Jordan and Thompson (1914, Mem. Carn. Mus., vol. vi, pt. 4, p. 251) have instituted the genus Franzia for Anthias nobilis and other species in which the spinous as well as the soft portion of the dorsal fin is scaly.

If this genus is accepted, Anthias squamipinnis should be transferred to it.

Small brightly coloured fishes from tropical and subtropical seas.

1873-76. Bleeker, Atl. Ichthyol., vol. vii, pp. 18, 19, pl. cclxxxviii, figs. 1, 4 (chirospilus and lepidolepis).

1891. Sauvage, Hist. Madagasc. Poiss., p. 133, pl. xvii, fig. 1.

1895. Boulenger, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ed. 2, vol. i, p. 329 (references).

1917. Regan, Ann. Durban Mus., vol. i, pt. 5, p. 458.

Depth 2-3, length of head 3, in length of body. Eye slightly greater than snout, 3-3 in length of head. Serrae of preopercle slightly enlarged at angle, which is rounded. Tongue smooth. D X 17-18, 1st and 2nd spines shortest, 3rd longest and sometimes produced in a long filament. A III 7-8, 1st shortest, 2nd about as long as but stronger than 3rd. Soft dorsal and anal pointed behind. Caudal emarginate, outer rays more or less filamentous. Scales present on snout, interorbital and maxilla, spinous and soft dorsal 2-3 15-17

and anal; 1.1. 40-44; 1.tr.

anterior arch.

Length.-Up to 100 mm.

Gill-rakers 26, on lower part of

Colour.-Red or rosy, a broad bluish or violet stripe from eye to base of pectoral; spinous dorsal, caudal, and outer half of ventral rosy; inner half of ventral violet, pectoral with red blotches, soft dorsal and anal violet, with rosy spots, upper part of iris violet.

Locality.-Natal coast.

Distribution.-East coast of Africa, East Indies.

The elongation of the 3rd dorsal spine may possibly be a characteristic of adult males; Sauvage (loc. cit. p. 134) considers that it is not a specific character.

Anthias manadensis Blkr.

1856. Bleeker, Act. Soc. Sc. Ind. Neerl., vol. i, No. 6, p. 39. 1873-76. Id., Atl. Ichthyol., vol. vii, p. 19, pl. cclxxxviii, fig. 5. 1895. Boulenger, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ed. 2, vol. i, p. 329. 1917. Regan, Ann. Durban Mus., vol. i, pt. 5, p. 458.

Similar to squamipinnis, but 3rd dorsal spine not longer than 4th, soft dorsal and anal rounded behind.

Colour.-Red or rosy above, golden on sides, with rose-coloured longitudinal stripes, fins yellow or orange with white (or blue) edge, soft dorsal dotted with yellow.

Locality.-Natal coast.

Distribution.-East Indies.

It seems not unlikely that this form may prove to be the female of squamipinnis.

There is a specimen from Natal in the South African Museum which is indistinguishable from squamipinnis morphologically, but which differs slightly in coloration. It is orange, without stripes, with a narrow violet streak from eye to base of pectoral, fins pale yellowish, soft dorsal dotted with orange.

*Anthias huchtii Blkr.

1857. Bleeker, Act. Soc. Sc. Ind. Neerl., vol. ii, p. 38. 1873-76. Id., Atl. Ichthyol., vol. vii, p. 17, pl. ccxc, fig. 1. 1895. Boulenger, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ed. 2, vol. i, p. 329. 1917. Regan, Ann. Durban Mus., vol. i, pt. 5, p. 458.

Depth 2, length of head 31-31, in length. Eye 3-33 in length of head. Serrae of preopercle slightly enlarged at angle, which is rounded. D X 17, 1st and 2nd spines shortest, 3rd slightly longer than 4th. A III 7. Caudal emarginate, outer rays more or less produced. Scales on soft dorsal and anal, snout, interorbital, and 3 Gill-rakers 25 on lower part of anterior arch.

maxilla; 1.1. 37; 1.tr.

16

Length.-Up to 90 mm.

Colour.-Rosy, more or less brownish on back, with or without ill-defined cross-bands, a broad pale streak from eye to base of pectoral. Locality.-Natal coast.

Distribution.-East Indies.

*Anthias (Sacura) natalensis Fowl.

1925. Fowler, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., vol. lxxvii, p. 226, text-fig. 2.

Depth 2, length of head nearly 3, in length of body. Eye 4 in length of head, about equal to snout. Maxilla reaching to below centre of eye. Serrae of preopercle minute. Tongue (?) smooth. D X 18, 1st and 2nd spines shortest, 4th and 5th longest, 3rd ray produced in a filament which reaches base of caudal. A III 8, spines. short, 3rd 3 in length of head. Ventral rays not produced. Caudal 9 Gill-rakers 24 on

lunate, lobes filamentous. Scales: 1.1. 42; 1.tr

lower part of anterior arch.

Length.-438 mm.

18

Colour.-Uniform pale brown, probably rosy in life.

Locality.-Natal coast, 25 fathoms.

Type in Philadelphia Academy of Sciences.

Allied to the Japanese margaritaceus Hilg.

Gen. CALLANTHIAS Lowe.

1839. Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 76.

