PSEUDOCIIROMIDES. 227 



spinous dorsal. Lateral line on raised scales, smaller than those 

 on the body, the tubes are short and unbranched. Colour appears 

 to vary somewhat : one 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. 



Hob. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago ; probably a small 

 species, and apparently rare. 



2. Genus PSEUDOCHROMIS, Riipp. 



Syn. Labristoma, Swains. ; Leptochromis, Bleeker. 



Branch iostegals six; pseudobranchia3. Body rather elongate 

 and compressed. Eyes lateral. Cleft of mouth slightly oblique, 

 lower jaw the longer. Jaws with a single row of teeth laterally, 

 an outer enlarged row anteriorly in premaxillaries, canines in the 

 lower jaw ; teeth on vomer and palate. A single dorsal fin having 

 a few (2-7) spines anteriorly ; pectoral rays branched ; ventrals 

 thoracic. Scales of moderate size. Air-bladder present. Pyloric 

 appendages absent. 



Geoyrapliical Distribution. Eed Sea, seas of India to the Malay 

 Archipelago. 



1001. (1.) Pseudochromls fuscus. (Fig. 82.) 



Pseudochromis fuscus, Mull. $ Trosch. Hor. Ich. 1849, iii, p. 23, 



t. iv, fig. 2. 



Pseudochromis xanthochir, lceJter, Batavia Nut. Tijdsch. viii, 

 p. 443; Day, Fish. India, p. 267, pi. Iviii, fig. 6, Suppl.' p. 791 (see 

 synon.). 



D.3/26. P. 17. V.l/5. A. 3/15. C. 17. L.I. 41. L.tr. 3-5/14. 

 Length of head 3jf, of caudal 5, height of body 3| in the 



Fig. 82. 1'teuddchromisfitectis. 



total length. Eyes diameter 4| in length of head, 1 to H diam. 

 from end of snout, and 1 apart. Preopercle slightly crenulated 



Q2 



