112 ACA^^THOPTEETGn. 



A. Scales small. 

 1. Holacanthus imperator, Plate XX Vin, fig. 5. 



GlicBtodon impero-tor, Blocli, p. 1164, t. 194; Gmel. Linn. p. 1255 ; Bl. Scim. p. 217. 



Molacanthus imperator, Lacep. iv, pp. 627, 534, pi. 12, f. 3 ; Cuv. and Yal. vii, p. 180 ; Bleeker, Celebes, 

 iii, p. 758, and Act. Soc. Nader, i, Man. en Makass. p. 49 ; Giintker, Catal. ii, p. 52, and Fische d. Sudsee, p. 53, 

 t. xH, fig. A ; Klnnz. Verk. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 787. 



B. vi, D. ri_t^, P. 21, V. 1/5, A. ^?^, C. 17. 



Lengtk of kead 1/4 to 3/13, of caudal 1/7, keigkt of body 1/2 to 4/7 of tke total lengtk. Eyes — diameter 

 1/3 to 1/4 of tke lengtk of kead, IJ to 1^ diameters from tke end of snout, and 1 apart. Body oval, strongly 

 compressed : snout elevated. Tke maxilla reackes kalf-way to below tke front edge pf tke orbit. Vertical Hmb 

 of preopercle ratker oblique and serrated, as is also its korizontal Hmb ; angle witk a strong, smootk, curved 

 spine, one and a quarter diameters of tke orbit in lengtk, and reaching to below tke base of tke pectoral fin. 

 Teeth — ^in. closely set rows, some of tkem witk a small lobe on eitker side of tkeir base. Fins — dorsal spines 

 strong, gradually increasing in lengtk, witk tke interspinous membrane deeply notcked, its soft portion as well 

 as tkat of tke anal rounded. Pectoral as long as tke kead bekind tke angle of tke montk : ventral reaching to 

 tke anal : anal spines strong, tke tkird tke longest and equal to tke last of tke dorsal or tke kead excluding the 

 snout : caudal rounded. Scales — small, covering tke vertical fins. Colours — ^Body blue, kaving a greenish 

 tinge along tke back : about nineteen canary-coloured lines pass upwards to tke dorsal, horizontally to tke 

 caudal, or downwards towards tke anal fin. A large black descending band witk a blue anterior edge, on the 

 shoulder : ckest ckestnut. A Hgkt blue stripe across tke snout, round tke ckeeks, and to tke preopercnlar spine, 

 wkick is nearly black. A brown band superiorly edged with, blue crosses tke eye and passes on to tke pre- 

 opercle. Opercle yellow, edged witk blue, and tke branckiostegals black. A narrow black edge to tke caudal : 

 ventral dark witk orange coloured rays : pectoral blackisk. 



A coloured drawing nearly 8 inckes in lengtk, labelled Kulloo Jcoli meen and Holacanthus imperator, exists 

 amongst Sir Walter Elliot's figures of fisk. 



Habitat. — From tke East coast of Africa tkrougk tke seas of India to tke Malay Arckipelago. 



2. Holacanthus Nicobariensis, Plate XXVIII, fig. 6 (variety semicirculatus). 

 Chcetodon Nicobarcensis, Bl. Sckn. p. 219, t. 50. 



Holacanthus geometricus, Lacep. iv, pp. 528, 637, pi. xui, fig. 1 ; Cuv. and VSl. vii, p. 189. 

 Holacanthus striatus, EiippeU, N. W. Fiscke, p. 32, t. x, f. 2 ; Bleeker, Amb. iv, p. 414 : Giinther, Catal ii 

 p. 63. r > , , 



Holacamthus semicirculatus, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 191, pi. 183 ; Bleeker, Amb. vi, p. 414 and Banka, p. 452 ; 

 Voy. Coq. Zool. Poiss. p. 173, pi. xxx, fig. 3 ; Giintker, Catal. ii, p. 53. 



Holacanthus Nicobariensis, Bleeker, Amb, vi, p. 413 ; Giintker, Catal. ii, p. 52 and Fiscke d Sudsee 

 p. 54, t. xH, f. B. ■ ' 



B. vi, D. 1 HS P- 19, V. 1/5, A. ^^, C. 18, L. r. ff:|i. 



Lengtk of kead 1/4, of pectoral 1/4, keigkt of body 1/2 to 4/9 of tke total length. Hyes — diameter 1/3 to 

 2/7 of lengtk of kead, 1 diameter from end of snout, and 3/4 to 1 diameter apart. Preopercle serrated, its spine 

 smootk reaching to opposite tke posterior edge of tke opercle and equal in lengtk to 3/4 or 1 diameter of 'tke orbit. 

 Teeth — bmsk-bke. Fins — dorsal sprues skorter tkan tke rays, tke soft dorsal angularly -rounded in tke adult : 

 caudal rounded. Scales — minute, about tkirteen rows between lateral-line and base of sixtk dorsal spine 

 Colours — this fisk skews different distributions of tke same colours, some dependant on age, otkers not so. Li 

 tke young (H. striatus) it is deep blue witk skgktly curved vertical bands, alternately white and bluish-white 

 the white ones being the broader. Caudal white, witk or witkout a narrow black outer margin. In a specimen 

 in my collection tkere are reticulated blue lines between the broad white band behind the eve and on one 

 descending from tke centre of the spinous dorsal. In the adult (H. semicirculatus) the verticar bands have a 

 more curved direction, tke convexity being forwards. In the Nicobariensis tkis is stiU more apparent, a wkite 

 spot or skort transverse band being tke centre around wkick the body bands are curved. In both these last 

 varieties tke tail fin is coloured. 



In my H striatus 2-f^ inches in length, the preopercnlar spines are bifurcated at their extremities in a 

 specimen in tke Britisk Museum (1^^ inckes) tkey are not so. ' 



Klunzinger, Verk. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 789, enumerates Holacanthus striatus, Eiipp. Blkr &c 

 H. lineatus, Eiipp. H ccerulescens, Eiipp. Chcetodon asfur, var. b. Forsk. Holacanthus haddaja, C.V Chatodm 

 maculosus, 'FoTsk.=Holacanthus maculosus, Holacanthus armet, Lacep., Pomacanthus asfur, Lacep. as varieties 

 of GhModon asfur, 'FoTsk.^Holacanthus asfur. ' 



Habitat. — Eed Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India to tke Malay Arckipelago and beyond 



3. Holacanthus annularis, Plate XXIX, fig. 1. 



Chcetodon annularis, Bl. t. 216, f. 2; Gmel. Linn. p. 1262; Bl. Sckn. p. 219; Skaw Zool iv p 330 

 pi. 47. ' ' • , p- , 



Holacanthus amnularis, Lacep. iv. pp. 526, 533 ; Cuv. Eeg. Anim. ii, p. 192 ; Cuv. and Val vii p 178 ■ 

 jCantor, Catal. p. 164 ; Bleeker, Verk. Bat. Gen. xxiii, Chsetod. p. 26 ; Giintker, Catel. ii p 42 ' ' 



