58 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



the length of head, 1/2 a diameter from end of snout, and also apart. Jaws of about equal length, or tte lower 

 slightly tte longer : tlie maxilla reaches to below the middle of the orbit. Preopercle having both its vertical 

 and horizontal limbs finely and evenly serrated along their outer edges : no serrations on the shoulder bones. 

 Teeth — viUiform in the jaws, vomer, and palate. Fms — dorsal spines of moderate strength, the two first short, 

 the third and fourth of nearly the same height and equal to half the length of the head, first spine of second 

 dorsal two-thirds as high as the rays, and equalling the longest in the first dorsal fin : the pectoral reaches to 

 over the anal spines : the caudal 'slightly emarginate. Lateral-line — tubes well developed, with small lateral 

 branches. Colours — reddish, more especially over the head : a dark band proceeds from above the eye and 

 passes to the upper edge of the free portion of the tail : a second from the snout^ goes through the eye to the 

 base of the caudal fin where there exists a large black spot, it is subsequently continued along the middle of the 

 caudal fin : a third band passes from the lower edge of the eye to the end of the base of the anal fin. Fins 

 reddish, the front half of the first dorsal and the upper portion of its last half black, the remainder scarlet. _. A 

 black band along the base of the second dorsal and anal : second dorsal, anal, and caudal, scarlet with black tips. 

 Habitat. — Madras to the Malay Archipelago. The specimen figured was captured at Madras, April 3rd, 

 1867. 



3. Apogon nigricans, Plate XVI, fig. 3. 

 B. vii, D. 7/i, P. 13, V. 1/5, A. -g^, C. 17, L. 1. 26-26, L. tr. 2/7. 



Length of head 3|, of caudal 1/4 to 2/9, height of body 3J in the total length. Uyes — diameter 1/3 of 

 length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Dorsal profile more convex than 

 that of the abdomen. Lower jaw slightly the longer : the maxilla, reaches to below the middle of the orbit. 

 Both the vertical and horizontal linabs of the preopercle finely serrated on1;heir outer edges, shoulder also serrated, 

 orbit entire. Teeth — villiform in jaws, vomer, and palate. Fims — dorsal spines rather weak, the first two short, 

 the third nearly as long as the fourth, which is rather more than half as long as the head. The spine of the 

 second dorsal much higher than the third of the first dorsal and the rays much more elevated than the spine, 

 being equal to 4/5 of the height of the body : pectoral and ventral both reach as far as the anal, the spine of 

 which is half as high as the body, and the rays as long as those of the dorsal : caudal notched. Free portion 

 of tail longer than it is high a-t its base. Lateral-line — nearly straight, tubes laterally expanded at their bases. 

 Colours — greyish shot with yellow, several badly marked vertical dark bands narrower than the ground colour 

 exist on the body and over the free portion of the tail. Head covered with dark brown spots, some of which have a 

 light centre : opercles with purplish reflections : no streaks on the jaws or head. The whole of the body finely 

 spotted with brown. Vertical fins black : pectoral with a dark base. 



Habitat. — Madras. 



4. Apogon frenatus, Plate XVI, fig. 4. 



Val. Nouv. Ann. Mas. Hist. Nat. 1832, p. 57, pi. iv, f, 4 : Bleeker, Amboina, p. 25 , Giinther, Catal. i, 

 p. 241, and Fische d. Sudsee, p. 19, pi. xix, f. A. 



Apogon vittiger, Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1833, p. 32. 



Apogon melcmorhynehos, Bleeker, Amb. and Ceram. p. 255, and 1. c. p. 26 (ex parte.) 



Amia frenata, Bleeker, Atl, Ich. Perc. t. Ixiv, fig. 2, and Apogonini, p. 42. 



B. vii, D. 7/1 P. 16, V. 1/5, A. f , C. 17, L. 1. 27-28, L. tr. 2/7. 



Length of head 3/10, of caudal 1/5, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eyes— disaneter 1/3 of 

 length of head, 1/2 a diameter from end of snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Jaws of about equal 

 length. The maxilla reaches to below the last third of the orbit. The outer edge of the vertical and horizontal 

 limbs of the preopercle serrated, its iatramarginal crest likewise more or less serrated, also some serrations 

 along the lower edge of the orbit : none on the shoulder : a small opercular spine. Teeth — villiform in jaws, 

 vomer, and palate. Fins — first and Second dorsal spines short, the third nearly as long as the fourth which is 

 the highest in the fin, and equals the length of the postorbital portion of the head. Pectoral nearly as long as 

 the head excluding the snout : the ventral reaches two-thirds of the distance to the anal : caudal notched, upper 

 lobe slightly the longer. iafemZ-Zwie— with well developed tubes having a small enlargement on either side near 

 the base of each tube, which becomes arborescent in the adult. Free portion of the tail longer than it is high at 

 its commencement. Colours— reddish, a dark band passes from the eye to the middle of the caudal fin ■ a 

 narrower one from the upper edge of the orbit to the upper part of the caudal on which it is lost near its base • 

 a thttd from below the eye to the lower portion of the caudal. A black band along the bases of the second 

 dorsal and anal : dorsal, caudal, ventral, and anal black tipped. A black spot may be present at the base of the 

 caudal fin. 



Some specimens of this last variety were shown to me at the British Museum, as A. quadrifasciatws but 

 they are not identical with Cuv. and Val. species ; the type specimen of this latter fish (3^^ inches long) from 

 Pondicherry, has only the free border of the preopercle serrated, its intramarginal crest being smooth 

 Two other specimens are marked by Valenciennes as A. quadrifasciatus from Bourbon, and are similar to the 

 Pondicherry one. 



Pristiapogon frenatus, (C.V.) Klunz. Fische R. M. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 715 is considered by 

 Gunther to be this species; by Bleeker to be Amia or Apogon melanorhynchus, Blkr. (ex parte), being 



