4l6 



FORCIPATED FILE-FISH. 



Balistes Forcipatus. B. cauda bifurca, pinna dorsi maculosa. 

 Lin, Gmel. 



File-Fish with forked tail, and spotted dorsal fin. 

 Guaperva cauda forcipata, pinnis maculosis. Will, ichtli, p. go, 

 1. 1. 22. 



Length about sixteen inches : habit similar to 

 that of jB. Vetiildy from which it hardly seems to be 

 sufficiently distinct : skin marked into scale-like 

 areae : first dorsal fin three-rayed ; the first ray 

 extremely thick and strong : second dorsal fin and 

 anal marked with numerous, small, round spots: 

 tail forcipated: ventral processes rough, strong, 

 and short. Native of the Indian seas. 



WHITE-SIDED FILE-FISH. 



Balistes Signatus. jB. lividus, macula utrinque magna alba, 



pinnis albo marginatis. 

 Livid File-Fish, with a large white spot on each side, and fins 



edged with white. 

 Baliste grand- tache. Cepede. 



A LARGE species, equal in size to the J5. virescens : 

 colour livid brown, paler beneath : on each side the 

 body a very large white spot : almost all the fins 

 edged with white : on each side the head six longi- 

 tudinal rows of warts : tail lunated, with very long 

 tips. Native of the Indian seas : observed by 

 Commerson. 



