FAMILY, IX— BERTCID^. 171 



BrancMostegals eight. Hyes Im-ge, lateral. Jaws of equal length, or the lower slightly the longer : snout of 

 moderate length. Opercles amd suborbitals serrated : operole with two spines : generally a large spine at the angle of 

 the preopercle.., Villiform teeth on the jaws, vomer, and palatines. Two dorsal fins scarcely united: ventral with 

 one spine and seven rays: anal with four spines, the third being long and strong : ccuudal forked. Scales ctenoid, of 

 moderate size. Air-vessel oval and simple. Pyloric appendages numerous. 



Bleeker observes that amongst the characters by which these fishes may be distinguished one from 

 another, especial notice should be taken of the number of rows of scales on the preopercle, the relative height 

 of the two last dorsal spines, and the presence or absence of spines at the margin of the nostrils or the end of 

 the snout. To show that these intra-nasal spines are not invariable I would refer to M. Andamanense, p. 172. 

 It appears that in some at least of the species of Holooentrum, the comparative length of the preopercular spine 

 to that of the body increases with age, whereas, as already observed (p. 9) ia Serrani or iMiani (p. 29), when 

 one exists at this spot in the immature it becomes more or less absorbed iu the adult. 



SYNOPSIS OP SPECIES. 



1. Eolocentrum diadema, D. 11 [ -Jj, A. f, L. 1. 47-48, L. tr. 3/7. Width of interorbital space 1/4 of length 

 of head. No intra-nasal or rostral spiae. Red, with silvery bands. Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of 

 liidia to China. 



2. Holooentrum AndamoMense, D. 11 | 15, A. f, L. 1. 42, L. tr. 3^17^. Width of interorbital space about 

 1/5 of length of head. Intra-nasal spine present or absent : a rostral one bifid at its extremity. Uniform 

 rosy-scarlet. Andamans. 



3. Solocentrum caudimaculatum, D. 11 | 13-14, A. f, L. 1. 40-43, L. tr. 3g/7|. Width of interorbital space 

 about 1/6 of length of head. Intra-nasal and rostral spines present. Red, with longitudinal violet bands, a 

 white spot on the free portion of the tail behind the end of the dorsal fin. Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay 

 Archipelago. 



4. Eolocentrum rubrum, D. 11 | 12-13, A. f, L. 1. 35-39, L. tr. 3/6|. Width of interorbital space from 2/7 

 to 1/4 of length of head. No intra-nasal spiues, but rostral ones present. Red, with more or less longitudiual 

 bands : fins sometimes with dark marks. 



5. Molocentrvm sammara, D. 10 | TriiT' -^- t-Ti ^- !• 39-40, L. tr. 3/7. Width of interorbital space from 

 Bj to 1/4 of length of head. No intra-nasal spines, but rostral ones present. Red, with or without violet 

 longitudinal bands : usually a dark mark between the first four dorsal spines, and a dark spot at the base of each 

 spine : vertical fins usually with some dark markings. 



1. Holocentrum diadema. 



Molocentrus diadema^, Lacep. iv, pp. 372, 374, pi. 32, fig. 3 ; RiippeU, Atl. Fische, p. 84, t. xxii, f. 2. 

 ■Holocentrum diadema, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 213 ; Less. Voy. Duperr. Zool. ii, p. 220, t. xxv, fig. 2 ; Bleeker, 

 Moluc. p. 259, and Revis. Holoc. p. 13 ; Griinther, Catal. i, p. 42 ; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. Verh. z. b. Ges. 

 Wien, 1870, p. 723. 



B. viii, D. 11 I Jj, p. 13, V. 1/7, A. a C. 19, L. 1. 47-48, L. tr. 3/7, Vert. 11/16. 



Length of head 2/7, of pectoral 2/9, of caudal 1/6, height of body 3i to 3f in the total length. Eyes— 

 diameter 2 to 2\ in the length of the head, 1/2 a diameter from the end of snout, and from 1/2 to 2/3 of a diameter 

 apart, the width of the interorbital space being about 1/4 of the length of the head. The height of the head equals 

 its length without the snout ; its width equals half its length. The maxilla reaches to below the anterior third 

 of the orbit. Opercles, preorbital, and suborbitals denticulated, as is also the posterior half of the upper edge of 

 the orbit. Lower edge of preorbital serrated and having a strong blunt spinate projection, directed downwards 

 and forwards. Upper opercular spine the longest and strongest, but not equalling that on the preopercle. The 

 posterior edge of the preopercle and the lower ones of the sub- inter- pre- and opercle spinate. No spines at 



specimen of Holocentrum {E. platyrhmum, Klunz. 1^ inches long) exists in the Berlin Museum, and does not possess this elongation of 

 the snout, the latter being nearly 1/2 a diameter of the eye in length. The following may be the fry of a Holocentrum ( ? rubrum'). 



Kh3aichich.th7S omatus. 



Day, Proc. Zool. Society, 1868, p. 149. 



B. Tiii,D. ll/12j P. 15, V. 1/7, A.4, C. 17, L. 1. 33, L. tr. 3/7. 



Length of head 3J, of pectoral 1/6, height of body 3^ in the total length, ^es— diameter 2/5 of length of head, 1/2 a diameter 

 from end of snout, the width of the interorbital space equalling nearly 1/3 of the length of the head. Height of head nearly ecjnal to 

 its length. Upper jaw the longer, overhung by a projecting and transparent fnout. The maxilla reaches to below the middle of the 

 orbit. Preopercular spine equals about 1/2 the width of the orbit : the opercular pieces and shoulder-bone serrated, upper opercular 

 spine the longer nearly equalling the length of that at the angle of the preopercle. Teeifc— villiform. Fins— dorsal spines moderately 

 strong, the second and J;hird the longest equalling half the height of the body and much higher than the rays, its last two spines of about 

 equal height, interspinons membrane deeply cleft. Third anal spine longest and strongest, equalling the one at the angle of the 

 preopercle, caudal slightly forked. Scales— seven rows between the occiput and dorsal fin, and also along the preopercle, Colours— 

 bluish-silvery along the back and sides, rosy on the abdomen: dorsal orange, with black spines; interspinons membrane between the 

 first three spines and also between the sixth and last of a deep black colour, the other fins yellowish. 



Habitat. — ^Madras, to If inches in length. 



z 2 



