 Malacca it is plentiful, and in our settlements and in the Straits it is known under the denomination of ' red 

 rock cod.' " He gives D. y^_^, and as growing to 20 inches in length. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. The specimen figured (8 inches long) is from Madras. 



14. Lutianus sillaoo, Plate XII, fig. 2. 



? Sparus silaoo. Russell, Fish Vizag. i, p. 78, pi. 100. 



Mesoprion mbelhbs, Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 2, pi. 2, fig. 2 (not C. V.) 



B. vii, D. ^°4i^\ P. 16, V. 1/5, A. ^!^, C. 17, L. 1. 44, L. r. f|, L. tr. 6/15. 



Length of head 3|, of caudal 2/11, height of body 3| of the total length. Hyes — diameter 4| in length 

 of head, IJ diameter from end of snout, and 1 apart. Upper profile of head slightly concave : the distance 

 from the eye to the maxilla equals rather more than one diameter of the orbit. The maxilla reaches to below 

 the first third of the eye. Vertical limb of preopercle with scarcely any trace of an emargination, angle 

 rounded, and lower limb very oblique : the whole of the vertical hmb is very finely serrated with a few coarser 

 serrations at its angle. No trace of an iuteropercular knob. Opercular points blunt. Teeth — a pair of large 

 curved canines in the premaxUlaries, an outer row of curved canime-like teeth in both jaws : villiform ones in. a 

 ^-shape on the vomer and in a fend on the palate. A long oval patch of teeth along the centre of the tongue, 

 with two more small ones side by side near its tip. J'ms^dorsal spines weak, the third and fourth of about 

 the same length, nearly as long as the postorbital portion of the head, and two-fifths the height of the body, 

 from thence they decrease to the last, which is only a little above half the height of the fourth : soft portion of 

 the fin angular, and nearly as high as the spines, its longest ray equalling two-thirds of the length of its base. 

 Pectoral as long as the head behind the first nostril, and reaching to above the last anal spine : ventral extending 

 to the vent : second anal spine stronger but not so long as the third, which equals that of the seventh of the 

 dorsal : its soft portion angular, its longest ray equalling the length of the entire base of the fin. Caudal 

 slightly emarginate. Scales — ^the rows above the lateral-line first go rather obliquely towards the dorsal fin, 

 more so under its soft portion : below the lateral-line they are horizontal. There are twelve rows anterior to 

 the dorsal fin, and seven across the cheeks. Golowrs — ^back greyish-brown, chest orange, abdomen and sides of 

 a light violet, each scale having a white edge. Spinous portion of dorsal greyish, but the soft with a more 

 yellow tinge : pectoral reddish : caudal red with a black edge, 



Russell gives 11 dorsal spines, otherwise the fish resembles either this species or the L. jahng a/rah. My 

 reason for considering that I wrongly identified them in the " Fishes of Malabar" is that I find that it is this 

 species which has lingual teeth, and the L. jahngarah in which they are deficient, as observed by Russell. 



This fish is evidently very closely allied if not a mere variety of, L. rcmgus, but its dorsal spines 

 appear higher, the rows of scales on its back more oblique, its colours differ, and before referring it to that 

 species, further investigations are required. A figure is given for the purpose of drawing attention to it. 



Habitat. — Seas of India, attaining at least four feet in length. 



15. lutianus lioglossus, Plate XII, fig. 1. 



Lutjcmus monostigma, Bleeker, Halmaheira, Ned. T. Dierk. I, p. 155 (not Cuv. and Val.)* 



Diacope monostigma, Klunz. Fische d. Roth. Meer, Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien. 185^0, p. 702. 



Mesopnon monostigma, Gunther, Fishe d. Sudsee, p. 14, t. xvi. 



Lutjcmus lioglossus, Bleeker, Lutjani, p. 74. 



B. vii, D. ^L, p. 16, V. 1/5, A. 3?^, C. 17, L. r. ff, L. tr. 6-7/15. 



Length of head 2/7, of caudal 2/13, height of body 3f to 1/4 in the total length. Eijes — diameter 2/7 

 to 2/9 of length of head, 1| to 2 diameters from end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. The distance from 

 the eye to the maxilla equals one diameter of the orbit. The maxilla reaches to below the middle of the eye. 

 Vertical limb of preopercle with a very shallow emargination, and serrated in its whole extent : a verjf obscure 

 interopercular knob. Teeth — strong curved canines in the premaxUlaries, an outer row of curved canine-like 

 teeth in both jaws, largest in the lower : viUiform teeth in a j^-iarra in the vomer and a band on the palatines : 

 no lingual teeth. i''ms— dorsal spines of moderate strength, increasing in length to the fourth, which equals 

 from two-fifths to one-third in the height of the body, the last spine is one-third shorter : soft portion of the 

 fin somewhat rounded and its height rather less than half its length. Pectoral about as long as the head : 

 ventral reaching rather above half the distance to the anal. Anal spines rather short, the third slightly the 

 longest, and equal to three-fourths of the diameter of the orbit in length, soft portion of the fin highest in 

 front, equalling about the length of its base, lower edge straight : caudal emarginate. Scales — ^in oblique rows 

 above the lateral-line and in horizontal ones below it : 12 rows of scales between occiput and first dorsal spine : 

 six or seven rows across the cheeks. Colours — ^roseate, lightest below, with a black blotch on the lateral-line 

 below the first portion of the soft dorsal fin. 



* Mesox>rion monostigma, C. and V.=i«Wa»i«s fuMflamma, see p. 41. Kelaart's specimen of Mesoprion rcmgus, from Ceylon 

 has the rows above the L. 1. oblique, and L. r. fl) !-• tr- 8/. 



