FAMILY, V— SPAMD^E. 135 



Lethrinus longirostris, Playfair, Fish. Zanz. p. 44, pi. vii, fig. 2. 



B. vi, D. y\ P- 13, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 19, L. 1. 48-50, L. tr. 6/16, Ceec. pyl. 3. 



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

 length of head, 2J diameters from end of snout, and lj apart. Interorbital space nearly flat : snout pointed 

 and compressed. Length of head 1/4 more than its height. The maxilla reaches to nearly below the front 

 nostril. Teeth— three rather small curved canines in front of the upper jaw, and a small one on either side of the 

 symphysis of the lower jaw : from 18 to 20 compressed, conical, and pointed teeth along either ramus of the lower 

 jaw, and about 15 similar ones in the upper, the most posterior of these last being occasionally a little rounded. 

 Fins — dorsal spines rather weak, increasing in length to the fourth which equals one third of the height of the 

 body or the postorbital length of the head, but is not quite so long as the rays : pectoral as long as the head, 

 exclusive of its postorbital portion : ventral almost reaches the anal spines, the third of which is considerably 

 longer than the second : caudal emarginate. Scales — four entire and 2 half rows between the lateral-line and 

 base of sixth dorsal spine. Colours — olive-brown lightest on the abdomen. Head, more especially superiorly, 

 having a tinge of purple : a dark brown blotch behind the posterior superior angle of the eye : three narrow 

 dark bands pass from the anterior edge of the eye to the upper jaw : a fourth along the inferior and hind edge 

 of the eye : an oblique one commences on the opercle and crosses to the angle of the mouth becoming very faint 

 in its last portion : a large blotch on the opercle. Inside of mouth orange. The centre of each scale having a 

 blue spot, darkest externally : about eight faint vertical bands descend from the back towards the middle of the 

 body, and usually a dark blotch is apparent between the pectoral fin and the lateral-line. A black spot at the 

 base of each dorsal ray and the fin lightly banded : ventrals slate-coloured : some indistinct vertical bands on 

 the caudal. 



L. horely, C. V. vi, p. 292, is said to be closely allied and very similar to L. frcenatus, C. V., the first has 

 the teeth larger and more rounded, and only two streaks between the end of the mouth and the eye. Its back 

 is vinous brown, abdomen white and the dorsal spotted with red. The eye in the latter is only 1/3 the length 

 of the head, rather above 1 diameter from the end of snout, and nearly 1 apart : the height of the body is 

 about 1/3 of the total length, but the specimen is only about 4| inches in length. 



The specimen figured was captured at Bombay and is 12 inches long. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, through those of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



B. With some or all the lateral teeth molarform. 



2. Lethrinus cinereus. 

 Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 293. 

 ? Lethrinus maculatus, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 292. 



B. vi, D. V°, P- 13, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 47-48, L. tr. 6/17. 



Length of head 3/11, of caudal 3/17, height of body 1/3 to 4/13 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 2/7 to 

 1/4 of length of head, 1| diameters from end of snout, and nearly 1 apart. Interorbital space nearly fiat. The 

 height of the head nearly equals its length. The maxilla, 1/3 the length of the head, reaches to beneath the front 

 nostril. Opercle with two points separated by a shallow emargination, the lower being the larger. Teeth — four small 

 curved canines in the upper and six in the lower jaw, the lateral teeth conical and somewhat irregular in size, 

 especially in the lower jaw, the posterior ones of which have rounded crowns. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate 

 strength, increasing in length to the fourth and fifth which equal about 1/3 of the height of the body. Pectoral 

 nearly as long as the head : ventral reaches the vent : second and third anal spines of moderate strength, of about 

 equal length and as high as the third of the dorsal fin, highest anal ray not equal to the length of the base of 

 the rays : caudal forked, lobes pointed. Free portion of the tail as high or higher at its commencement as it is 

 long. Scales — 5 entire and 2 half rows between the lateral-line and the base of the dorsal fin. Colours — of an 

 olive brown, having a quadrangular black blotch between the pectoral fin and the lateral-line : faint vertical 

 bands on the body which are more or less broken up : numerous white or blue spots on the scales in the iipper 

 half of the first two-thirds of the body : dorsal fin with brown spots and a red outer margin : pectoral pinkish : 

 ventral slate-coloured : anal similar to the second dorsal : caudal with 3 faint brown vertical bands most distinct 

 in the young. 



Habitat. — Seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago and beyond : my longest specimen is 9 inches and 

 from Madras. 



3. Lethrinus karwa, Plate XXXIII, fig. 2. 



Sparus Tcarwa, Russell, i, p. 71, pi. 89. 



Lethrinus karwa, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 311 ; Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 558. 



? Sparus Jcorely, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 292. 



Karwa, Tel. 



B. vi, D. V°, P- 13, V. 1/5, A. |, C. 17, L. 1. 48, L. tr. 6/17. 



Length of head 2/7 to 3|, of caudal 1/6, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eyes — diameter in the 

 adult at 15 inches 1/4 to 4J of length of head, 2| diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. Head rather 

 higher than long. Interorbital space nearly flat : the maxilla (2| in the length of the head) reaches to below 

 the front nostril. Preopercle very oblique in adults : opercle with two blunt points separated by a somewhat 



