236 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



CfhcetodonhaJii sandawa,'Russell,'Pish.Yvz.a,g.i, -p. 68, Tpl.SV. oo o-, r. j tt i •■ 



Plataa> teira, Cut. Reg. Aiiim. ; Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 68, andK W. Fisclie, pp. 33, 3 7 ; Cuv. and W vii, 

 p. 226; Cantor, Catal. p. 1G8; Bleeker, Cliaetod. p. 28; Jerdon M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 133; Peters, 

 Wieg. Arch. 1855, p. 247 ; Guntlier, Catal. ii, p. 492; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 10] ; Klunz. Verli. z. b. Ges. 

 Wien, 1870, p. 123. 



Plata/x Lesch&nauldi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 223. 



Platax vespeHilio, Tern, and Scbleg. Fauna Japon. Poiss. p. 83, pi. 4,3. 



B. vi, D. 3T?sT. P- 17, V. 1/6, A. ^?^, C. 17, L. 1. i^i. 



Tbe beigbt of tbe body, excluding tbe vertical fins, is ratter more tban, or equal to, its length* excluding 

 the caudal fin. Eyes— Ainmetev about 1/3 of length of head, rather above 1 diameter from end of snout, 

 and li apart. Dorsal profile more convex than that of the abdomen, it is very obtuse from the snout to 

 above the eyes. Angle of preopercle rounded and entire. Greatest depth of preorbital equals 2/3 of 

 the diameter of the eye. Fms— anterior portions of dorsal and anal fins very prolonged m the young extending 

 (at 6 inches in length; nearly 1/2 the length of the entire fish beyond the end of the caudal fin, and the ventral 

 to the end of the caudal. These fins become comparatively much shorter as age advances. Caudal with its 

 central rays slightly prolonged, making the posterior end of the fin concave m either half. Colours— 

 ia the yoimg grayish, with an ocular band about as wide as the eye passing downwards to the ventral fin : a 

 second broad one from the spines and first few dorsal rays passes downwards behind the head, half gomg in 

 front lihe other half behind the pectoral fin, and it is lost between the ventral and anal : a very broad 

 band passes from the last 2/3 of the dorsal fin to the same part of the anal : a narrow band over root of caudal 

 fin. Fins black, exclusive of the pectoral and ventral which are yellow except at their bases. The bands 

 disappear with age. j • i 



In a specimen 9 inches long the dorsal, anal, and ventral fins have decreased m length so as to closely 

 resemble the young P. vespertilio, (PI. 51 A, f. 5), but the snout is more obtuse and the scales more numerous. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. Attaining at least 20 inches in length. 

 Russell says their flavour is excellent, and Cantor makes the same remark. 



2. Platax vespertilio, Plate LI, A. fig. 5. 



Ghmtodon vespertilio, Bloch, t. 199, f. 2; Gmel. Linn. p. 1257; Bl. Schn. p. 228; Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 344; 

 Bennett, Fish. Ceylon, p. 5, pi. v. 



Platax vespertilio, Cuv. Reg. Anim. ; Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 143, and N. W. Fische, p. 33 ; Cantor, Catal. 

 p. 166 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 133 ; Peters, Wieg. Arch. 1855, p. 247 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 489. 



Platax Gaimardi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 216. 



Platax guttulatus, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 227, pi. 186 (^oung). 



Platax Beynaldi, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 219 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 133 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, 

 p. 490. 



Platax albipvmctatus, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 69, t. 18, f. 4 {young). 



Platax Blochii, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 222 ; Bleeker, Chffitod. p. 27. 



Platax Hhrenbergii, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 221 ; Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 23 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 245 ; 

 Cuv. Reg. Anim. 111. Poiss. pi. 42, f. 1. 



B. vi, D. 3^537, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. „3_ c. 17, L. 1. 1|. 



The height of the body, excluding the vertical fins, is rather more than its length excluding the caudal 

 fin. Eyes — diameter 1/3 of length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and also apart. The dorsal profile 

 more convex than that of the abdomen, it is not quite vertical from the occiput to the snout.f Angle of 

 preopercle rounded, and its lower edge feebly serrated. Fins — the anterior portion of the dorsal fin is elevated, 

 and its height exceeds the length of its base by about 1/3 the distance between the snout and its front edge. 

 Pectoral nearly as long as the head. Ventral reaches to about the middle of the base of the anal fin, its length 

 being nearly equal to the anterior portion of the anal, which is 4/5 as high as that of the dorsal. Caudal slightly 

 emarginate. Scales— about 65 rows descend to the lateral-line, which contains about 55 tubes : the upper point of 

 the lateral-line below the base of the first dorsal ray is at nearly the junction of the upper and middle third of 

 the height of the body. Colours — brownish, fins black, and last two-thirds of pectoral yellow. In the young 

 there is a narrow ocular band| scarcely above 1/3 the width of the orbit, passing through the eye to theba^e of 

 the ventral fin : a second, also narrow, from just anterior to the base of the dorsal, descends behind the base of 

 the pectoral towards the anal : a third is over the commencement of the free portion of the tail, and occasionally 

 a fourth at the base of the caudal which is yellow. 



I think that Dr. Giinther is correct in suggesting Platax orbicularis as the adult of this species (see 

 Chcetodon orbicularis, Forsk. p. 59 ; G. pentacanthus, Lacep. iv, p. 454, pi. 9, f. 2 ; Platax orbicularis, Cuv. and 



* Bleeker states both dimensions to be equal : Giinther, that the heightof the body is more than its length : consequently it 

 may be assumed to vary slightly one way or the other. 



+ This becomes more pronounced as age advances, when the profile from the eye to the snout is less vertical than in 

 young subjects. 



J These bands gradually become detached from the specimen if preserved in spirit. 



