70 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



In the young there are two strong spines at the preopercular angle. 



Dr. Klunzinger, I.e. observes upon having only found 10 spines in the fh-st dorsal fin. Dr. Giinther, 

 ' Fische d. Sudsee,' p. 26, in answer to this, remarks that during a London fog he has found 11. I may complete 

 the discussion by stating that in my collection I have specimens representing both numbers. 



Col. Tickell, MS. remarks that this fish is termed the Paddy or rice eater in Arracan, in consequence of 

 the young being so frequently found in the inundated rice or paddy-fields. 



Habitat — From the Red Sea and East coast of Africa through the seas and estuaries of India to the 

 Malay Archipelago and north coast of Australia. It is a common fish, attaining 12 or 13 inches in length. 

 Hamilton Buchanan left an excellent figure of this fish illustrative of his Coins trivittatiis : it is labelled 

 Holocentrus katkaya, and was reproduced by General Hardwicke. The species is not uncommon at Calcutta in 

 the tidal Hooghly, whilst the T. puta, to which Buchanan's description has been referred, does not appear to 

 ascend so high, although I have taken it, along with other marine fishes, in the Sunderbunds. 



3. Therapon quadrilineatus, Plate XVIII, fig. 5. 



Holocentrus quadrilineatus, Bloch, t. 238, fig. 2. 



Pristipoma sexlineatum, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Freyc. Poiss. p. 320. 



Therapon quadrilineatus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 134 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 239 ; Bleeker, Perc. p. 51 ; 

 Giinther, Catal. i, p. 282 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 46. 



Therapon xanthurus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 135. 



Pelates sexlineatus, quadrilineatus, et quinquelmieatus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 146, pi. 55 ; Less. Voy. Coq. ii, 

 p. 223 ; Cuv. Reg. An. Illus. Poiss. pi. xii, fig. 1 ; Griff. An. King. Fish. t. xii, fig. 1. 



Helotes polytcenia, Bleeker, Halmah, p. 53 and Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xxvi, f. 1. 



Therapon Cuvieri, Bleeker, Timor, p. 211 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 282. 



Therapon sexlineatus, Steindach. Fischf. Port Jackson, Sitz. Ak. Wiss. liii, p. 429. 



Therapon (Pelates) quadrilineatus, Bleeker, Therapons, 1872, p. 389. 



B. vi, D. 1 V B ia , P- 15, V. 1/5, A. ■&, C. 17, L. 1. 70, L. tr. 13/26, Crec. pyl. 18. 



Length of head 1/4, of caudal 1/6, height of body 1/4 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 1/3 of length 

 of head, 2/3 of a diameter from end of snout, and also apart. The maxilla reaches to below the front edge of 

 the orbit. Preorbital slightly serrated on its lower border. Preopercle serrated along both limbs, coarsest at 

 its rounded angle, becoming indistinct along its horizontal limb. Sub- and inter-opercles entire. Opercle 

 with two rather weak spines. Shoulder-bone entire, that in the axilla serrated. Teeth — villiform in 3 rows in 

 the upper and two in the lower jaw, and having the external row in the maxilla enlarged. Fins — dorsal spines 

 moderately strong, becoming highest about the fifth, which equals half the height of the body below it : second 

 anal spine strongest, the third the longest : caudal emarginate. Pyloric appendages — very short. Colours — 

 silvery, with five horizontal black bands, the first to the anterior portion of the soft dorsal : the second to the 

 end of its base : the third to the upper third of the base of the caudal : the fourth to its lower third : the fifth 

 (sometimes absent) to the end of the base of the anal. A large black blotch on the shoulder. Dorsal fin with 

 a black blotch between its third and seventh spines, a black mark along the middle of the soft dorsal, and a 

 black tip. Pectoral canary colour, as is also the ventral and anal, the last of which is darkest externally, and 

 has a dark basal band : caudal yellowish with a dark edge but no bands. 



The young have six light vertical cross bands, four times as wide as the ground colour, passing from the 

 back to the fourth horizontal band ; they are distinct in the specimens up to 3f inches in length. The black 

 shoulder blotch in the adult is the upper portion of the first body band. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and China ; attaining at least 6 inches in length. 



4. Therapon theraps, Plate XVIII, fig. 6. 



Therapon theraps, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 129, pi. 53 ; Bleeker, Perc. p. 50, and Atl. Ich. Perc. t. xliii, fig. 1 ; 

 Richards. Ann. Nat. Hist. 1842, p. 126; Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 95; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 274, and Fische d. 

 Sudsee, p. 26 ; Day, Fish. Malabar, p. 19 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 44 ; Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, 

 p. 728. 



Therapon obscurus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 135; Cantor, Catal. p. 20; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 275. 



Therapon squalidus, Cuv. and Val hi, p. 136 (Ca3C. pyl. 13 ?) ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 275. 



Therapon transversus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 136 (Case. pyl. 11 ?) 



Therapon cinereus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 138 (Case. pyl. 10 ?) ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 276. 



? Datnia virgata, Cuv. and Val. vii, p. 480. 



? Therapon rubricatus, Richards. Ann. Nat. Hist. 1842, p. 127. 



? Therapon virgatus, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 276. 



Therapon (Datnia) theraps, Bleeker, Therapons, 1872, p. 379. 

 . Kutta keetchan, Tarn. 



B. vi, D. ( $>-Hh P. 15, V. 1/5, A. |, C. 17, L. 1. 50-55, L. r. WM, L. tr. 11/16, Vert. 10/15, Ceec. pyl. 

 (7 Kner.) 



_ Length of head 1/4, of caudal 2/11 to 1/5, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 3£ 

 to 3| in length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, and also apart. The maxilla reaches to below the first 



