168 ACAXTHOPTERYGII. 



B. v, D. i^d, P. 16, V. 2/3, A. t^,,, C. 17. 



Length of head 2/11, of caudal 2/11, height of body 4/11 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 2/7 of 

 length of head, 1J diameters from end of snout, and If apart. The maxilla reaches to below the front nostril. 

 Anterior-superior edge of orbit indistinctly serrated. Fins — fifth dorsal spine the longest and equal to half the 

 length of the head, from it they decrease to the last -which equals If diameters of the orbit in length : third 

 anal spine the longest equalling half the length of the head, from it they decrease to the last which is only 

 two-fifths of the same distance : caudal emarginate, the central rays two and a quarter in the length of the 

 outer ones. Colours — light brown, with pale blue spots, those in the middle of the side being the largest and 

 having brown centres : a dark blotch on the shoulder. 



In Cut. and Val. it is observed as closely resembling A. margaritiferus, but haTing its pectorals a little 

 more short and rounded. 



Habitat. — Seychelles and coast of Malabar : the foregoing description is from Colonel Playfair's specimen, 

 11 inches in length, captured at the Seychelles. 



8, Teuthis oramin, Plate XL, fig. 6. 



Amphacanthus guttatus, var. oramin, Bl. Schn. p. 207, t. 48. 



Amphacanthus albopunctatus, Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon. Poiss. p. 128. 



Teuthis brevirostris, GronoT. ed. Gray, p. 142. 



Teuthis oramin, Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 318. 



Teuthis albopunctata, Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 318. 



B. v, D. H-, P. 1G, V. 2/3, A. I, C. 17. 



Length of head from 4f to 5f , of caudal 1/5, height of body 1/3 to 3f in the total length. Eyes — 

 diameter 2| in the length of head, 1 to If diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. Interorbital space flat, 

 anterior-superior edge of the orbit Tery finely serrated. The maxilla reaches to below the posterior nostril. 

 The preopercular angle slightly produced : the soft portion of the cheek as high as the orbit and half longer than 

 high. Teeth — generic. Fims — dorsal spines rather weak, increasing in length to the fourth which equals the 

 length of the head excluding the snout, and is nearly twice as long as the rays, subsequently they decrease to the 

 last which is only two-fifths of the length of the head : pectoral as long as the head excluding its postorbital 

 portion : ventrals do not reach the anal : anal spines increase to the third and fourth which equal the highest in 

 the dorsal fin, they subsequently decrease to the last which equals If diameters of the orbit in length : caudal 

 with pointed lobes, the central rays being equal to two-thirds of the length of the outer ones. Scales — Tery 

 minute. Colours — oliTaceous, with indistinct longitudinal stripes in the upper half of the body, below silvery- 

 white. A round black shoulder spot, and a black spot at the top of the eye : numerous pearl white spots on the 

 upper half of the body. Dorsal fin spotted with brown : caudal with four or five vertical bars and a black outer 

 edge. Spinous portion of anal with large black spots, the soft irregularly lineated : pectorals orange. In 

 specimens over 7 or 8 inches in length, the markings on the fins generally become obsolete, the white spots on 

 the body decrease in number, and have a blue tinge. The shoulder spot becomes dark, but the spot on the 

 upper edge of the eye remains. 



The black shoulder sjoot has been omitted in Bl. Schneider's figure, which otherwise is not incorrect : 

 when freshly captured the bars across the caudal fin are very distinct. 



Dr. Giinther observes, " Professor Peters has informed us that the dried typical specimen mentioned by 

 Schneider appears to have been lost." (1. c. p. 318). It must however be added that Schneider's specimen in 

 spirit is still in good preservation at Berlin. 



Habitat. — Common along the coasts of India, attaining at least nine inches in length. If it is the same 

 as Amphaccmthus dorsalis, G.V.=Teuthis clorsalis, Cantor, it would appear to be found at Pinang and Java. 



9. Teuthis stellata. 

 Scams stellatus, Forsk. p. 26, No. 10. 



Amphacanthus stellatus, Bl. Schn. p. 209 ; Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 129. 

 Avvphacanthus punctatus, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 46, pi. 11, f. 2 (not Bl. Schn.) 

 Ampliacanthus nuchalis, Cuv. and Val. x, p. 140. 

 Teuthis stellata, Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 320. 



B. v, D. i%, P. 16, V. 2/3, A. |, C. 19. 



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

 1/3 of length of head, H diameters from end of snout, and If apart. The maxilla reaches to below the hind 

 nostril. Fins — fourth dorsal spine the highest, soft dorsal and anal rather pointed : last anal spine the longest : 

 caudal deeply lobed, the upper the longer. Colours — greyish, covered all over with small angular spots of a 

 purplish-brown colour : a greenish-yellow spot in front of the dorsal fin : a dark shoulder spot sometimes present : 

 dorsal and anal fins spotted with brown, the border of the soft rays and of the caudal yellowish. 



A specimen in the Calcutta Museum from the Red Sea has fine white upper edges and dark lower ones 

 to the spots on the body. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, through those of India. 



