FAMILY, VII— SCORP^nSTIEvE. 157 



in length and having a small one at its base. Preopercle with a sharp spine as long as the orbit, and three or 

 four blunt points along its angle and lower limb. Opercle with two spines. Teeth — villiform in jaws, vomer 

 and palate. Fins — dorsal spines sharp but slender ; the first arises over the middle of the eye, the interspinous 

 membrane is deeply notched, the second or third spine the longest equalling half the height of the body, all 

 three are longer than the spines of the second dorsal, the membrane of which latter is deeply notched. All the 

 articulated rays are branched. Pectoral a little longer than the head and reaching to above the middle rays of 

 the anal : ventral reaches the anal spines, the third of which is the longest : caudal cut almost square. Scales — 

 rudimentary. Colours — greyish-brown, a black blotch on the dorsal fin between the third or fourth and seventh 

 or ninth spines : soft dorsal nearly black in its last three-fourths : pectoral blackish, as is also the outer half of 

 the ventral and the anal : caudal yellowish- white with some small brown spots. 



Habitat. — Common in the seas in Western India and Ceylon, especially off Canara, where it attains 

 3 inches in length. 



Genus, 9 — Amblyapistus, Bleeker. 



Apistus, sp. Cuv. and Val. : Platypterus* Swainson. 



Branchiostegals five or six. Head and body strongly compressed : no groove across occiput. Strong and, sharp 

 preorbital and preoperctdar spines : opercle armed. Villiform teeth in jaws, vomer and palate. A single dorsad fin 

 imth more spines than rays (D. 1 |-I-j-J) generally elevated anteriorly: three anal spines: pectoral without any free 

 ray at its base. Articulated fin-rays branched. Scales, if present, rudimentary. Air-vessel present. Pyloric 

 appendages few. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Amblyapistus tcenianotus, D. '-g-If 6 , A. T ? T . Second dorsal spine as high as the body. Reddish, with 

 irregular dark spots and blotches : a brown mark between the fifth and seventh dorsal spines. Andamans to 

 the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Amblyapistus longispinis, D. * ■§■!■§■■, A. -£ T . Second dorsal spine two-thirds as high as the body. 

 Scales minute. Pinkish, with blotches and a white spot on the side. Seas of India to China. 



3. Amblyapistus macracanthus, D. '-f-ToS A. §. Brownish-black : pectoral with a white border. Anda- 

 mans and Malay Archipelago. 



1. Amblyapistus taenianotus, Plate X XX VIII, fig. 5. 



Tcenianotus latovittatus, Lacep. iv, pi. 3, f. 2 (no description.) 



Apistus tmnianotus, Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 404 ; Richardson, Voy. Samarang, Fish. pi. 4, fig. 1 and 2 ; Bleeker, 

 Amb. ii, p. 557. 



Tetraroge tmnianotus, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 136. 

 Platypterus tcenianotus, Swains. Fish, ii, p. 265. 

 Amblyapistus tcenianotus, Bleeker, Fish. Maur. p. 87. 



B. v. D. i|cf •, P. 12, V 1/5, A. T _V, C. 12. 



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

 diameter 3/10 of length of head, nearly 1 diameter from end of snout and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Body 

 strongly compressed, the profile from the snout to the commencement of the dorsal fin almost vertical. The 

 maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit, lower jaw slightly the longer. Preorbital spine curved and 

 very sharp, of moderate length and having a small basal one : preopercle with a sharp spine a little above its angle, 

 and three or four blunt ones along its lower margin : two opercular spines, the upper the longer. Teeth — villi- 

 form in jaws, on vomer, and in a small patch on the palate. Fins — dorsal high anteriorly, its first spine a little 

 above one diameter of the orbit in length, its second as high as the body, and its third a little shorter : from 

 about the fourth spine to the end of the rays all are of about the same height : a slight membraneous continuation 

 between the end of the dorsal and base of the caudal fins. All the articulated fin-rays branched.f The ventrals 

 do not reach the anal and are shorter than the pectoral : third anal spine the longest : caudal slightly rounded. 

 Scales — rudimentary. Lateral-line — first sixteen tubules distinct, subsequently they coalesce into one tube. 

 Colours — reddish, with irregular brownish spots, a brown mark between the fifth and sixth or seventh dorsal 

 spines. 



Habitat. — Andaman islands, Malay Archipelago and beyond, attaining a few inches in length. The 

 specimen figured is in the British Museum collection. 



2. Amblyapistus longispinis, Plate XXXVIII, fig. 4. 



Apistus longispinis, Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 408 ; Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Astrol. Poiss. p. 694, pi. xi, fig 4. 

 Apistes multicolor, Richardson, Voy. Samarang, Fishes, p. 3, pi. iv, fig. 3, 4. 

 Tetraroge longispinis, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 134. 



B. vi, D. >W, V. 1/4 A ¥ _V, C. 12. 



* Preoccupied (K. and V. Hass.) Cuv. and Val. Fishes, 1837, &c. 



t The specimen marked " b. Young, Madras. Presented by T. C. Jerdon, Esq.," has none of its articulated rays branched, 

 it is A. roseus. 



