276 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Bleeker (“Atlas Iclithyologique des Iiides Orieiitales NeMaiidaises ”) describes 
and figures Aluteres monoceros with a long, curved, slender, serrated dorsal spine, 
about half as long as body is deep; the body uniformly pale yellow, dark green, or 
greenish yellow, occasionally with irregular, diffuse brown spots; the fins yellow. A 
species of similar form and color, but with a short, smooth dorsal spine, is shown by 
Temminck & Schlegel in their “ Fauna Japonica”; this fish, which they call Aluteria 
cinerea, is very generally referred to the synonomy of A. monoceros. 
Following is Dr. GiintheFs description of this species (under the name AFonacan- 
thus monoceros), based on nine specimens in the British Museum from Asia and Africa: 
D. 18, A. .50. Vertehne 7-13. Skin linely velvety. Body oblong, its depth being two-fifths or 
less than two-fifths of the total length (without caudal). Snout produced, with the upper profile 
convex. Dorsal spine feeble, above the middle of the orbit. Part of the gill-opening in advance of, 
Electoral fin below, the orbit. Caudal fin subtruucate, much shorter than the head; dorsal and anal 
fins low. Ventral spine, none. Uniform brownish. — (Catalogue Fishes British Museum, AUii, p. 251.) 
Day, in his “Fishes of India,” figures a specimen of this species 15 inches long 
from the Andaman Islands; an outline copy of this plate is herewith shown, and the 
description of the species is as follows : 
Dorsal, IJ^. Anal, I”. Length of head about 4, height of body from 2| to in the total body 
length. Eyes rather small, situated between the upper end of gill-opening and first dorsal fin. 
Body oblong, snout moderately produced with its upper profile convex. Vertical fins low; dorsal 
spine weak, rough but barbless. Colors brownish or blackish, the fins yellow. 
The most recent description of this species is that of Jordan & Evermann, who 
embody Giinther’s description and amplify as follows (loc. cit.) : 
Depth 2|^ to 2 §. D. i, 48 ; A. 50 ; vertebrae 7 13. Body oblong ; snout jiroduced, with upper profile 
convex. Dorsal spine slender, short, not one-half longer than eye, above middle of orbit. Lower part of 
gill-opening in advance of eye ; pectoral fin below posterior jiart of orbit. Caudal fin subtruncate, or 
double concave, with acute angles; much shorter than head, and shorter than its own peduncle ; dorsal 
and anal fins low ; ventral spine, none. Skin finely velvety. Color uniform brownish-olive, or grayish, 
iinely mottled with darker, the region below dorsal with faint dusky spots amid paler reticulations. 
It may not be without interest now to refer to Parra’s and Poey’s accounts of the 
Cuban fish tliat has been supposed to be identical with the East Indian form. Parra 
describes and figures the sjiecies in his rare and interesting work entitled “Descrip- 
tion de Diferentes Piezas de Ilistoria Natural” (1787), which had the distinction of 
being one of the earliest books published in Havana and of containing the first copper- 
