1062 Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. [Oct. 



few individuals (the one described the largest), were observed at Singa- 

 pore in June 1840. 



Gen. Lobotes, Cuvier, 1829. 



Muzzle short ; lower jaw prominent ; preopercle strongly toothed ; 

 the elongated rounded soft portion of the dorsal and anal fin, and the 

 caudal giving the posterior part of the body a trilobate appearance ; 

 towards the symphysis of the lower jaw four groups of very minute 

 pores. Branchiostegous rays six. 



Lobotes erate, Cuvier and Val. 



Lobotes erate, Cuv. and Val. V. 322. 



Lobotes farkarii, Cuv. and Val. V. 324, (Young ?) 



Lobotes erate, Bleeker: Verh. Bat. Gen. XXII. 4. 



Ikan batu, or Ikan pichat priuk, of the Malays. 



Young. Head and body blackish brown, light reddish brown, or 

 brownish green, either uniformly or with large blotches of a lighter or 

 darker shade ; soft portion of dorsal and anal fin like the body, mem- 

 brane black ; caudal like the body, black towards the yellowish white 

 margin, membrane of the dorsal and anal spines and ventrals brown- 

 ish or greenish grey, tinged with orange ; pectorals yellowish white. 



Adult. Brownish lilac or mulberry coloured, either uniformly, or 

 with large blotches of silvery grey ; the scales either of the ground 

 colour with silvery grey edge, or vice versa ; pectorals yellowish white ; 

 soft portion of dorsal and anal, and the caudal like the body, their 

 terminal half bluish or greenish black ; membrane of dorsal and anal 

 spines light brown or grey marbled with blackish ; ventrals dark bluish 

 grey ; throat, inter- and preopercle silvery grey. Iris silvery of the 

 ground colour of the body. 



D 12/15, C 17f, A 3/12 or 11, V 1/5, P 15 or 16, Br. VI. 



Habit. — Sea o/Pinang, Malayan Peninsula, Singapore. 



Java, Madura, Malabar, Ceylon, Bay of Bengal, Estuaries of the 



Ganges. 



Total length : 2 feet 5 inch. 



The young differs from the adult in having the margin of the caudal 

 fin or its posterior third, yellowish white, and in having comparatively 

 fewer but much larger teeth or spines on the margin of the preopercle, 

 particularly towards the rounded angle. As the latter is the principal 

 distinguishing character assigned to L, farkarii, Cuv. and Val. it is 



