igot. 



Scharff. — A Remarkable Fish. 



191 



the case of the anal (Mr. I/mgfield's ventral fin)— that this 

 supposed series of small fins was produced after death, and 

 that it was originally one connected fin. 



Another difference from the original was the fact of the 

 first dorsal and the first ventral fin rays being elongated in 

 our Irish .specimen and not so in the other. This, however, 

 is not of serious importance, as in many species of fish the 

 mature male differs from the female by the possession of a 

 similar elongation of the fin ray. The character may, there- 

 fore, be looked upon as a sexual one. 



Luvarus imperialis was first taken on the coast of Sicily by 

 Rafinesque, and described by him in 1808. It has since been 

 noticed again in the Mediterranean, on the west coast of 

 France, at Madeira, and on the coast of Cornwall. There are 

 apparently only three specimens in existence in museums, 

 one in the Museo Civico at Genoa, another in the Musee 

 d'Histoire Naturelle of Paris, and a third in the British 

 Museum. It is to be greatly regretted that the first Irish 

 specimen has not been preserved ; at the same time it is 

 satisfactory to know that we possess such a careful description 

 of the fish as that of Mr. I,ongfield's, who, it is to be hoped, 

 will take steps to secure the next specimen he meets with for 

 one of the Irish museums. 



Luvarus vnpcrialis. One- fourteenth natural size. 



Mr. Iyongfield's photograph not having proved quite suitable 

 for reproduction, I have had a copy drawn replacing the 

 pectoral fin in its right position and restoring the dorsal and 

 anal fins to what I considered was their original structure. 



Science and Art Museum, Dublin. 



