210 



DIODON BLOCHII. 



{The Sea Hog) 



This may prove to belong to one of the already described 

 species, but I can identify it with none. General appearance of 

 Diodon Atinga of Bloch, but spines much less numerous. The 

 head is broad, and the mouth very wide ; nasal tantacle formed 

 of a simple tube, with a pair of lateral openings ; the jaws are 

 formed of numerous distinct teeth solved together, and forming 

 numerous tubercles inside of the mouth, particularly at the 

 lower jaw ; the opening of the mouth is about one anda-half the 

 great diameter of the orbit, and the space from one eye to the 

 other about twice that diameter ; in front there are five spines 

 on the first row in front of the eyes ; they form in all eleven or 

 twelve irregular transverse lines, they are very strong, par- 

 ticularly the posterior ones. The dorsal fin has thirteen rays, 

 the caudal nine ; the anal is much larger than the dorsal, and 

 has thirteen rays ; the pectorals are about as long as the space 

 between the eyes, of nineteen rays. Each spine has two long 

 roots and an anterior ridge. 



The colour is of a rather light green on the back, with the 

 lower parts white ; the lips are flesh colour, and the head purple ; 

 the abdomen is rather rosy ; at the root of each spine there is a 

 very faint dark brown spot, and on the posterior part of the body 

 some purple blotches ; the fins are of a light green, without any 

 spots, but their external portion is rather darker ; the eye is 

 yellow, with its external part orange, and surrounded by a blue 

 ring. The air-bladder is very large, rounded, and strongly bilobed. 



Six inches long ; rather common. 



I should have taken this for the D. Maculatus, but Dr. 

 Grunther gives it from sixteen to nineteen lines of spines ; per- 

 haps it is the Atopomycterus Bocagei, of Steindachner, from 

 Sydney, quoted by him as being probably the same sort. 



CHILOMYCTEBTTS. 



Separated by Dr. Kaup from Diodon, and characterised by Dr. 

 Grunther as having "jaws without median suture, body covered 

 with ossifications, all, or most of which, consist of three horizon- 

 tal roots, and a stiff, erect, immoveable spine; nasal tentacle 



