1 849 .] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. 1 02 1 



blackish appearance ; the upper six or seven pectoral rays white, annu- 

 lated with brown, the 19 th and 20 th ray, white. Iris pale greenish 

 golden, minutely dotted with brown ; pupil heart-shaped. 



D 8—11, C. 15f, A 11, V 1/5, P 20, Br. VII. 



Habit. — Sea of Pinang. 



Total length : 5-J inch. 



The length of the head is contained nearly 3£ times in the total ; 

 the eye occupies the second fourth part from the muzzle ; the distance 

 between both eyes is less than one half of the vertical diameter of the 

 eye. The nasal bone is rough, but without spines. At the commence- 

 ment of the supraorbital crest is a reclining spine, on the posterior half 

 three smaller, and on its continuation along the sides of the occiput are 

 two distant spines ; from the orbit along the upper margins of the 

 opercles proceed 5 small gradually backwards increasing spines ; the 

 opercle has two backwards diverging linear crests without spines. On 

 the middle of the anterior infraorbital bone is a small reclining spine ; 

 on the posterior two distant larger, from whence proceeds a raised 

 linear crest, terminating in the upper angular spine of the preopercle. 

 The latter spine extends to the margin of the opercle, its length ex- 

 ceeding three times that of the smaller, lower spine. The angle of the 

 mouth is situated opposite the anterior angle of the orbit. The denti- 

 tion resembles that of Platycephalus insidiator : the upper maxillary 

 velvety teeth form a very narrow band, which is considerably widened 

 on the intermaxillary bones, where the posterior series has on each 

 side three teeth longer than the rest. The lateral line is nearly straight, 

 less approaching the back than in P. insidiator ; at its commencement, 

 as far as the middle of the anterior dorsal, every other scale has a 

 minute reclining spine ; the rest of the lateral line, though raised and 

 distinct, appears to be spineless. The present species of which a single, 

 apparently young, individual was observed at Pinang in 1843, appears 

 to be closely allied to Platycephalus scaber, (Linne). 



Platycephalus carbunculus, Cuv. and Val. 



Platycephalus carbunculus, Cuv. and Val. IX. 461. 



Ground colour greenish buff; head, cheeks, back and sides spotted 

 with blackish brown, forming three short vertical bands on the sides of 

 the head beneath the orbit, and three larger irregular bands on the 



