CARANGID.E. 183 



length of head, rather above 1 diarn. from end of snout, and 1| 

 apart. Dorsal profile more convex than abdominal, very obtuse 

 from snout to above the eyes. Angle of preopercle rounded and 

 entire. Fins anterior* portions of dorsal and anal very prolonged 

 in young, extending (at inches in length) nearly | length of entire 

 fish beyond end of caudal, ventral reaching end of caudal ; these 

 fins become comparatively much shorter as age advances. Caudal 

 with its central rays slightly prolonged, making the posterior end 

 .of the fin concave in each half. Colour in the young greyish, 

 with an ocular band about as wide as the eye passing downwards 

 to the ventral fin ; a second from dorsal spines and first rays 

 behind the head, includes base of pectoral, and is lost between 

 ventral and anal ; a very broad band passes from the last f of 

 dorsal to same part of anal ; a narrow band over root of caudal. 

 Pins black, with the exception of the pectoral and ventral, 

 which are yellow except at their bases. The bands disappear with 

 age. 



Hob. Red Sea, seas of India, Malay Archipelago and beyond ; 

 attaining at least 20 inches in length. Russell says the flavour 

 of this fish is excellent, and Cantor makes the same remark. 



949. (2.) Platax vespertilio. 



Chffitodon vespertilio, Block, Ich. t. 199, fig. 2. 

 Platax vespertilio, Day, Fish. India, p. 236, pi. li A, fig. 5 (see 

 synon.). 



D. 5/35-37. P. 17. V. 1/5. A. 3/26-28. C. 17. L. 1. 65/55/60. 



Height of body, excluding vertical fins, rather more than its 

 length without the caudal fin. Eyes diameter 3 in length of head, 

 1 diam. from end of snout and also apart. Dorsal profile more 

 convex than abdominal, not quite vertical from occiput to snout. 

 Angle of preopercle rounded, and its lower edge feebly serrated. 

 Fins the anterior portion of the dorsal fin elevated, its height 

 exceeds the length of its base by about 3 the distance between the 

 snout and its front edge. Ventral reaches to about the middle of 

 the base of the anal fin ; anal f as high as dorsal. Caudal slightly 

 emarginate. Lateral line the upper curve below base of first dorsal 

 ray is at nearly one third of the height of the body from the back. 

 Colour brownish, fins black, and last two thirds of 'pectoral yellow. 

 In the youny there is a narrow ocular band scarcely above g the width 

 of the orbit, passing through the eye to the base of the ventral fin ; 

 a second, also narrow, from just anterior to the base of the dorsal, 

 descends behind the base of the pectoral towards the anal ; a third 

 over commencement of free portion of tail, and occasionally a 

 fourth at base of caudal fin, which is yellow. 



Hob. Eed Sea, east coast of Africa, seas of India, Malay Archi- 

 pelago, and beyond. 



