1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes, 1147 



Holacanthe anneau, Lacepede IV, 526, 533. 



Chsetodon annularis, Shaw, IV. 330, PI. 47. 



Russell, LXXXVIII. Sahni Tchapa. 



Holacanthus annularis, Cuv. R. A. II. 192 ( 4 ). 



Holacanthus annularis, Cuv. and Val. VII. 178. 



Ground colour of the body and fins light brown with golden lustre, 

 darker on the head ; external half of soft dorsal and anal blackish ; 

 scales of the body with a central blackish spot ; at a little dis- 

 tance above the shoulder and opercle a ring of deep blue, internally and 

 externally edged with black ; on the body a number of similarly 

 coloured oblique, slightly arched bands : the anterior, from the 7th dor- 

 sal spine, obliquely downwards, terminating a little below the ring ; 

 the second from the 10th dorsal spine ; the third from the 4th dorsal 

 ray joins the termination of the two preceding bands ; the succeeding 

 radiate from about the 5th dorsal, each describing a larger arch, 

 the fourth terminating opposite the point of the opercle ; the fifth 

 in the axilla, the sixth, seventh and eighth, which latter passes 

 along the base of the anal, terminate between the root of the 

 pectoral and ventral ; the ninth passes vertically in front of the 

 caudal fin, spanning the soft anal ; the tenth and eleventh follow 

 the course the ninth. From the orbit a short horizontal blue black 

 edged band, which on the opercle divides in three branches, of which 

 the lower passes obliquely down to meet the fourth of the body ; from 

 the nostrils to the upper part of the preopercle another horizontal 

 band. Dorsal and anal spines white, covered by the brownish mem- 

 brane ; caudal, ventral and pectoral rays, light yellowish brown, mem- 

 brane dark brown ; the large preopercular spine white, the shallow 

 groove on the external surface filled with a brown membrane ; to the 

 slightly convex upper margin is attached a black, loose membrane. 

 Iris brownish golden, the orbital half speckled with black. 



D 13/22, C I7t, A 3/21, V 1/5, P. 18, Br. VI. 



Habit. — Sea of Pinang, 



Moluccas, Malacca. Pondicherry, Vizagapatam. 



Total length : 1 foot. 



In November 1843 a single individual was observed at Pinang. 

 From the descriptions and figures published, it appears that the num- 

 ber and distribution of the bands are liable to individual variations. 



