FAMILY, XLI— LABRID^. 411 



The fishes of this Genus appear to be subject to very ^-eat variation in colour, dependant perhaps on 

 age sex, season, or locality. Dr. Giinther observed " their distinctive characters really appear to depend so 

 niuch on the colours, which rapidly fade after death, that it wUl always be very difficult to determine preserved 

 specimens," (Catal. iv, p. 217, 1862). He also remarked " by far the greater portion of our knowledge of this 

 genus is due to the labours of Dr. v. Bleeker, who first pointed out the characters by which the species may 

 be determined." Later (Zool. Record, 1866) he observed on the great variation of colours m fish belonging to 

 this Genus, and in recording his own remarks on the Fishes of Zanzibar, he concluded that the three varieties 

 of colours which he has shown in P. TroscheJU " would be types of three distinct species accordmg to Bleeker s 

 views," (p. 149.) That colours alone should be considered a suiScient diagnosis of species, is I consider open 

 to very grave doubt. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Pseiuloscarus hand. Caudal lobed. Three rows of scales on cheeks, none on lower preopercular limb. 

 Upper lip broad, snout elongated. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Greenish, two red streaks from snout 

 through the eye, and another on lips. Dorsal and anal fins reddish, edged with blue, and with blue bands or 

 spots.^ Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Pseudoscarus chnjsopoma. Caudal truncated. Tliree rows of scales on cheeks, the lower covering 

 the inferior limb of preopercle. Upper lip broad. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Green, blue lines 

 radiate from the eye and cover the lips. Dorsal and anal rosy, with a narrow band along their bases, and green 

 edges. Seas of India and Malay Archipelago. /. , • i i 



3. Pseudosoams ghohham. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks, the lower oi which has 

 five scales, and two scales on lower preopercular limb. Upper lip broad, no pointed tooth at angle of mouth 

 (at least in the young). Lips blue, scales on body with blue edges, vertical fins redcUsh, with blue bases and 

 edges. Red Sea, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



4. Pseiidoscarus amiginosiis. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks and two scales on the 

 lower preopercular limb. Upper lip broad. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth, present or absent. Olive, 

 with three longitudinal silvery bands below the pectoral fin. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



5. Pseudoscarus rivulatus. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks, the lower of which has 

 six scales, and two scales on the lower preopercular limb. Upper lip broad. Usually a pointed tooth at angle 

 of mouth. Green, each scale with a red base. Dorsal and anal reddish, spotted or banded with green. East 

 coast of Africa, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



6 Pseudoscarus erythrodon. Caudal rounded. Two rows of scales on cheeks, none on the lower 

 preopercular limb. Upper lip very broad. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Purplish, a narrow black edge 

 to dorsal fin. East coast of Africa, Andamans, to the Malay Archipelago. 



7. Pseudoscams sordidus. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks, none on the lower 

 preopercular limb. Upper Up naiTOw. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Pink, green, or brown, sometimes 

 with green lips and a blue or green band or spots along the dorsal and anal fins. Red Sea, east coast 

 of Africa, to the Malay Ai-chipelago. 



1. Pseudoscarus harid. 



Scarus harid, Forsk. p. 30 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1282 ; Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 80, t. sxi, f. 1 ; Cuv. and Val. 

 xiv, t. 404 (not description) ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 135; Bleeker, Beng. en Hmd. p. .34. 



Scams mastax, Rupp. Atl. Fish. p. 80, t. ssi, f 2, and N. W. Fische, p. 28 ; Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 246 ; 

 Bleeker, Batav. Nov. Nat. T. Ned. Ind. yi, p. 299. 



Scarus Buppellii, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 259. 



Scarus cyanurus, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 261. 



Scarus latus, (Ehrenb.) Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 245. 



.'' Scarus longiceps, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 241. 



Petronason longicauda, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 226. 



Pseudoscarus mastax, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. i, p. 36, t. x, f. 1. 



Pseudosca/rus harid, Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 220 ; Klunz. Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1861, p. 5bl. 



B. V, D. ^L, p. 15, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 13, L. 1. 25, Vert. 11/13. 



Length of head 4 to 4^ of caudal 4 to 5, height of body 4 in the total length. Eyes— situated in about 

 the middle of the length of head, and about 4 diameters from the end of the snout, which is produced : 

 upper lip broad. Teeth— a, pointed one at the angle. jPm.s— anterior dorsal spines not so high as the 

 succeeding ones : caudal lobes much produced in adult specimens. Scales— three rows on the cheeks, none 

 on the lower preopercular limb. Coto(t?-s— olive-green, with two red streaks passing from the forehead through 

 the eye : lips red, and forming a narrow red band that passes towards the base of the pectoral fin : scales on 

 body with a bluish basal spot and red margin. Dorsal and anal fins reddish edged with blue, and having 

 several rows of blue or green spots. Upper rays of pectoral and outer ones of caudal blue, sometimes two 

 vertical blue lines on the caudal. There may also be blue spots on the side above the vent. 



Hahitat.—'Red Sea, east coast of Africa, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



3 G 2 



