TAKEN BY THE OFFICERS OF THE BEAGLE ON THE COASTS OF AUSTRALIA,

BY SIR JOHN RICHARDSON, M.D.  F.R.S., ETC.

INSPECTOR OF NAVAL HOSPITALS.

...

Balistes phaleratus.  RICHARDSON.

CH.  SPEC.  B. cauda tot aculeolis quot squamis armata; gena tota squamulis stipatis aspera, nec lines laevibus decursa; squamis majoribus rotuntdatis post aperturam branchiorum; fascia frontali et mtacula caudae nigris:  fascia nigra laterali ab oculo ad caudam extensa, cumque pari suo ter trans dorsum conjugata.

RADII.  D. 3-1 :  25; A. 1 :  23; C. 12; P. 14.

FISHES.  PLATE 1.  Figures 4, 5.

Profile oval, with a somewhat convex nape, and the face descending in a very slightly concave line.  The mouth is on a level with the middle height of the body, and forms the obtuse end of the oval.  The white teeth have their points ranged evenly, the eye is high up but does not touch the profile, and the two contiguous openings of the nostrils are immediately before it.  The gill opening inclines obliquely forward as it descends, touches the middle line of height at its lower end, and its length is equal to a fifth of the altitude of the body.  The scales anterior to the pectorals and gill openings are closer and finer than on the hinder parts of the fish.  On the body each scale is roughened by vertical rows of blunt points, which become more acute towards the hinder part of the flanks, and on the tail one of the points of each scale rises into a minute spine curved towards the caudal fin.  In the narrowest part of the tail there are not above three or four of these spines in a vertical row, but there are ten or more between the posterior parts of the dorsal and anal.  Immediately behind the gill openings there are three roundish scales larger than the others.  The scales of the cheeks are studded with points, which are more minute and rounded than the others, and there are no smooth intervening lines, such as exist on the cheeks of some other species.  The dorsal spine is rather short, thickish, and not acute.  It is strongly roughened by five or six rows of short bluntish and truncated teeth.  The soft dorsal and anal commence with a simple flexible ray which is not jointed.  The other rays have each from four to six rough points near their bases.  The rays of the caudal are alternate.  The ventral spine is short and blunt, and is armed with short divaricated teeth, some of which are forked.  The roughness runs forward on the chine or ventral line, until it passes gradually into the ordinary scales of the head.  The dewlap is very slightly extensible, and but little developed.  It is supported by six thread-like rays, which are all divided to the base.

A black band crosses the forehead from eye to eye.  The upper half of the eye is bordered with black.  The first dorsal exclusive of its last ray is of the same hue; a black band descends from it, and two from the second dorsal, which meet in a stripe that extends from the eye to the tail, the whole bearing some resemblance to the traces of a coach-horse.  There is also a black mark on the upper surface of the tail, and a minute brownish speck on each scale, which specks form very faint rows on the cheeks and belly.  The ground tint is pale or whitish, with some duskiness on the face, as if it had been coloured when recent.  Length, 2 1/4 inches.  Height of body, 1 1/8 inch.