62 TELEOSTEI. ACANTIIOPTEBYGII. 



diameter 3| in length of head (in a specimen 3| inches long), 

 1 diarn. from end of snout, and | apart. Interorbital space scale- 

 less, deeply concave, traversed by two low ridges ending behind in 

 a strong spine. Preopercle with three spines on its vertical border ; 

 turbinal spines present. Two or three spines along the upper 

 edge of the orbit, its hind margin likewise serrated. Eidges in a 

 stellate form on the preorbital, one is continued backwards across 

 the suborbitals and cheeks to the superior preopercular spine ; 

 spines on occipital and temporal ridge. A long orbital tentacle 

 more than half length of head ; fleshy tentacles along lower edge 

 of preorbital, the hind one over angle of mouth very large. Fins 

 dorsal spines increase in length to the seventh, remaining about 

 equal to the tenth, or as long as the height of the body and higher 

 than the rays ; the upper four pectoral rays with filamentous pro- 

 longations, and reaching base of caudal ; ventrals reach anal spines, 

 the third of which is slightly the longest ; caudal wedge-shaped. 

 Colour body vertically banded ; a black blotch with a white cen- 

 tral spot in the axilla ; dorsal spines annulated with black ; soft 

 dorsal and anal with black spots in irregular lines ; four or five 

 sinuous vertical bands on the caudal ; pectoral and ventral with 

 black transverse bands and lines as wide as the ground-colour or 

 wider. 



Hob. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beypnd. I 

 have this species from the Andamans. 



805. (4.) Pterois volitans. 



Gasterosteus volitans, Linn. Srjst. Nat. i, p. 491. 



Pterois volitans, Day, Fish. India, p. 154, pi. xxxvii, fig. 1 (see 



synon.). 

 Kombada, Marathi ; PurrooaJi, Mai. ; Cheeb-ta-ta-dah, Andam. 



D. 12 | 1/10-11. P. 14. A. 2-3/7-6. L. r. 90. L. tr. 13 . Cscc. pyl. 3. 

 Length of head 3f to 4^, height of body 3 to 3^ in the total 

 length. Eyes diameter 4 to 4| in length of head, i| to lj cliain. 

 from end of snout, and 1 apart. Interorbital space deeply concave, 

 it and the nape scaleless, or with some very rudimentary scales ; it 

 is traversed by two low ridges which do not terminate posteriorly 

 in spines. Preopercle with spines on its vertical border and 

 lower limb ; turbinal spines present ; upper edge of orbit, occipital 

 ridge, temporal ridge, and lower margin of preorbital spiny, and a 

 raised line, sometimes almost spiny, runs across the cheeks from pre- 

 orbital to upper preopercular spine. Opercular spine but slightly 

 developed. A long tentacle from upper edge of the orbit about 

 half the length of the head ; also fleshy tentacles along the lower 

 edge of the preorbital, the hindmost largest. Fins the first ten 

 dorsal spines are high, and equal to the height of the body, or 

 one half more, the interspiuous membrane deeply emarginate ; soft 

 portion of fin not so high as spinous ; pectoral reaching to the 

 root of caudal or beyond, membrane between upper four rays deeply 



