FAMILY, I— PERCID^. 93 



specimens from the Eed Sea and East coast of Africa, in the former the height equalling almost 1 diameter of 

 the orbit ; in the latter 1/2 or 2/3 of a diameter. 



EaUtat. — ^Red Sea, Bast coast of Africa, and seas of India. 



5, Synagris notatus, Plate XXIV, fig. 3. 

 ? Dentex fwrcosm, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 244. 

 Synagris fwcosus, Griinther, Catal. i, p. 373. 

 Synagris notatus, Day, Pro. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 684. 



B. vi, D. V, P- 15, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 47, L. tr. 3^/10. 



Length of head 3| to one-fourth, of caudal 2/9 to one-fifth, height of body' one-fourth of the total 

 length. Hyes — diameter 3f to 1/4 in the length of head, 1| diameters from the end of snout, and nearly 1 apart. 

 Height of the head nearly equals its length. The maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit. Preorbital 

 under the commencement of the eye is nearly as high as the transverse diameter of the orbit, whilst its hind 

 edge is more angular than in S. Bleekeri. Preopercle entire. Opercle with a smaU flat spine. Teeth — ^viUiform 

 in the upper jaw with four large curved canines in either premaxiUary, and laterally an outer conical row which 

 are not very large : viUiform ones in the front third of the lower jaw with six well-developed anterior canine- 

 like ones, laterally a row of conical teeth which become small in the last fourth of the jaw. Fins — dorsal spines 

 weak, iaterspinous membrane very slightly emargiuate, the spines increase in length to the fifth from whence they 

 continue of about the same height or 1/3 of the length of the head to the last which is a little longer being 2f 

 in the same distance : the length of the last rays equal that of the postorbital portion of the head. Pectoral 

 equals 3/4 of the height of the body. Caudal forked, upper lobe the longer. Colours — rosy with a brilliant 

 spot on the first five scales below the lateral-line, the upper half red, the lower yeUow. Five or six longitudinal 

 yellow bands are present below the lateral-line, and three sUvery-wliite ones : fins pinkish, with a yellow band 

 along the bases of the dorsal and anal. 



This appears to be a slight variety of S. furcosus, Giinther, in which latter the dorsal spines increase in 

 length to the third from whence they slightly decrease to the last which equals the length of the head behind 

 the eye. 



Dentex fureosiis, C. V. has an elongated body and the caudal lobes very prolonged. 

 Habitat. — Seas of India. 



Genus, 24 — Pentaptjs, Cuv. 



Leiopsis, Bennett : Onathodentex, pt. Bleeker. 



Branahiostegals six : pseudobrancMce. Body ohlong. Uyes of medvum size. Cleft of mouth more or less 

 horizontal and not deep: jaws of about equal length: a serrated ridge may extend along the upper ja/w. Preopercle 

 entire: opercle without amy or with a very feeble spine: preorbital narrow, entire, the distance between the eye and 

 the mouth small. ViUiform teeth vn theja/ws with canines, palate edentulous. One scaleless dorsal fin receivable into 

 a groove at its base, hcmng ten spines and from eight to ten ra/t/s : anal with three spines and from eight to ten 

 rays : caudal forhed. Scales ctenoid, of moderate or small sige, with three or more rows on the preopercle. Air-vessel 

 simple. Pyloric appendages few. 



Dr. Bleeker separates Gnathodentex from Pemtapus due to its possessing a serrated longitudinal ridge on 

 the upper jaw, &c. 



Geographical distribution. — Seas of India to Australia. 



SYNOPSIS OP INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Pentapus aurolineatus, D. \%, A. -g.^, L. 1. 74-78. Golden bands along the body, a white spot on the 

 back behind the last dorsal ray. Ceylon to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



1. Pentapus aurolineatus. 



Spa/rus amroliMeatus, Lacep. iv, p. 132. 

 Dentex lycogenis, Benn. Proc. Zool. Soc. i, p. 127. 



Pentapus aurolineatus, Cuv. and Val. vi, pp. 269, 559, pi. 157 ; Bleeker, Halma. p. 55 ; Giinther, Catal. i, 

 pp. 381, 607, and Fische d. Sudsee, p. 33, t. xxv, f. B. 



.Gnathodentex awolimeatus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Pero. t. xl, fig. 3, and Eievis. Dentex, p. 49. 



B. vi, D. \%, P. 16, V. 1/5, A. -^3^, C. 17, L. 1. 74-78, L. tr. 6/20. 



Length of head 4J to one-fourth, of caudal nearly one-fifth, height of body two-sevenths of the total 

 length. Eyes — diameter 2/5 of length of head, 3/4 of a diameter from end of snout, and 1 apart. The maxilla 

 reaches to below the front nostril, a serrated ridge extends along the centre of the upper two-thirds of its outer 

 surface. Teeth — about six canines in the front of the upper jaw, and an equal number in front of the lower, the 

 outer of which is enlarged. Fins — dorsal spines rather weak, increasing in length to the fourth which is two- 

 fifths of the height of the body below it, the hind ones are a little shorter, the rays are rather higher than the 

 spines, interspinous membrane slightly notched : pectoral nearly as long as the head : ventral nearly reaches the 

 anal, the spines of the latter are not strong, the third the longest but not quite equal to the fourth of the dorsal : 



