1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes. 1333 



forwards arched spine. Individuals less than about 4 inches in length, 

 present no trace of these spines. This species has a lateral line, the 

 course of which is distinguished by a line of spines a little larger than 

 the rest. It commences at the posterior margin of the orbit, ascending 

 slightly towards the posterior dorsal, when it abruptly descends towards 

 the middle of the side, and then continues straight to the caudal. At 

 its origin it gives off a short vertical branch to the root of the first 

 dorsal spine ; a second above the orbit and nostril towards the muzzle ; 

 a third along the lower margin of the orbit, where it subdivides in an 

 upper branch which proceeds horizontally to the chin, and in a lower 

 undulating obliquely downwards to the dewlap. At Pinang this species 

 is numerous at all seasons. 



MONACANTHUS PENICILLIGERUS, (Peron.) 



Balistes penicilligerus, Peron. 



Monacanthus penicilligerus, Cuv. R. A. II. 374 ( 2 ), PI. XI. Fig. 3. 



Chsetodermis penicilligerus, Swainson, II. 327. 



Ground-colour pale whitish green, with numerous black lines ; those 

 round the orbit radiating, those of the rest of the head and the body 

 longitudinal, undulating ; side by side, behind and between the eye and 

 gill-opening, two large round purplish black spots, both longitudinally 

 divided by a band of brilliant ultramarine, through which passes one of 

 the black lines of the body ; behind the orbit a smaller purplish black 

 spot, edged with pale blue, and three similar, vertically placed between 

 the middle of the posterior dorsal and the anal ; along the base of the 

 latter fins, the dewlap and the caudal several irregular black spots ; 

 spines of the body hyaline ; lips and filaments whitish red, the latter 

 dotted and ringed with black ; dorsal spine whitish grey with black 

 spots ; membrane hyaline, dotted with brown ; fin-rays brownish white ; 

 membranes hyaline ; those of the posterior dorsal, caudal and anal 

 with numerous small rounded black spots placed in series parallel with 

 the base of the fins. Pupil black, horizontally elliptical ; iris golden 

 bronze, with six radiating pale crimson bars. 



D 1—23 or 26, C 10|, A 21 or 24, P 13, Br. V. 



Habit. — Sea of Pinang , Singapore. 



Total length : 6f inch. 



The form is rhombic, but appears shorter and broader than that of 



