1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes, 1335 



disposed in longitudinal series ; those of the head are smaller, crowded 

 and not in series ; those of the tail are different from those of the rest 

 of the body. No lateral line is perceptible. The filaments of the body 

 are rather long, varying from one to three diameters of the eye ; they 

 consist of a main trunk, tapering to a brush of fine branchlets, and from 

 three to seven lateral branches, placed in quincunx, each subdivided in 

 minor branches, with fine brush-like points. On the sides of the head 

 and body the filaments are few and widely scattered ; they appear in 

 greatest number round the lips, on the forehead, on both sides of the 

 dorsal spine, in the interval between the dorsals, and on the margin 

 from the chin to the apex of the pelvic spine. Two individuals, 3f and 

 4f inches in length, were observed at Singapore in May 1840, a third, 

 6f inch, occurred at Pinang in October 1844. 



Gen. Alutarius, Cuvier, 1817. 

 Body elongated, covered with minute close granules, scarcely visible 

 to the naked eye ; a single spine in the anterior dorsal fin ; pelvis 

 entirely hid beneath the skin and without the spinous projection of 

 Balistes and Monacantkus. 



Alutarius obliterates, Cantor. 



Balistes monoceros, Bloch, Tab. 147 ? 



Balistes monoceros, Shaw, V. 399, (excl. Syn. B. monoceros, Linne) 



PI. 168? 



Alutera : Bloch, 147, Cuv. R. A. II. 374 ( 4 ) ?* 



Alutera monoceros, Bloch 147, Swainson, II. 327 ? 



(Young, 3J inch in length.) Head above and back pale blackish 

 brown ; upper half of the sides pale yellowish olive, with numerous 

 half effaced, irregular, blackish brown spots ; lower half of the sides, 

 throat and abdomen light impure greenish yellow, pale silvery ; first 

 dorsal spine, membrane and caudal yellowish olive, the latter with three 

 backwards arched, indistinct blackish bands, of which the anterior a little 

 behind the root, the second in the middle, the third along the posterior 

 margin ; posterior dorsal, anal and pectorals pale transparent yellowish, 

 Iris greenish yellow. 



* According to Cuvier different from Balistes monoceros, Linne, Catesby, 19. 

 (Regne Anim, 1, c.) 



8 i 



