FAMILY, XXII— PSEUDOCHROMLDES. 207 



Length of head 1/4, of caudal 1/9 to 1/10, height of body 1/6 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 1/4 

 of length of head, 1/2 a diameter from end of snout, and 1/4 of a diameter apart. Greatest "width of the head is 

 rather above 1/2 its length. Snout obtuse : cleft of mouth commences anteriorly opposite the middle of the 

 eyes : the maxilla is elongated and reaches at its posterior extremity to the base of the pectoral fin, it has a 

 membraneous connection with the cheek. Opercles entire. Teeth — in a rather large row of curved ones in 

 either jaw, with a few villiform ones posteriorly at the symphysis. Fins — dorsal spines weak, not quite so high 

 as the rays. Pectoral as long as 4/9 of length of head: ventral slightly longer. Caudal rounded. Scales — 

 small. Lateral-line — ceases below middle of dorsal fin. Colours — yellowish marbled with brown, inside of upper 

 jaw with two deep bluish bands on a white ground, one of which shows along the upper edge of the maxilla. 

 Dorsal fin with a dark blue ovate spot between its fourth and eighth spines, cloudy marks and spots over the fin : 

 base of anal light coloured, externally dark. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas of India. 



2. Opisthognathus Rosenbergii, Plate LVIII, fig. 5. 



Bleeker, Mas, p. 220 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 256. 



Gnathypops Rosenbergii, Bleeker, Opisthognathoidei (1873), p. 9, fig. 1. 



Natsooli, Tarn. 



B. vi, D. i-J, P. 21, V. 1/5, A. -ft, C. 12, L. 1. 76. 



Length of head 4|-, of caudal 6§, height of body 5 in the total length. Eyes — diameter 3J in length of head, 

 1/2 a diameter from end of snout, and 1/6 of a diameter apart. Greatest width of head equals 4/7 of its length, 

 and its height its length excluding the snout. Snout obtuse. Cleft of mouth commences anteriorly opposite the 

 middle of the eye : the maxilla (the length of which equals that of the postorbital portion of the head) reaches to 

 rather beyond the vertical from the hind edge of the eye, it is truncated and does not nearly extend to the angle 

 of the preopercle. Opercles entire. Teeth — villiform opposite the symphysis in either jaw, with an outer row of 

 enlarged and somewhat curved ones in either jaw (largest in the upper), which are continued along their rami. 

 Fins — -dorsal spines weak, and not so high as the rays. Pectoral as long as the head behind the eye. Ventral 

 reaches more than half way to vent. Caudal rounded. Scales — about 26 rows below the lateral-line to the 

 commencement of the anal fin, none above it so far as the end of the spinous dorsal. Lateral-line — on raised 

 scales, smaller than those on the body, the tubes are short and unbranched. Colours — appear to vary somewhat, 

 the one figured (life-size) from Madras, has the body somewhat blotched, the dorsal and anal fins edged with 

 black, and four large black blotches on the lower two-thirds of that fin : ventrals black. In a drawing amongst 

 Sir W. Elliot's collection the dorsal and caudal are blacker, with five white bands on the former, and two white 

 spots on the latter fin. Bleeker's figure shows five black blotches along the lower half of the dorsal fin, and the 

 caudal white with two wide black bands. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. The one figured is the only one I obtained at Madras. 

 It is probably a small species, and apparently rare. 



Genus, 2 — Pseudochromis, Biipp. 



Labristoma, Swains. ; Leptochromis, Bleeker. 



Branchiostegals six : pseudobranchioz. Body rather elongated and compressed. Eyes lateral. Cleft of mouth 

 slightly oblique, lower jaw the longer. Jaivs with a single row of teeth laterally, an outer enlarged row anteriorly in 

 premaxillaries, canines in the lower jaw : teeth on vomer and palate. Preopercle entire. A single dorsal fin Jiaving 

 a few (2-7) spines anteriorly : pectoral rays branched: ventrals thoracic. Scales of moderate size. Air-vessel present.. 

 Pyloric appendages absent. 



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



SYNOPSIS OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Pseudochromis xanthochir, D. -fg, A. J T , L. 1. 41, L. tr. ft. First six dorsal rays unbranched. Olive 

 colour : dorsal with yellow spots, anal and base of caudal with brown ones, outer hah of caudal yellow. 



1. Pseudochromis xanthochir, Plate LVIII, fig. 6. 



Bleeker, Celebes, p. 443, and Revis. Pseudochr. p. 17, t. 1, f. 3, 4; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 257. 



B. vi, D. A, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. T \, C. 17, L. 1. 41, L. tr. ft. 



Length of head 3f , of caudal 5^, height of body 3| in the total length. Eyes — diameter 4| in length ot 

 head, 1 to 1-| diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. Greatest width of head equals 1/2 its length, and its 

 height equals its length excluding the snout. The maxilla reaches to below the first third of the eye. Preopercle 

 slightly crenulated at its angle : four rows of scales between the eye and angle of the preopercle. Teeth — in a 



blackish with white spots, and a large blue ocellus, having a circular white edge extending from the fourth to the ninth dorsal spines- 

 Anal black, with a white base. Caudal light in two specimens, dark in the third. They are from 4J to 5 inches in length. Jerdon. 

 from his remarks, evidently considered that this is merely a variation in the colours of 0. Soimeratii=0. nigromarginatus ; Dr. Giinther 

 considers it " a verv different species." 



2 ii 2. 



