ON THE ICHTHYOLOGY OF THE SEAS OF CHINA AND JAPAN. 217 



Platycephalus guttatus, C. et V. iv. p. 224 ; Temm. et Schl. F. J. p. 39. 

 pi. 15. f. 2 ; Icon. Reeves, 65; Hardw. Acanth. 110. Chinese name, Sha 

 kea (Birch); " Pebble armour" (Reeves); Sha hap (Bridgem.Chrcst. 40). 

 Japanese name, Notschi (I.angsdorff); Onigoischi (Fauna Japonica). 



A Canton specimen of this fish exists in the museum of the Cambridge Philosophical So- 

 ciety, to. which it was presented by the Rev. George Vachell. 

 Hab. Coasts of China and Japan. 



Platycephalus cultellatus, Richardson. Icon. Reeves, /3. 28 ; Hardw. 

 Acanth. 109. Bad. D. 1|-7|-13 ; A. 13, &c. (Figure.) 



Mr. Reeves's drawing here quoted resembles no figure of a Platycephalus with which I am 

 acquainted, nor does it correspond to any of the numerous species described in the ' Histoire 

 des Poissons.' It is remarkable for the length of its flat head, which forms nearly a third of 

 the total length. Its small eyes are placed far forward and almost two diameters apart. Their 

 orbits and the buccal ridges are unarmed. The cranial ridges (two on each side) are armed 

 by a series of recumbent spines without any of the parallel or diverging lines which exist on 

 the same parts in P. insidiator. The preopercular spines are equal, or the upper one rather 

 exceeds the other. There are no spines on the lateral line. The colour of the fish, as is usual 

 in the genus, is brownish, with numerous darker specks on the head, shoulders, pectoral and 

 ventral fins. The body is without spots, but the back is crossed down to the lateral line by 

 four deep brown bars, one under the first dorsal, two under the second, and the fourth behind 

 the latter fin. The caudal is marked by five bars, the outer pair on each side being oblique ; 

 but there are no markings on the dorsals and anal. In the number of bars on the back this 

 figure agrees with the PI. crocodilus of Krusenstern, pi. 59. f. 2, which I have not as yet had 

 an opportunity of consulting. In the ' Histoire des Poissons' and 'Fauna Japonica,' Kru- 

 senstern's plate is conjectured to be a bad representation of PI. guttatus, from which Reeves's 

 well-executed drawing is decidedly distinct. 

 Hab. Canton. 



Platycephalus japonicus, Tilesius, Krusenst. Atlas, pi. 56. f . 1 ; C. et V. 

 iv. p. 256 ; Temm. et Schl. F. J. p. 40. pi. 16. f. 3. 



Sir Edward Belcher brought a specimen of this fish from the China seas. 

 Hab. Seas of Japan and China. 



Platycephalus asper, C. et V. iv. p. 257. pi. 82 ; Temm. et Schl. F. J. 

 p. 40. pi. 16. f. 4, 5. 



The same officer brought two examples of this fish from the same quarter. 

 Hab. Seas of Japan and China. 



Platycephalus spinosus, Temm. et Schl. F.J. p. 40. pi. 16. f. 1, 2; Icon. 



Reeves (non Hardw.). 



I obtained a Chinese specimen of this fish from the insect-boxes above mentioned. 



Hab. Seas of Japan and China. 

 Platycephalus endrachtensis, Quoy et Gaimard, Voy. de Freyc. p. 353 ; 

 C. et V. iv. p. 240. 



We have compared a specimen of this fish, which was taken at Chusanby Dr. Cantor, with 

 one obtained on the north-west coast of Australia by Surgeon It. A. Bankier, R.N., and can 

 detect no difference whatever, except that the two preorbitar teeth are less prominent in the 

 Chinese specimen, which is smaller. The species is perhaps the most depressed of the 

 Platycephali. 



Hab. Seas of China and Australia. 



In the ' Histoire des Poissons' the Siluris imberbis of Houttuyn (Mem. de la Soc. de Harlem, 

 t xx. p. 338), or the Centranodon of Lacepede,is shown to be a Platycephalus, and it is almost 

 certainly one of the species above enumerated, but the description does not enable us to de- 

 termine which of them. 



Bembras japonicus, C. et V. iv. p. 283. pi. 83 ; Temm. et Schl. F. J. p. 41. 

 pi. 16. f. 8. 



Hab. Japan. 



Bembras curtus, Temm. et Schl. F. J. p. 48. pi. 16. f. 6, 7. 



Hab. Japan. 



