204 
THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
Scales—On the cheeks. Summit of head scaleless. 
Lateral line—Straight. 
Colours—Body olive green, becoming lightish brown on the sides, and dirty white on the 
abdomen. Nine brown bars pass from the back half way to the lateral line, and a number of smaller 
ones as well as some irregular bands descend along the sides to just below the lateral line. A 
black bar at the base of the caudal, and a black spot on the upper half of the opercle. Dorsal 
with two brown bars, the lowest of which is sometimes red. Caudal with three wide brown bars, 
and a dark brown tip. 
Habitat—Malabar. 
Genus PLATACANTHUS, Day. 
Branchiostegals three. Body elongate, and moderately compressed : back low : a fleshy keel midway 
between termination of the dorsal and commencement of the 
caudal fin, on to which it is continued for a short distance. Eyes 
veiled. A free bifurcated suborbital spine situated close to the 
lower margin of the orbit: snout obtuse, no tubercle on end of 
lower jaw. Eight cirri, two on snout, four on superior maxillaries, 
and two on lower jaw. Nostrils simple. Dorsal fin arises oppo¬ 
site the ventral in the centre of the body. The internal ray of 
the pectoral forming a large flattened spine, half the length of the 
soft rays. Caudal emarginate. Scales over opercular and suborbital region. No swimming bladder 
apparent. 
Platacanthus agrensis. PI. XIV. f. 2. 
Platacantiius agrensis, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 296. 
B. iii. D. 7. P. i. V. 7. A. 6. C. 16. 
Length of head A, of pectoral of base of dorsal j 1 ^, of base of anal of caudal of the 
total length. Height of head A, of body of dorsal yk, of anal A of the total length. 
Eyes—Diameter of length of head, 1 diameter from end of snout, ^ a diameter apart. A 
strong bifurcated suborbital spine arises below the orbit close to its anterior margin, and then 
passes backwards with a slight inward curve. 
Body elongated and compressed. Profile curving considerably from the snout to opposite the 
orbits; from the back of the head to the caudal it is nearly straight: a raised adipose keel passes 
along the posterior sixth of the back, and extends on to the upper surface of the base of the caudal 
fin. Sides compressed, but with a slight bulging just before the commencement of the caudal. 
Opening of the mouth below, transversely oval, and extending a very short distance posteriorly. 
End of snout fleshy and overhanging the mouth. Lips thick, and continuous, no enlargement of 
intermaxillaries, or tubercle on the lower jaw. Cirri, two fleshy ones on the snout with their bases 
not united ; four on the superior maxillaries, and two on the lower jaw; the longest cirrus reaches 
as far as the eye. Nostrils midway between the orbit and the end of the snout ; neither of them 
tubular. Upper margin of the orbit close to the profile. Eyes covered with a veil. Opercles 
rounded posteriorly. Interorbital space smooth and scaleless. 
