120 



A. Alcock — Recent Collection of Batliyhial Fishes. [No. 2, 



The largest specimen — a mature female — is about 4 iaclies long, and 

 2*4 inches across the disk. 



Loc. Bay of Bengal, Station 162, 145 to 250 fms. 



Synopsis of the Indian Spfxies of Halieutiea. 



I. Disk markedly broader than long, with the spinature of its dorsal surface 

 i-emarkably feeble, and with the skin of its ventral surface soft, thick, glandular 

 and absolutely smooth. 



[Interorbital space rather broad and veiy slightly concave eyes large: 

 mouth-cleft wide, two-fifths of the width of the very wide disk : four rays in 

 the dorsal fin : colour smoky blue]. — E. fumosa. 



11. Disk nearly circular, 

 or only slightly broader 

 than long, with the spi- 

 nature of its dorsal sur- 

 face strong and coarse, 

 and with the skin of its 

 ventral s\irf ace leathery 

 and either spiny or 

 granular. 



i. Under surface of 

 disk grannlar or with 

 scattered spines : in- 

 terorbital space rather 

 narrow and markedly 

 concave : eyes small. 



I* ^ a. Under surface of 



disk with scattered 

 spines between which 

 the skin is rough 

 cleft of^ the mouth 

 narrow, about one- 

 third the width of the 

 disk : four rays in the 

 dorsal fin : ventral 

 fins broad : colour 

 pink. — H. stellata, C. 



h. Under surface of 

 disk finely and very 

 closely and uniform- 

 ly granular : cleft of 

 the mouth broad, 

 nearly half the width 

 of the disk : five rays 

 in the dorsal fin : ven- 

 tral fins long and 

 slender : colour blue- 

 V. black. — H. nigra. 



ii. Under surface of disk closely covered with 

 stellate spines: interorbital space rather broad 

 and slightly concave in front only : eyes large. 



[Mouth-cleft wide, nearly half the width of 

 the disk : five rays in the dorsal fin : ventrals 

 broadish : colour crimson to bright pink]. — H. 

 coccinea. 



