NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 115 



Latridopsis Gill. 



Synonymy. 

 Latris Richardson. 

 Cheilodactylus sp. Richardson. 



Pinna analis dorsali coterminalis, radiis 30 plusve. Palatum edentutum. 



Body subfusiforra, highest above the ventral fins ; caudal peduncle slender. 

 Scales of moderate size. Head compressed, short and conical in profile, with 

 the occipito-nasal outline straight. Eyes moderate, above the rostro-opercular 

 line, submedian and remote from the snout. Scales on the head above and 

 laterally. Preoperculum vertical behind. Mouth small. Teeth only the jaws, 

 where they are small and pluriserial in front. Branchiostegal rays 6 6. Dorsal 

 fin nearly equally divided ; the anterior portion convex and with about seven- 

 teen spines, the last of which are very low. Anal fin long, with three small 

 spines and about thirty or more rays, coterminal with the soft dorsal. Pectoral 

 fins rounded and with its simple rays not produced. 



Type. Latridopsis ciliaris Gill. 



Syn. Latris ciliaris Richardson. 



The present genus and Latris are pre-eminently distinguished from all the 

 other members of this family by the many-rayed anal fin, which is quite long 

 and coterminal with the dorsal fin. The physiognomy is also quite dissimilar 

 to that of other L^tridinae, and would itself sufficiently distinguish them. The 

 only difference from Latris appears to be the absence of teeth on the front of 

 the vomer. As this is unaccompanied by any other modification of importance, 

 it may be urged that, as in the case of Cirrhitus, the two might be combined. 

 The absolute presence or absence of teeth on the palate appears, however, to 

 be of greater value than the slight extension of a patch on neighboring bones, 

 and we have therefore considered the absence of the vomerine teeth as a cha- 

 racter which generically distinguishes the Latris ciliaris from the type of that 

 genus. The dentition of the present genera does not appear to have any analo- 

 gy to that of the Therapoooids, where the presence or absence of palatine teeth 

 appears to be dependent on age, the teeth being deciduous. 



Latridopsis ciliaris Gill. 



Anthias ciliaris Block, Systema Ichthyologise, Sehneid. ed. y p. 310. 

 Sciaena ciliaris Forster. 

 Latris ciliaris Richardsott. 

 Habitat. New Zealand. 



Latris Richardson. 



Synonymy. 



Latris Richardson, Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, vol. iii., 



p. 106. 

 Chilodactylus Richardson. 



Pinna analis dorsali coterminalis, radii 25 plusve. Denies vomerini. 



Body subfusiforra, highest at the ventral fins. Scales of moderate size. Head 

 compressed, short and conical laterally, with the occipito-nasal profile nearly 

 straight. Eyes moderate, above the rostro-opercular line, submedian and re- 

 mote from the snout. Scales on the superior surface and the sides. Pre- 

 operculum vertical behind. Mouth small. Teeth present on the jaws and front 

 of vomer; pluriserial at the symphisis. Branchiostegal rays 6 6. Dorsal fin 

 nearly equally divided into spinous and articulated ; the former is convex and 

 has about seventeen spines, the last of which become very low. Anal fin long 

 and coterminal with articulated portion of the dorsal, provided with three small 

 spines and thirty or more rays. Pectoral fin with none of its simply articu- 

 lated rays produced. 



One species of this genus is known; its relations are discussed in the remarks 

 on Latridopsis. 



1862.] 