1895. Boulenger, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ed. 2, vol. i, p. 333.

1899. Ogilby, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., vol. xxiv, p. 175 (Anogramma).

1919. Fage, Dan. Ocean. Exp., vol. ii, A 3, p. 33 (post-larval stages). Scales ctenoid. Maxilla exposed, without supplemental bone. Teeth villiform in jaws, with canines; a few teeth on vomer and palatines, none on tongue. Preopercle not serrated. Gill-rakers very long and slender. Spinous portion of dorsal longer than soft portion, not divided by a notch. Anal with 3 spines. Dorsal and anal not scaly. Caudal emarginate. Lateral line single, running close to base of dorsal fin and lost on upper surface of caudal peduncle or under last dorsal rays.

Mediterranean and neighbouring parts of Atlantic, Australasia, west coast of S. America.

*Callanthias allporti Gnthr.

1876. Günther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), vol. xvii, p. 390.

1895. Boulenger, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ed. 2, vol. i, p. 335, pl. xv. 1899. Id., Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7), vol. iii, p. 346 (platei nec Steindachner).

1911. McCulloch, Sci. Res. "Endeavour," vol. i, p. 51.

1921. Waite, Rec. S. Austr. Mus., vol. ii, pt. 1, p. 91, fig. 137. 1923. Von Bonde, Fish. Mar. Surv. Spec. Rep., i, p. 13.

Depth 2 (adult)-3 (young), length of head 3-4 (adult), in length of body. Eye 2-3 in length of head, greater than snout. Lower jaw not projecting. Canines strong. Vomerine teeth often small or absent. Maxilla reaching to below centre of eye. Gillrakers 26 on lower part of anterior arch. D XI 10-11, spines graduated. A III 10. Height of vertical fins varying with age. (McCulloch). Caudal slightly emarginate. Scales: 1.1. 42-43, ending 1

on caudal peduncle; 1.tr.

Length.-Up to 300 mm.

18-20°

Colour.-Uniform red, vertical fins with violet margins.

Locality.-Natal coast.

Distribution.-S. and S.E. Australia, Tasmania.

Gen. THERAPON Cuv.

1817. Cuvier, Règne Anim., vol. ii, p. 295.

1829. Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. iii, p. 138 (Datnia) and p. 145 (Pelates).

1876. Bleeker, Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. xi, p. 267 (Mesopristes). 1915. Boulenger, Freshw. Fish. Afr., vol. iii, p. 113.

1916. Ogilby and McCulloch, Mem. Queensl. Mus., vol. v, p. 99. Scales ctenoid. Maxilla exposed, without supplemental bone. Teeth villiform in jaws, with an outer series of canines; small teeth on vomer and palatines. Preorbital usually serrated. Preopercle serrated. Opercle with the lower spine usually strong. Suprascapula as well as the coracoid usually exposed and denticulate. Gill-rakers short, stout. Spinous and soft dorsal divided by a notch. Anal with 3 spines. Dorsal and anal with a scaly sheath at base. Caudal rounded, truncate, or emarginate. Lateral line single, not close to dorsal profile.

Moderate-sized fishes from the Indian and Pacific Oceans, sometimes

entering rivers. The species are somewhat dissimilar in external appearance, and several genera have been proposed.

1. Body ovate.

Key to the South African species.

a. Lower opercular spine very strong (Therapon).

i. 7-8 scales between lateral line and spinous dorsal

ii. 14-15 scales between lateral line and spinous dorsal

b. Opercular spines feeble (Pelates).

theraps.

jarbua. quadrilineatus.

2. Body elevated. Lower opercular spine not strong and prominent (Mesopristes, syn. Datnia)

argenteus.

*Therapon theraps C. and V.

1829. Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. iii, p. 129, pl. liii.

1913. Weber," Siboga " Exped. Monogr., 57, p. 255, fig. 64 (colour variations of young).

1916. Ogilby and McCulloch, Mem. Queensl. Mus., vol. v, p. 102. 1916. Thompson, Mar. Biol. Rep., vol. iii, p. 131 (references). Body ovate. Depth 34, length of head 3-4, in length of body. Eye equal to snout, 3 in length of head, a little greater than interorbital width. Maxilla reaching to below anterior margin of eye. Preorbital serrated. Lower opercular spine very strong. Suprascapular and coracoid strongly denticulate. D XII 10, 3rd-5th spines longest. A III 8-9. Caudal forked. Scales: 1.1. 50-55, 7-8 between lateral line and dorsal; 5-6 series on cheek. Nostrils close together. Length.-Up to 170 mm.

Colour. In adult, silvery with 3 (sometimes 4) black longitudinal stripes (usually straight), a large black blotch between 3rd and 7th dorsal spines, soft dorsal with dark margin, anal with a dark band, caudal with 2 oblique dark bands on each lobe; in the young reddishbrown with 5 vertical silvery cross-bands; these silver cross-bands gradually break up into spots and then become longitudinally elongated, spreading over the whole side and restricting the dark colour to the 3 stripes found in the adult.

Locality.-False Bay.

Distribution.-East coast of Africa, Indian seas, China, Australia, and Western Pacific.

Günther's record of a specimen from False Bay seems to be the only record of this species in South African waters.