FAMILY, III— PLEUKONECTID^. 427 



Length of head 4i height of body 2| in the total length. Eyes-smBll, the upper slightly in 

 advance of the lower, and 1 diameter apart. Jaws of about equal length. No tentacles on the head Fms— 

 most of the rays of the vertical fins branched, the highest in the dorsal being two-thirds the length 

 of the head: right ventral slightly longer than the eye, and continuous with the anal. Left pectoral 

 absent. Caudal rounded. tfcaZes— strongly ctenoid. Cofowrs— brownish, the vertical fins being darker 



Habitat.— MadiaB, from whence the late Dr. T. C. Jerdon sent one specimen (22 lines lone") to the 

 British Museum. ^■' 



Genus, 6^Achieus, (sp. Ladphde) Omi&r. 

 Pa/rdachwus, Giinther. 



BramcUodegals six. Oill-opewmgs narrow, the memhroMes leing hroadly united Mow the throat: gill-rahers 

 rudimentary. Eyes on the right side, the wpper in advamae of the lower. Mouth narrower on the left side. Teeth 

 nmrnte amd only on, the hlimd side. The dorsal fm commences on the snout and ends dose to the root of, but is not 

 confhent with, the coMdal : each dorsal and anal ray scaly, and generally with a pore at the base of each. Two 

 vmtrals, imited to the anal.^ Pectorals absent. Scales small, cycloid or very partially or distinctly ctenoid. 

 Lateral-line straight, on the blind side there are two, the upper commenawig at the snout passes along the upper profile 

 of the necle. 



Geographical distribution.— 'Eiom the Eed Sea through the seas of India to the Eicobars and Malay 

 Archipelago. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Aehirus paoonimis, D. 64-70, A. 60-56, L. 1. 90-100. Some of the scales on the front of the body and 

 head feebly ctenoid. Grayish-brown, covered with milk-white spots, some of which have a black dot in the 

 centre. Andamans, Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



2. Acimus maculatus,!). 56, A..4<3,h.\. 65. Scales strongly ctenoid. Spotted with brown. Tran^juebar. 



1. Aehirus pavoninus, Plate XCIII, fig. 2. 



Achvrus pamonirms, Lacep. iv, pp. 658, 661 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 225 ; Bleeker, Verh. Bat. Gen. xxiv, Pleur. 

 p. 18, and AtL Ich. Pleur. p. 24, t. 241, f. 1 ; Kaup, Uebers. Solein. Arch. Naturg. xxiv, i, p. 102. 

 Flewroneetes pavormms, Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 310. 

 Adhvrus mamdatus, (Kuhl. and v. Hass.) Bleeker, Pleur. p. 18. 

 PsM-dachirw pavommus, Giinther, CataL iv, p. 479. 

 Solea (Pardachi/rus) pavowina, Steind. Fisch. Sing. 1870, p. 670. 



B. vi, D. 64-70, V. (r.) 4 (1.) 6, A. 60-66, C. 15, L. 1. 90-100. 



Length of head 5i to 6f , height of body 2|- to 3 in the total length. jByes— upper slightly in advance of 

 the lower, diameter 6^ in the length of the head, anterior edge of the lower eye 1|- diameters from the end of 

 snout. Angle of mouth below the first third of the lower eye. Numerous and rather long fringes along the 

 edges of both upper and lower jaws, also on the left side of the head. Fins — an open pore at the base of each 

 dorsal and anal ray on the left side. Anterior dorsal and anal rays branched. Scales — ctenoid on the head 

 and anterior portion of the body. Oolowrs — right side grayish-brown, covered with milk-white spots of various 

 shapes and sizes, each having a black outer edge and some a central black dot. 



Aehirus marmorata, Lacep. is similar but distinguished by having only cycloid scales. It has been 

 recorded from the Nicobars by Kner. 



Habitat. — ^Andamans to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. The specimen figured (life-size) was from 

 Port Blair. 



2. Aphirus maculatus. 



Plewronedes maculatus, Bl. Schn. p. 157. 



D. 66, V. 6, A. 43, C. 16, L. 1. 65. 



Length of head 4^, of caudal 6f , height of body 2| in the total length. Byes — rather small, diameter 

 9 in the length of head, the upper slightly in advance of the lower, and 2/3 of a diameter apart. Height of 

 head 1/4 more than its length. Eostral hook covers the symphysis. Angle of mouth at junction of anterior 

 third of head with the middle third. Lower lip fringed. Being a skin it is impossible to say if there were 

 fringes on the head, or the character of the nostrils. Teeth — minute ones present on the bHnd side. Fins — 

 dorsal commences on the snout, most of its rays appear to be branched, the highest in the posterior third of 

 the body and equal to 1/3 of the greatest height of the body. Pectorals absent. Both ventrals present, 

 the right equal to 1/3 of the length of the head. Vertical fins reach the root of the rounded caudal, 

 but 'are distinct from it. Scales — strongly ctenoid, densely covering the dorsal and anal rays on both sides : a 

 pore* at the base of each ray on the blind side. iaiemZ-Zme— straight. Colours — slaty-brown on the "right 

 side, with numerous dark blotches, and some vertical black lines crossing the lateral-Une at a right angle. 



» 



* The skin is so covered with varnish that I am not quite clear on this point, but it appears to me that snch are visible. 



3 I 2 



