FAMILY, II— SQUAMIPINNES. Ill 



Sdbitat. — East coast of Africa, tlirougli the Indian Ocean and Malay Archipelago : it is said to attain 

 18 inches in length. 



Genus, 4 — Zancltjs,* Gti/v. and Val. 

 Gnathoeentrvm, Gnich. ; tronopterm, (Gronov.) Gray. 



BraMcMostegals fov/r : pseudobrcmchice. Body elevated and com/pressed. Snout of moderate length. Pre- 

 operele without amy spine, it and the preorhital may he serrated. Teeth in the ja/ws, none on the palate. One dorsal 

 fin, with seven spines, the third of which is very elongate : anal with three. Scales small. Air-vessel present. Pyloric 

 app&ndages in m,oderate numbers. 



Geographical distribution. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES, 



1. Zanclus cornutus, D. to'ttj -^- tt-ti' Yellowish-white, with three vertical dark bands. Seas of India 

 to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



1. Zanclus cornutus, Plate XXVIII, fig. 4. 



OhcBtodon cornutus, Linn. Syst. p. 461; Bl. p. 1179, t. 200, f. 2; Bl. Schn. p. 221; Lacep. iv, p. 473, 

 pi. 2, f. 1. 



Zanclus corwwiMS, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 102, pi. 177; Swainson, Fish, ii, p. 212; Bleeker, Verh. Bat. 

 Gen. xxui, Chsstod. p. 22 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 493. 



Oonopterus mcerens, Gronov, ed. Gray, p. 77. 



B. iv, D. ^■'^, P. 19, V. 1/6, A. ^'^, C. 16, Csec. pyl. 14, Vert. 9/13. 



Length of head nearly 1/3, of caudal 4/17, height of body 5/7 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 2/7 

 of length of head, 1 diameter apart, and twice the length of the postorbital portion of the head. Upper edge 

 of orbit serrated in its front half and a parallel serrated ridge just above it. Fins — dorsal spines very elongated 

 and filiform, the last rays are very short : anal much the highest anteriorly : caudal emarginate. Scales — minute. 

 Colours — ^yeUowish-white, with three broad, dark, vertical brown bands, the anterior from the two first dorsal 

 spines and upper profile as far forwards as the orbit, descends over the opercles and cheeks to the ventral fin : 

 the second band commencing from the base of the fourth spine to the first ray passes downwards to the highest 

 portion of the anal, it has a white hind edge : the last goes over the caudal fin, having a concave posterior 

 margin and a white front edge. There is also a band over the snout : pectoral yellow. 



Sabitat.—Se&s of India to the Malay Archipelago an(J beyond. 



Genus, 5 — Holacanthus, Lacep. 



Oenica/nthus, Swains. 



BroMchiostegals six : pseudobranohice. Body compressed, and as a rule much elevated. Preopercle serrated, 

 with one or more strong spines at its angle directed bachwards. No palatine teeth. A single dorsal fin with from 

 twelve to fifteen spines : anal with three or sometimes four. Scales of moderate or small size, more or less covering the 

 vertical fins. Air-vessel with two horns posteriorly. Pyloric appendages many. 



Geographical distribution. — Throughout the seas of India and generally in those of the tropics. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 

 A. Scales small. 



1. Holacanthiis imperator, D. ■^.%^, A. ao-ar- Bluish, with three narrow blue bands on the head and 

 about nineteen narrow oblique canary coloured bands on the body ; chest brownish, caudal yellow. From seas 

 of East Africa through those of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



2. SolacoMthus Nicobariensis, D. ^i-TT^ ^- -A- ^1^®' '^i*^ %^* vertical more or less semicircular bands 

 on the body. Red Sea, East coast of Africa, India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



3. HolacanthMS amnula/iis, D. -j^-It' -^- tt-tt- Brown, with a blue ring on the shoulder, and six or seven 

 blue body bands radiate from the eye : caudal yellow. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



B. Scales of moderate size. 



4. SolacamtJms diacanthMs, D. if, A. -f^, L. r. 52. Yellowish, with eight to twelve vertical blue brown- 

 edged bands. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



5. HolacamthMs xaMhwrus, D. if, A. -^^t^, L. 1. 50. Greyish, with a Hght opercular band and a yellow 

 shoulder spot. Seas of India. 



' 6. HolacanthMS xwnthometopon, D. ia, A. ■^, L. 1. 47. Blue, with yeUow black-edged spots on the cheeks 

 a yellow interorbital band, a blue spot on each scale on the body. Andamans to the Malay Archipelago. 



* This genus is included by Dr. Gunther amongst the C<vrangidcB. Eespecting the skeleton he observes of Z. comiOus, which 

 has vertebrae 9/13, that " the anterior and posterior portions of its vertebral column are so shortened in their longitudmal diameter, that, 

 at both extremities, one vertebra has not been developed," Catal. ii, p. 493. One of his definitions of the Family Cwrmgidx being 

 " VertBbree 10/U" 1. c. p. 417. 



