78 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



3. Biagramma Orientale, D. tt-ts) ^- f- Yellowish- white, with four or five complete or interrupted 

 chestnut bands. Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and heyond. 



4. Biagramma omdum, D. y^-Vr, A. -f . Slatey-grey, covered with large black blotches which also exist 

 on the fins. Siad, China, and Japan. 



6. Biagramma griseum, D. H-zTj -^- T-9-- ^^^J '■ ^^ blackish. East coast of Africa, seas of India. 



6. Biagrannma piotvm, D. ^~J^, A. f. Front portion of spinous dorsal elevated. Caudal rounded. 

 Longitudinally banded. Eed Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



7. Biagramma punctatum, D. -gf-i^, A. f . Front portion of spinous dorsal not elevated : caudal notched, 

 spotted and blotched with yellow. Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



8. Biagrammapicoides,!). \^, A.J: Four large Hght blotches. Indian seas. 



1. Diagramma crassispinum, Plate XX, fig. 4. 

 Biagramma erassispirmm, Riippell, IST. "W. Fische, p. 125, t. 30, f, 4 ; Bleeker, Sciasn. p. 26 ; Giinther, 

 Catal. i, p. 319 ; Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 738. 



Pristipoma nigrum, Cantor, Catal. p. 74; ? Cuv. and Yal. v, p. 258 ; Giinther, CataL i, p. 289. 



Biagramma affime, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 319 ;* Playfair, Fishes of Zanzibar, p. 26, 



Biagrammia nigrum, Day, Malabar Fishes, p. 23. 



Biagramma altwn. Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 614 (young). 



Plectorhynchus crassispina, Bleeker, Temate, p. 232 and Rev. Plec. 1873, p. 277, 



B. vii, D. T^trs, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 50-60, L. r. -f^llf, L. tr. 10/17, Csec. pyl. 6. 



Length of head 2/7, of caudal 1/6, height of body ia the adult 1/3 of the total length. Hyes — diameter 

 in the adult 2/9 of length of head, 1^ diameters from end of snout, and more than one apart. The maxilla 

 does not reach so far in the adult as to below the front edge of the orbit. Open pores but no groove below 

 the mandible. Vertical limb of preopercle finely serrated in the adult, more coarsely so in the young, and its 

 angle rounded, posterior half of its horizontal limb serrated, Teeth — viJltforin in the jaws. Fins — dorsal 

 spines strong, the alternate ones thicker on one side, the fourth the highest, nearly eqnalltag the length of the 

 head without the snout : pectoral rather longer than the highest dc^rsal spine, it reaches to rather beyond the 

 ventral, which latter extends three-fourths of the way to the anus. Second anal spine much stronger than the 

 third, it equals the highest of the dorsal fin. Free portion of tail rather longer than high at its commencelnent. 

 Gdlov/rs — greyish, or slatey,grey, with a violet tinge over the head, and a brassy one on the body : fin.t nearly 

 black. A few irregular coppery spot§, on the body, and a tiuge of the same colour over the spinous dorsal : the 

 other fins of a violet slate-col6ur, lightest alopg their centres. In the young the caudal is yeUowigh- white, and 

 in one specimen having a dark caudal, whj.ch I kept a few years in spirit I now find the fin nearly white, , 

 the colouring matter having disappeared. 



This fish appears to alter considerably with age. The height of the body is at first equal to nearly 

 half of the total length. In some the maxilla extends to below the first third of the orbit, in others to beneath 

 the posterior nostril ; whilst the size of the eye varies in individual specimens. 



The specinjien' marked Biagrq/mrna crassispinum in the British Museum, received from Zanzibar, is a skin 

 under 10 inches ia length, and not in a good state ; the spines are a little shorter than in a Malabar specimen 

 of the same size, irrespective of which it has several narrow black bands pa,ssuig backwards and downwards 

 from the base of the dorsal fiij over the body. 



Jerdon, M. J. L. and S. 1851, observes of Scolopsides : " a fourth species is also found, of which, however, 

 I only saw one specimen, Itp colours were iuky black, with the edges of the soft dorsal white, and the caudal 

 pale yellowish- white. It was called Tatvooloo pvnnel." The figul'e is amongst Sir W. EUiot's collection named 

 as above by Jerdon, and is this species. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. It attains two feet or more in 

 length and is good eating. 



%. Diagramma lineatum, Plate XX, fig, 5. 



Seioena lineata, Linn. Mus, Ad. Frid. t. xxxi, f. 4. 



Perca diagramvma et lineata, Grmel. Linn. p. 1319, 



Qramm,istes lineatus, Bl. Schn. p. 186. 



Biagramma lineatum, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 309 : Bleeker, Amboina, iv, p. 112 ; Giinther Catal i n 3^0 • 

 Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 735. r ■ , , . , ij. oou , 



Biagrammia Lessonii, Cuv. and Val. v, p. 313 ; Less. Voy. Coq. Zool. ii, p. 119, pi. 24 ; Bleeker Bat. 

 p. 463 : Giinther, Catal. i, p. 329, and Fische d, Sudsee, p, 28, t. xxiii, ' ' 



Biagramma alb&vittatvm, Riipp, N, W, Fische, p. 125, t. xxxi, fig, 2; Bleeker, Makass. v. 46- Giinther 

 Catal, i, p, 330; Elunz, 1. c. p. 736. ' ^ ' ' '^^'^^'*^' 



Plectorhynfihms lineatus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxviii, f. 4, Temate, p. 232 and Revis. Plector. p. 286 



Plectorhynchus Lessoni, Bleeker, Atl. Ich, Perc, t. xxxix, fig. 3 and Revis. Plector, p, 288. 



Plectorhynchus albovittatus, Bleeker, Revis. Plector. p. 280. 



* References to the plates and figures cited in the British Museum Catalogue are omitted as misleadine, for such have not 

 been published, and the figures do not now exist. ° 



