2C4 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



length without the snout, and its height equals 4/7 of its length. Snout somewhat pointed. Cleft of mouth 

 rather ohlique, the maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the eye. Greatest depth of preorbital equals 

 1 diameter of the eye. Preopercle entire : a spine on opercle and another at shoulder. Teeth — outer row in 

 upper jaw enlarged, as are also 8 or 10 of the anterior ones in the lower jaw, also four or five of the outer 

 ones in the middle of the lateral teeth : teeth on vomer. Fins — fourth dorsal spine longest and equal to 1 

 diameter of the orbit. Pectoral equals 3/4 of the length of the head. Ventral reaches the anal. Caudal cut 

 square, having its upper ray a little prolonged. Colours — upper half of body and head grayish-brown with 

 irregular vertical gray lines, also one or two narrow and interrupted or entire lines along the side : three or 

 more white spots each having a black centre along either side of the abdomen. Some narrow dark lines pass 

 obliquely backwards and downwards from the eye over the sides of the head, others go directly backwards. A 

 black spot on the base of the first dorsal, its edges also dark : three rows of black spots along the soft dorsal 

 which also has a dark edge, one along the anal. A large black blotch on the caudal extending half its length, 

 and having a large white blotch behind it, the whole of the caudal vertically barred with spots. 



In the " Catal. of Pishes of the British Museum," P. polyophthalma is united with P. hexophthahna, 

 but in the Pishes of Zanzibar they are again separated for the reasons advanced in Cuv. and Val. : that- 

 all the specimens with three ocellated spots on each side (P. hexophthalma) , have about ten narrow oblique 

 brown lines radiating from the lower part of the eye, over the opercles, whilst the specimens with six or seven 

 ocelli on each side (P. polyophthalma') have the sides of the head dotted. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. The 

 specimen figured (from the Andamans) is 8 inches in length. 



Genus, 2 — Sillago,* Cuv. 

 Sillaginodes and Sillaginopsis, Gill. 



Branchiostegals six : pseiulobranchice. Body elongated, somewhat cylindrical. Head conical, with its 

 muciferous system well developed. GUI-openings wide : eyes lateral or directed slightly upwards. Cleft of 

 mouth short : the upper jaiv the longer. Preopercle serrated or crenulated : opercle ending in a point. Villiform 

 teeth in thejaivs with the outer roiv rather conical, also present on vomer, none on the palatines. Two dorsal fins, the 

 first with nine to twelve spines, which are less than the rays (19-27) of the soft dorsal, which last is similar to the anal : 

 ventrals thoracic, with one spine and five rays : loiver pectoral rays branched. Scales ctenoid. Lateral-line not 

 continued on to the caudal fin. Air-vessel simple. Pyloric appendages few. 



These fishes having much the appearance of Scicena and placed in that genus by Bloch, are 

 esteemed light and wholesome food : as they ascend rivers and tidal estuaries they may be captured almost 

 throughout the year. 



Geographical distribution. — Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



SYNOPSIS OP SPECIES. 



1. Sillago domina, D. 9 | - 5 - 5 -l-2 T , A. -^-yti L. 1. 90. Second dorsal spine very elongate. Upper portion of 

 Bay of Bengal to Burma and the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Sillago sihama, D. 10-11 | ^-Tst A- tt-ts> L. 1. 70-74, L. tr. 5-6/12. Eyes, diameter 4 to 5 in length 

 of head. A silvery longitudinal band : minute black points on dorsal and anal fins. Red Sea, seas of India to 

 the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



3. Sillago maculata, D. 11 | Jg-, A. -J^, L. 1. 70, L. tr. 6/10. Eyes, diameter 2| in length of head. Dark 

 blotches along the sides, first dorsal superiorly black. Andamans and the Malay Archipelago to S.E. Australia. 



1. Sillago domina, Plate LVIII, fig. 3. 



Cuv. and Val. hi, p. 415, pi. 69 ; Cuv. Reg. Anim. 111. Poiss. pi. 13, f. 1 ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 205 ; 

 Cantor, Catal. p. 21 ; Gimther, Catal. ii, p. 246. 



Sillaginopsis domina, Gill. Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Phil. 1861, p. 505. 

 Yarra-soring, Tel. : Tool-danti, Ooriah. 



B. vi, D. 9 | ygVr, p - 24 > V. 1/5, A. ^Vr, C. 19, L. 1. 90, L. tr. 5-6/14, Case. pyl. 4. 



Length of head 3| to 4, of pectoral 6, of caudal 7 to 8, height of body 7 to 8 in the total length. 

 Byes — situated in the commencement of the anterior half of the head, 3^ to 4 diameters from end of snout, and 

 l£ to 2 apart. Body, subcylindrical. Head depressed, pyriform : cheeks, swollen. Greatest width of head 

 equals 2^, and its height 2-1- in its length : upper jaw the longer : the maxilla extends to half way between the 

 snout and the anterior extremity of the orbit : opercle with a very small spine in the centre of its posterior 

 margin : other opercles entire. Teeth — villiform in both jaws with an external conical row, the largest (four) being 

 in the centre of the upper jaw. A transverse semicircular band of villiform ones on the vomer. Fins — dorsal 

 commences slightly behind the pectoral, its first spine short, its second of varying length, but hi large specimens 

 appears usually to extend to the base of the caudal fin, there are some fine scales on the interspinous membrane 

 between it and the third spine. Second dorsal rather highest in front where it equals 2/3 of the height of the body .- 

 pectoral rounded. The first two rays of the anal are undivided and have articulated extremities, form of fin 

 similar to that of the second dorsal : caudal lobed, the upper the longer. Scales — strongly ctenoid, in regular 

 horizontal rows, extending over cheeks, and between the eyes, as far forwards as the anterior nostril. Some fine 

 ones over the base of the pectoral and nearly to the extremity of caudal. Lateral-line — descends very gently 



* Family, Sillaginid;e, Richardson. 



