I'AMILT, I— STNGNATHID^. 681 



concave : an oMuse ridge above the opercle continued to the hind edge of the orbit. m*-dorsal commences 

 Ste -Bomba^ : its base is on ten rings, 3 of which belong to the tail. Caudal rudimentary. 



Second group— Hippocampina. 

 Tail prehensile : caudal fln absent. 

 Genus 5 — Gasteotokius (Eeehel) KoMp. 

 Byngnathoides and Solegnathus, Bleeker. 



JBo^ depressed, hcming smooth shields and a prehensile tail, which latter is not so long as the body. Dorsal 

 pn, of moderate length placed nea/rh/ opposite the vent : pectorals and anal present : caudal absent. The lateral-line 

 passes along the edge of the abdomen. Ova imbedded in soft substamce on the abdomen of the males, but there is no 

 pouch formed of lateral cutaneous folds. 



Geographical distribution.— E&st coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, China, and 



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Gastrotoheus biaculeatus, D. 40-45. Osseous rings 16-18 + 45-55. Red Sea, East coast of Africa 

 and seas of India to China and Australia. 



1. Gaatrotokeus biaculeatus, Plate CLXXIV, fig. 5. 



Syngnathm biaculeatus, Bloch, t. 121; Bl. Schn. p. 515, t. 107; Shaw, v, p. 453; Richardson, Ich. 

 China, p. 202 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 387. f ' , r ^ f , 



SyngnatMs tetragonus, Gmel. Linn. p. 1453 ; Lac^p. ii, p. 46. 



Byngnathoides Blochn, Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. ii, Banda, p. 259. 



Bolenognathus BlochU, Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. xxv. Trosk. p. 24. 



Gastrotoheus biaouleatus, Kaup, Lophob. p. 19 ; Peters, Moss. Pische ; Bleeker, En. Pise. p. 189 ; 

 Dumeril, Hist. Poiss. ii, p. 628 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 194 ; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. 1871, p. 653. 



D. 40-45, P. 17-23, A. 4. Osseous rings 16-18 +45-5 5. 



Length of head about 1/3 of the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : the tail shorter 

 than the trunk. Hyes — situated in the posterior half of the distance between the end of the snout and the base 

 of the pectoral fin. A well defined supraorbital spine above the hind edge of the eye : interorbital space 

 concave. Occiput destitute of a coronet,' but with a distinct blunt projection : usually a barbel-like filament 

 on the mandible and in some examples cutaneous filaments exist on lower surface of jaws and on the body. 

 Fms— dorsal situated on ten rings, commencing on the one anterior to the anal, or else on the anal ring. Anal 

 fin situated iu a depression : a projection covered with well-developed papilla exists just iu front of the vent. 

 Colours— these vary in different localities. Pale green or brown superiorly, becoming of an orange or buff on 

 the under surface, a light spot edged with very pale vermilion on the side of each body ring : in some, black 

 spots are scattered along the sides of the lower surface of the body. Lower surface of the head with dark spots 

 or bands. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, Bast coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, China, and Australia. 

 It attains to at least 9f inches in length. The example figured was from the Malay Archipelago. 



Genus, 6 — AcEHTEomrEA, Kaup. 



Body rather compressed, with shields without tubercles, a/ndi a prehensile, fmless tadl: occiput compressed into 

 a crest without a/my coronet. Dorsal fm with rather few rays ; pectorals present. Ova cwrried by the males in a sac, 

 which is situated below the tail and opening near the vent. 



1. Acentronura gracillima, Plate CLXXVI, fig, 1. 



Hippocampus graaiUimus, Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon. Poiss, p. 274, t. cxx, f. 7. 

 Acentronura graeillima, Kaup, Lophob. p. 18 ; Dumeril, Hist. Poiss. ii, p. 527 ; Giinther, Catal. 'viii, 

 p. 198. 



D. 16-17, P. 15, A. 2. Osseous rings 13 + 41-45. 



Tail a little longer than the body. Snout 2/5 of the length of the head. Occiput compressed into a 

 crest, but without any coronet. Fins — the dorsal standing on four rings, two of which belong to the tail : its 

 base not elevated. Colours — brownish, covered with small white dots, and likewise little brown markings 

 which in the female almost form bands, especially across the ventral surface. A row of dark spots along the 

 upper third of the dorsal fin, forming a band. The male is darker and of a bluish colour, with a milk-white 

 spot on each body ring. 



Two examples, neither exceeding 1*6 inches in length, were dredged by Mr. J, Wood-Mason, off the 

 coast of the Andamans, at 35'40 fathoms. It appears to attain to 3 inches in length. 



Genus 7 — Hippocampus, Leach. 

 Tnmh compressed and somewhat elevated, homing from 10 to 12 rings. The shields furnished with tubercles 

 or spines. Ocdput compressed and forming a coronet at its posterior superior angle, which is usually surmounted by 



4 s 



