258 ORDER ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Coricus, Cuv. 



All the characters of a crenilabrus ; in addition to 

 which the mouth is nearly as protractile as that of an 

 epibulus. 



The species known are small, and from the Medi- 

 terranean \ 



We must remove the following fishes from the 

 genus sparus, in order to place them near coricus, or 

 cheilinus. 



Epibulus, Cuv. 



Remarkable for the excessive protractility of their 

 mouth, which, by a see-saw motion of their maxil- 

 laries, and the sliding forwards of their intermaxil- 

 laries, instantly becomes a kind of tube. They employ 

 this artifice to capture the small fry which pass within 

 reach of this singular instrument ; it is also resorted 

 to by the corici, zei, and smares, according to the 

 greater or less protractility of their jaws. 



The entire body and head of an epibulus is covered 

 with large scales, the last range of which even en- 

 croaches upon the anal and caudal fins, as is the case 

 in cheilinus ; the lateral line is similarly interrupted, 



Parra, pi. iii. f. 1. Add Lutjanus notatus, Bl. 251. 2. L. violacens, 

 or L. Linkii, Bl. 252. L. virescens, Bl. 254. 1. Lab. burgul, 

 Schcepf., or L. chogset, Mitch, iii. 2? L. chrysops, Bl. 248. 



1 The Lutjanus viridens, and the L. Lamarckii, Riss., first edition. 

 In the second he adopts this subgenus, and adds to it a Coricus 

 rnbescens. 



