TAMILT, m— PLEURONECTID^. 43I 



Genus, 8— Plagusia, pt. Gmier. 

 Pa/ra^lagusia, Bleeker. 



Bramhiostegals six. Gill-opemrngs very narrow. Eyes on the left side. Anterior portion of snout prolonged 

 md cwrving downwards cmd bachwa/rds in the form of a hook which covers the mcmdihle. Mouth rather narrow and 

 unsymmetrical: Ups on the colowred side fringed. A single nostril on the left side lefore the angle of the lower eye, 

 hut none in the interorbital space. Vertical fin coriflumt. Pectorals absent. Scales ctenoid, small. Lateral-line on 

 the colowred side, double or triple. 



Geographical distribution. — Red Sea and east coast of Africa, througli the seas of India, to the Malay 

 Archipelago and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OP SPECIES. 



1. Plagusia mcmrwrata, D. 99-106, A. 75-86, L. 1. 90-100. Two lateral-lines on the left-side separated 

 by 16 or 17 rows of scales. East coast of Africa, seas of India, to China. 



2. Plagusia bilvneata, D. 96-102, A. 70-74, L. 1. 84-94. Two lateral-lines on the left side separated by 

 13 or 14 rows of scales. Red Sea, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Plagusia marmorata, Plate XCV, fig. 1. 



Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. i, p. 411, Pleuronec. p. 20; Giinther, Catal. iv.-p. 491; Kner, Novara 

 Fische, p. 293. . i- > . 



Pa/raplagusia marmorata, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Pleiir. p. 28, t. 246, f . 5. 

 Nah-lah-ku, Tamil, 



B. vi, D. 99-106, V. 4, A. 75-S6, C. 10, L. 1. 90-100, 



Length of head 4^ to 4|, height of body 3f to 4 in the total length. Sj/es— small, the upper in advance 

 of the lower, they are placed in the middle of the length of head, nearly 1 diameter apart- Lips fringed. The 

 rostral hook reaches to some distance beyond the posterior edge of the lower orbit. Angle of mouth below the 

 hind edge of the eye and nearer the hind edge of the opercle than the snout. A tubular nostril in front of 

 lower eye : nostril developed on the blind side. Fins — a single ventral. Scales — ctenoid. Lateral-lines — two on 

 the left side separated by 16 or 17 rows of scales, and one on the right side. Colours — brownish, finely 

 marbled with darker. 



Habitat. — East coast of Africa, seas of India to China. The specimen figured was from Madras. 



2. Plagusia biliiieata. 



Plmronectes bilineatus, Bloch, t. 188 ; Gmel. Linn-, p. 1236 ; (not Bl. Schn.* p. 1-58) Russell, Pish. Vizag. 

 i, p. 58, and Jerree-potoo, pi. 74 ; Bennett, Life of Sir S. Raffles, p. 692. 



Plagusia dipt&rygia, Rupp. Atl. Pische, p. 123, t. 31, f. 3, and N. W.. P.. p. 84. 



Plagusia biUneata, Cuv. E^g. Anim. ; Swainson, Pishes, ii, p. 303; Cantor, Catal. p. 227; Jerdon^ 

 M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 148 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 492 ; Day, Pish. Malabar, p. 174; Klunz. Verb. z. b. Ges-. 

 Wien, 1871, p_. 573. 



Plagusia Blochii, Bleeker, Pleur. p. 21, and Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. i, p. 411. 



Pa/raplag.usia marmorata, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Pleuron. p. 27, t. 244, f. 64 



Aralu, Tamil. 



B. vi, D. 96-102, V. 4, A. 70-74,. C. 8, L.-1. 84.94. 



Length of head 4|-, height of body 3f in the total length. ^Bj/er— diameter 8 to 12 in the length of head', 

 1 diameter apart, the upper in advance of the lower, and the two occupying the middle of the length of the 

 head. Height of head equals 8/9 of its length. Angle of the mouth considerably nearer gill-opening than to 

 the end of the snout, the rostral hook extends fro below the hind edge of thB lower eye. A single tubular nostril 

 on the coloured side in front of the lower eye and close to the lip. ^ A weU-developed tubular nostril on the 

 blind side. Fins — a single ventral attached to the anal. SbaMs — ctenoid. iaieraZ-fce— two on the coloured 

 side separated by thirteen or fourteen rows of scales : a single lateral-line on the blind side. Colours — opercle 

 tinged with bluish-black : each scale on the body lightest in its centre : fins dull orange. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. It attains at least 10 inches in length, and 

 is good eating. 



Genus, 9 — CtiNO(JLOSSUS,t Hamilton Buchanan. 



Ca/ntoria, Arelia, Tirulla, Icama, Kaup. 



Branchiostegals six. Gill-openings very narrow. Eyes on the left side. Anterior portion of snout prolonged, 



* Bl. Schn. says of P. arel, p. 159, "Narium foramine superiore inter oculos minores, quam in bilineato, inferiore ante 

 ocnlam inferiorem," evidently showing the presence of two nostrils in the species which he described. 



t Dr. Giinther observes Cynoslossua- et Achirus H. B. I am nnable to find the former name employed by H. B. except as a, 

 sjDeciflc term. 



