32 ACAIs^^THOPTERYGII. 



3. Lutianus erythropterus, Plate X, figs. 1 (j-omig), 2 (adult). 



Lutianus erytliroj-'terus, Bl. t. 249 ; Bl. Schn. p. 325 (not Bleeker). 



Spams chirtah, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 74, pi. 93. 



Diacope ammlaris, Rupp. Atl. p. 91, and N. W. Fisehe, p. 74, pi. 93 ; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. Verh. 

 z. b. Ges. in Wien. 1870, p. 697. 



? Biacope enjthrina, Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 92, t. 25, f. 3; Klunz. Fische Roth. Meer. Verh. z. b. Ges. in 

 Wien. 1870, p. 702. 



Biacope sanguinea, (Ehren.) Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 437 (adult). 



Mesoprion riihelhis, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 475. 



Mesoprion erythropterus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 478. 



Mesoprion ammlaris, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 488, and iii, p. 497 : Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Astr. p. 666, pi. 5, 

 fig. 4 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 229 ; Bleeker, Perc. p. 67 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 14 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 204 ; 

 Kjier. Novara Fische, p. 33. 



Biacope metaUicus, (Kuhl. and v. Hass.) Bleeker, Batav. p. 525. 

 " Mesoprion sanguineus, Bleeker, Perc. p. 48. 



Mesoprion eri/'thrinus, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 192 ; Playfair, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1807, p. 849. 

 . Mesoprion chirtah. Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1868, p. 150, and 1869, p. 297. 



LuijAnus annularis, Bleeker, Obi. p. 240. 



Lutjanus chirtah, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. sxiii, fig. 1, and Lutjani, p. 42. 



Soosta, Ooriah. 



B. vii, D. ri-TT, P- 1'', V. 1/5, A. |, C. 17, L. 1. 52-55, L. r. ig, L. tr. 11-12/25, Csec. pyl. 5-6, Vert. 10/14. 



Length of head 3f to 3|, of caudal 1/5 to 1/6, height of body fi-om_2| to 3^ in the total length. Eyes— 

 diameter 1/5 to 1/6 of the length of the head in the adult, but much larger in the young,* Ii to 2 diameters from 

 end of snout, and Ij to Ii apart. Body compressed, dorsal profile more convex than that of the abdomen, and 

 slightly concave about the orbit. The maxilla, in the adult, scarcely reaches to below the front edge of the 

 orbit. Preopercle with a very shallow emargination on its vertical limb which is finely and evenly serrated to 

 above its angle where the serrations become coarser, they extend for a short distance along its horizontal border : 

 sometimes a very small interopercular knob exists. Teeth — one or two canines on either side of the premaxiUary, 

 an outer row of cui'ved canine-like teeth in either jaw, villifonn ones in a triangular patch on the vomer, and in 

 a rather naiTOW band on the palatines : none on the tongue. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength increasing 

 in length to the fom-th which equals two-fifths to one-tliii-d of the height of the body, from it to the 

 last they are slightly lower and sub-equal in length, the soft portion of the fin more angular in the adult 

 than in the young, the seventh to the tenth rays being the highest, half as long again as the fourth spine, and 

 their height equalling the length of the base of the soft portion of the fin. Pectoral reaching as far as the 

 ventral, and equalling the length of the head behind the posterior nostril : ventral spine as long as the fourth of 

 the dorsal fin : second anal spine somewhat the strongest, but not quite so long as the third which equals the 

 third of the dorsal fin : caudal slightly emarginate or cut square in the young. Scales — in somewhat tortuous 

 rows going in a dii'ection upwards and backwards, they extend over the base of the dorsal fin reaching highest 

 on the I'ays, they are equally developed over the bases of the caudal and anal. Colours — crimson with orange 

 reflections : a broad blackish band passes fi-om the eye to the commencement of the dorsal spines, and is 

 sometimes slightly apparent along the whole base of the fin : eight to twelve narrow and nearly horizontal black 

 lines exist below the lateral-line, and several more above it, some being the continuations of those which 

 commence below the lateral-line. A black band crosses the back over the fi-ee portion of the tail, having a white 

 one before it, and a narrow pink one posterior to it. Pectoral flesh-coloured : ventral either black or stained 

 black in its outer half or two-thirds : dorsal dark grey in some specimens with a nearly black base and a black 

 edge : caudal pink with a narrow black border : anal darkest anteriorly. Li adults (12 inches) the black lines 

 disappear, and each row of scales has a golden line : a trace exists of the band from the eye to the dorsal fin : 

 whilst that over the free portion of the tail is somewhat indistinct. 



Amongst Bloch's typical collection in the Berlin Museum, Professor Peters showed me two of this species, 

 one being young with the distinct colours of the annularis; the other more adult. Bleeker considers the 

 erythrojyterus of Bloch to be identical with L. lineolatus, and certainly the body and fins in the figui-e appear more 

 to resemble that species than the present : the head, (especially the eyes,) difi'ers considerably from the lineolatus. 

 The type specimens have their original names upon them. 



Although Ruppell's figure of Biacope erythrina very closely resembles an adult of this species, he states 

 it to have only 10 dorsal spines. Col. Playfair obtained a " fine specimen" now in the British llusenm, termed 

 erythrinus, which is the adult of this species, but it has 11 dorsal spines, it is nearly 18 inches long, and the eye 

 is 5| in the length of the head. 



In the Berlin Museum is a fine specim.en (21 inches in length) of Biacope sanguinea, (Ehren.) Cuv. and 



* The following are the measurements as to the size of the eye compared with the length of the head in specimens of various ages: 

 At 6 inches in length, 3J in the length of the head. 

 „ "a )j )' j» ^2 »i " '» '» 

 „ i '■ j» ,, ,1 'Ji ij )» )i n 



„ lo ,, ,, ,, 2 ,, » J, ,1 



)) 21 „ „ „ 1/6 ,, ,, „ ,, 



