1849.] Catalogue of Malayan Fishes, 1345 



the cheek ; a little behind the mouth it suddenly ascends to join the 

 opposite corresponding branch ; a fourth descends a little in front of 

 the gill-opening, beneath which it forms a short arch backwards, and 

 then proceeds obliquely downwards to the middle of the ventral groove. 

 At Pinang and at the Sandheads young individuals are excessively 

 numerous at all seasons ; larger ones are rarely seen, particularly in the 

 latter locality. 



Triacanthus strigilifer, Cantor. 

 Plate IX. Fig. 1 and 2. 



{Young ?) Head above and back pale sea-green, changing to bluish 

 white on the upper half of the sides ; lower half and abdomen frosted 

 silvery white ; back and sides with a few orange spots of irregular form, 

 viz. an elongated spot between the eyes towards the nostrils ; a second, 

 broad rhomboidal surrounding the base of the anterior dorsal, and send- 

 ing a vertical branch, with rugged margins, down to the gill-opening ; a 

 third oblique spot from the third to the eleventh ray of the posterior 

 dorsal ; immediately behind the mouth a vertically placed pair of small 

 spots ; a pair of larger ones, of which the lower like a horse-shoe, on the 

 cheek beneath the nostril ; beneath the eye a horizontal band to the 

 lower part of the gill-opening ; in the axilla a short horizontal band, 

 giving off an irregular branch towards and above the anal, and a longer 

 arched one to opposite the middle of the posterior dorsal ; at a short 

 interval another horizontal band terminating in the middle of the side, 

 a little behind the posterior dorsal ; in the centre of the base of the 

 caudal a small rounded spot ; on the posterior half of the tail a broad 

 forwards pointed spot of bright yellowish green ; first spine of anterior 

 dorsal pale sea-green, minutely dotted with black ; the succeeding spines 

 white ; membrane hyaline, minutely dotted and edged with black ; 

 pectorals and ventral spines white ; rays of the rest of the fins yellowish 

 white, membranes hyaline. Pupil horizontally oval, black ; iris light 

 yellow golden, orbital margin greenish black. 



D 5—22, C 12i, A 16, V 1, P 13, Br. VI. 



Habit. — Sea of Pinang y 



Total length : 6| inch. 



This species differs from the preceding by its more elongated, less 

 deep form, by its larger eye, its peculiar scales, its longer second dorsal 



8 k 2 



