24 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Tlie specimen termed Serra7uis formos7is, " adult : stuffed Isle de France," in tbe British Museum Catalogue 

 1. c. is, as Dr. Bleeker suggests (Fish. Madagascar, p. 20), identical -n-ith Ejjinephelas PoUeni, Bleeker, 1. c. p. 19 : 

 the caudal is cut nearly square instead of being rounded as in iS'. hoenadc. A beautiful specimen exists in the 

 Paris Museum received from M. Lienard, of the Maui'itius, but the description I am unable to recognise in his 

 papers. 



Habitat. — Seas of India and Malay Archipelago to China. 



26. Serranus miniatus, Plate VI, fig. 2. 



Ferca miniata, Forsk. p. 41 ; Linn. Gmel. p. 1317. 

 Bodianus viiniatus, Bl. Schn. p. 332. 



/SerrrtwiM 7re»»'niMS, RiJpp. Atl. Fische, p. 106, t. xxyi, f. 3; GUnther, Catal. i, p. 118, and in Giarretts. 

 Fische d. Sudsee, Heft, i, p. 5, pi. v; Klunz. Fische d. Roth. Meer. vei-h. z. b. Ges. Wien. 1870, p. Q7fi. 

 Serranus guttatus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 357. 

 Diaeope nimiata, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 433. 

 Cromileptes miniatus, Swains. Fish, ii, p. 201. 



Serranus cyanostigmatoides, Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. xxii, Perc. p. 31 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 117. 

 Hpinephelus cijayiostif/niatoides, Bleeker, Ternate, p. 232, and Atl. Ich. Perc. t. v, f. 3. 

 Epiinejihehis argus, Bleeker, Waigiou. p. 296. 

 Ejnnephelus miniatus, Bleeker Epinephelini, p. 53. 



B. vii, D. TT-T6> P- 18, V. 1/5, A. A, C. 17, L. 1. 90, L. r. \7, L- tr. 14-10/40, dec. pyl. 12 (Madras)— 

 16 (Andamans). 



Length of head from 4/13 to 2/7, of caudal 1/7, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eijes — diameter 

 from 1/5 to 1/6 of length of head, 1 to 1| diameters from the end of snout, and f of a diameter apart. The 

 maxilla reaches to below the posterior third or hind edge of the orbit. Vertical limb of preoperele usually 

 somewhat emarginate above its angle, the whole being finely and evenly seri'ated, as are also the sub- and inter- 

 opercles. Opercular spines well developed, the central one being the largest. Fitis — dorsal spines rather strong, 

 the fourth or fifth somewhat the longest, and equal to one-third the height of the body, the last neai-ly as high 

 as the first ray : pectoral as long as the head, exclusive of the snout, and longer than the ventral, which reaches 

 three-fourths of the way to the vent: caudal rounded. Scales — ctenoid. Colours — uniform scarlet: body, 

 cheeks, opercles, dorsal, caudal, and anal fins covered with large blue spots, the size of which equals the extent 

 of from 2 to 5 scales : two blue spots opposite the base of the pectoral. Two dark streaks from the orbit along 

 the snout. The fins darkest at their margins : two rows of large blue spots along the spinous portion of the 

 dorsal, and six or eight over the soft dor.sal and the anal : one or two spots near the base of the pectoral, which 

 fin is sometimes spotted all over. 



Peters (Wieg. Arch. 1855, p. 235) considered »S'. cyavnstirjma as identical with this species. Bleeker 

 (Epinephelini), p. 56, observes that though closely allied they appear to be distinct, as the colour is constantly 

 different : the scaling of tlie snont is not identical, and it has D. rr-Te'- -P- 16-17, C. 19. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Ai-chipelago and beyond. The specimen figured is 9 

 inches in length. 



27. Serranus guttatus, Plate VI. fig. 3. 



Bodianns guttatus, Bl. t. 224 ; Bl. Schn. p. 330 ; Lacep. iv, p. 296. 



Epinephelus argus, Bl. Schn. p. 301. 



Gephalop'holis argus, Bl. Schn. p. 311, pi. 01. 



Serranus hemistictus, Riipp. Atl. p. 109, t. xxvii, f. 3 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 119 ; Klunzinger, Verh. z. b. 

 Ges. Wien. 1870, p. 680. 



Serranus viyriaster, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 305 ; Riipp. Atl. p. 107, t. xxvii, f. 1 ; Richards. Ich. China, 

 p. 233; Less. Voy.'Coq. Poiss. pi. 37; Bleeker, Nat Tyds. Ned. Ind. vi, p. 192. 



Serranus argus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 360 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 115 ; Peters, Berlin. IMonats. 1865, p. 103. 



Serranus guttatus, Peters, Wieg Arch. 1855, p. 235 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 119, and Fische d. Sudsee, p. 5, 

 t. iv; Kner, Voy. Novara, p. 22 ; Klunz. Fische d. Roth. Meer. 1. c. ji. 686. 



Epi)iephelus argus, Bleeker, Epinephelini, p. 57. 



B. vii, D. xa'x^, P. 18, V. 1/5, A. ^%, C. 17, L. r. \U. L- tr. 21/43, Ca3c. pyl. 8. 



Length of head 1/3 to 2/7, of caudal 1/5, height of body 1/3 to 2/7 of the total length. E//es— diameter 

 from 1/5 to 2/13 of the length of head, 1\ diameters from the end of snout, and 1 apart. The maxUla reaches 

 to beyond the vertical from the hind edge of the orbit.' Pi-eopercle, its vertical limb rounded and finely serrated, 

 lower limb entire : a few serrations on the Lnteropercle. Three well developed opercular spines, the central one 

 being the longest. Teetli — rather small canines in both jaws, the outer row of teeth in the maxiUa and the 

 iimer in the mandible are larger than the villiform bands. Fins — dorsal spines rather strong, increasing in 

 length to the fourth and fifth, which equal about one-third the height of the body : pectoral rather longer than 

 the ventral : second anal spine strongest and slightly longer than the third : soft portions of the dorsal and 

 anal fins angularly rounded : caudal rounded. Scales — ctenoid. Colours — usually reddish-brown and mostly 

 with darker vertical bands ; head, body, and all the fins (except occasionally the pectoral and ventral) covered 

 with numerous small blue spots : dorsal, anal, and caudal with a fine white border. 



In the variety figured, S. hemistictus, the cross bands are not seen : the spots on the upper half of the 

 body are very few, and the pectoral has a broad yellow edge. 



