FAMILY XXXVI— CENTEISCIDiB. 361 



Family, XXXVI— CENTRISCID^, pt. Bleeher. 



Fistulwria, pt. Muller : AmpMsiloidei, pt. Bleeker. 



Branchiostegals three or four : pseudobranchise. Gills four. Form of body oblong, or elevated and 

 compressed : the anterior bones of the skull produced, forming a long tube, and having a small mouth at its 

 anterior extremity. Teeth absent. Two dorsal fins, the first short and having one of its spines strong : the 

 soft dorsal and anal of moderate extent : ventrals abdominal, spineless, and rudimentary. Scales, if present, 

 small : the body usually covered vrith a cuirass or ossifications which are not confluent with one ^.nother. 

 Air-vessel large. Pyloric appendages absent. Vertebrse few. 



Genus, 1 — Amphisile (Klem) Ov/v. 



BrwncMostegals three or four : pseudohramldce. Qill-opemngs of moderate width. Body elongated and 

 strongly compressed. A dorsal cwi/rass formed by portions of the skeleton. Teeth absent. Two dorsal fins situated fa/r 

 hack : ventrals rudimenta/ry. Air-vessel la/rge. Pylorio appendages absent. 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 

 1. Amphisile soutata, D. 3/10-12, A. 12. Silvery. 



1. Amphisile scutata, Plate LXXVI, fig. 5. 



Centriscus scutatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 415 ; Bl. i, p. 67, t. 123, f. 2 ; Grmel. Linn. p. 1460 ; Bl. Schn. 

 p. 113 ; Lacep. ii, p. 88, i, pi. 19, f. 2 ; Shaw, Zool. v, p. 458, pi. 181, Gh-onov. ed Gray, p. 138 ; Bleaker, Fish. 

 Madagascar, p. 75. 



Amphisile soutata, Cuv. Eeg. Anim. : Ghier. Icon. Poiss. pi. 46, f. 3 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, 

 p. 140 ; G^nther, Catal. iii, p. 625 ; Liitken, Vid. Medd. ntch. Foren. kjob. 1865, p. 213 ; Klunz. Verb. z. b. 

 Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 616. 



B. iii, D. 3 I 10-12, P. 10, V. 3, A. 12, C. 10, Vert 6/14. 



Length of head 3|-, height of body 7 in the total length. Eyes — \\ diameters in the postqrbital length 

 of the head : interorbital space concave. Body strongly compressed, the head anteriorly ending in a long 

 tubular snout, having a small terminal mouth. The dermal skeleton ends posteriorly in a long spine, close 

 beneath which are the three spines of the first dorsal fin, below these again is the second dorsal, whilst the 

 caudal appears on the lower surface of the body just behind the anal. Pectoral about midway between the end 

 of the snout and the base of the first dorsal spines. Ventrals rudimentary and situated on the cutting abdominal 

 edge below the third rib. Oolowrs — ^whitish, shot with pink. 



Liitken (Ich. Not. 1866) considers Amphisile m,acrophthahmis, Steind. as a synonym of the A. scutata. 

 Whilst the A. soutata, Steind. he believes to be .4. strigata, Giinther. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to China. The one figured (life-size) is from Madras, where they are not 

 uncommon. 



3 A 



