16 TELEOSTEI. ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



black edge to the caudal ; ventral dark, with orange-coloured rays ; 

 pectoral blackish. 

 Hob, East coast of Africa, seas of India and Malay Archipelago. 



745. (2.) Holacanthus nicobariensis. 



Chsetodon nicobarcensis, SI. Schn. Syst. Ich. p. 219, t. 50. 

 <^~ Holacanthus nicobariensis, Day, Fish. India, p. 112, pi. xxviii,fig. 

 ^ (var. semicirculatus) (see synon.). 



D. 13-14/21. P. 19. V. 1/5. A. 3/20-21. C. 18. L. r. 85-90/75-80. 

 Length of head 4, height of body 2 to 2| in the total length. 

 Eyes diameter 3 to 3^ in length of head, 1 diam. from end of 

 snout, and $ to 1 diam. apart. Preopercular spine smooth, and 

 equal in length to | or 1 diam. of orbit. Fins dorsal spines 

 shorter than the rays, the soft dorsal angularly rounded in adult; 

 anal and caudal rounded. Scales minute, about thirteen rows 

 between lateral line and base of sixth dorsal spine. Colour this 

 fish shows different distributions of the same colours. In the 

 young (H. striatus) the side is deep blue, with slightly curved ver- 

 tical bands, alternately white and bluish white, the white being the 

 broader. Caudal white, with or without a narrow black outer 

 margin. In the adult (H. semicirculatus) the vertical bands have a 

 more curved direction, the convexity being forwards. In typical 

 H. nicobariemis this is still more apparent, a white spot or short 

 transverse band being the centre around which the body-bands are 

 curved. In both the last varieties the tail-fin is coloured. 

 Several excellent ichthyologists consider these to be three distinct 

 species, and not colour-varieties of one form. 



Hob. Red Sea, east coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay 

 Archipelago and beyond. 



746. (3.) Holacanthus annularis. 



Chsetodon annularis, Bl. Ich. t. 215, fig. 2. 



Holacanthus annularis, Day, Fish. India, p. 112, pi. xxix, fig. 1 (see 

 synon.). 



Jatipyna, Tel. ; Lolla ierate, Mai. ; Nya-lyk-pya, Arrak. ; Dood-ka- 

 mal, Chittagong. 



D. 13/20-21. P. 20. V. 1/5. A. 3/19-21. C. 17. 

 Length of head 4|, height of body If in the total length. 

 Eyes diameter 3| in length of head, 1| diam. from end of snout 

 and also apart. Preopercular spine smooth and as long as diameter 

 of orbit. Fins dorsal spines increase in length to the last ; soft 

 portion of fin angular, in adults often produced, that of anal 



rounded ; third anal spine the longest. Scales small. Colour 



sienna, with a bine ring on the shoulder. Two narrow horizontal 

 blue bauds cross the head to the opercles, the upper through the 

 eyes, the lower across the snout, and meet a third vertical band ; six 



