FAMILY, VII—SCORP^NID^. 161 



Sywmceia didactyla et rubicunda, Bl. Scka. pp. 195, 196. 



Pelor maculatvm, Guy. and Val. iv, p. 434 ; Less. Voy. Coq. Poiss. p. 210, t. xx ; Giinther, Catal. ii, 

 p. 150. 



Pelor dbsmrum, Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 436 ; Less. Voy. Coq. Zool. ii, p. 211, Poiss. pi. 21, f. 2 ; Bleeker, 

 Ceram. iii, p. 241 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 119. 



Seorpcena digitata, Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 117. 



Pelor didactyimn, Giintlier, Catal. ii, p. 150 ; Bleeker, Eevis. Synan. 1874, p. 7, t. iv, f. 1. 



B. vii, D. 3 I ^|:i=, P. 10 + II, V. 1/5, A. 11-12, C. 12. 



Length of head 2/7 to 1/4, of caudal 2/11, height of body 2/7 of the total length, i/i/es— diameter 2/11 

 in the adtdt to 1/3 in the young of length of head, 2| diameters from end of snout, and from 1 to 1 J apart. 

 The maxiQa reaches to nearly below the front edge of the eye : lower jaw considerably the longer : the width 

 of the head at the opercles equals its length. Interorbital space deeply concave with a transverse ridge between 

 the two eyes : a deep saddle-shaped depression across the occiput : a groove below the eyes. Upper edge of 

 orbit with blunt spines : spinate occipital and temporal ridges : preopercle with spines on its vertical border : a- 

 suborbital spinate ridge: a turbinal spine: opercle mostly with two spines. Rather long fleshy tentacles on the 

 lower jaw. Teeth — ^viUiform in jaws and on vomer, none on the palate. Fins — second dorsal spine somewhat 

 the longest of the three first, as high as the longest in the rest of the fin, and 3/5 of the length of the 

 head : interspinous membrane deeply cleft and covered with skinny appendages. Pectoral equals the length of 

 the head, and has two free rays at its base : caudal cut almost square. /ScaZes-^absent, but skinny appendages 

 over the head, back, and fins. OoZoiws— brownish-grey becoming dirty white beneath, with fine spots over the 

 body and head. Dorsal coloured as the body, a dark band passes down the last few spines on to the body, and 

 another over the last few rays takes the same course : caudal yellow (with a dark vertical band across its base, 

 and another in its last third : outer edge of anal dark coloured. 



Habitat. — ^Andaman islands, from whence the one figured (a female 5^ inches in length) was procured, 

 to the Malay Archipelago, and beyond. , 



Genus, 14 — Choeidacttlus, Bioha/rdson. 



BraneJdostegals six. Head omd body compressed. Bones of the head with osseous ridges ; the preorbital, pre- 

 opercle and opercle with spines : a groove on the occipiit. Villiform teeth on the jaws, palate edentulous. A single 

 dorsal fin with more spines (13) tha/n rays (9) : a/nal with two spines : pectoral fin with three free rays : ventrals 

 with one spi/ne and fi/ve rays. Articulated fm-rays bra/nched. Scales absent : some shi/rm/y appendages on the body. 

 Air-vessel absent. Pyloric appendages few. 



, Geographical distribution. — Coromandel coast of India, and seas of China. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Choridactylus multiba/rbis, D. 'J, P. 9 -|- III, A. f. Brownish with darker markings: dorsal fin 

 yellow with black marks : caudal yellow, with black basal and terminal bands : other fins dark, the ventral 

 with white spots. Madras and China. 



1. Choridactylus multibarbis, Plate XXXIX, fig. 2. 



Choridactylus multibarbis, Richardson, Voy. Samarang, Fishes, p. 8, pi. 2, f. 1-3. 

 Ohorismodactylus multiba/rbis, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 151. 



B. vi, D. V, P- 9+III, V. 1/5, A. I, C. 15. 



Length of head 1/4, of pectoral 1/4, of caudal 1/5, height of body 2/7 o'f the total length. Eyes — 

 high up, with prominent orbits, diameter 2/7 of length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and rather 

 more apart. Mouth anterior : lower jaw slightly the longer, the maxilla reaches to beneath the front edge of 

 the orbit. Interorbital space concave, with two longitudinal ridges which posteriorly end in a transverse one 

 connecting them together. Upper edge of orbit with points scarcely spinate. Preorbital with a sharp spine 

 posteriorly, two-thirds the length of the orbit having a small one at its base pointing downwards, as well as 

 two or three more spinate elevations. A spinate or rough ridge runs along the suborbitals and over the cheeks 

 to the middle of the vertical limb of the preopercle, which is armed with a sharp spine that crosses the whole 

 width of the opercle : it has a small one directed outwards at its base : there is likewise a spine at the angle of 

 the preopercle, and three blunt points along its horizontal edge. Two spines on the opercle. Occipital and 

 temporal ridges with blunt spines, one on the shoulder girdle above the base of the pectoral fin. A deep 

 depression across the occiput, extending down behind the eyes. A fleshy tentacle over the centre of the eye, 

 and some on the mandible. Teeth — villiform in the jaws. Fins — dorsal fin commencing just behind the eyes, 

 the first three spines somewhat removed from the rest, the fourth likewise stands at some distance from those 

 in front of or behind it, the third and fourth spines the longest, nearly equalling two-thirds the height of the 

 body, interspinous membrane deeply emarginate : rays a little higher than the longest spine and branched near 

 their extremities : pectoral rounded and having three free rays below its base : ventral large and attached by 

 nearly the whole length of its inner edge by a skinny flap to the abdomen : anal spines small, the second one- 

 third the longest : caudal rounded. Scales — absent. Colours — brownish, with a yeUow shoulder mark, and 

 two or three vertical orange bands : base of ventral and anal with fine white spots. Fins blackish brown, with 



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