Zoohgy.1 NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Fishes. 



thence tapering in nearly straight line to base of caudal fin. Orbit very large, 

 a little less than one-third the length of the head, and slightly less than its 

 own diameter from tip of snout; space between middle of orbits less than the 

 diameter of orbit. Upper edge of dorsal moderately arched for the first five spines, 

 sloping straightly thence to the twelfth; thirteenth on front part of branched rays, 

 double the length of the twelfth, half the length of the following branched ray; first 

 spine of dorsal slightly sigmoid, two-thirds the length of the second, the third being- 

 longest. Pectoral: Upper rays longest, reaching to base of anal; lower rays 

 branched, the lowest one nearly or quite simple, border of fin convex posteriorly, 

 base under third dorsal spine. Scales: Moderate, rounded, covering the whole of 

 the head (except the interorbital groove and a small similar one in front of dorsal 

 and transverse sulcus behind ej'es) to tip of snout, very rough to the touch, strongly 

 ctenoid on posterior, semicircular margin, and covered with minute, spinulose 

 granules. Lateral line arched and one-eighth of depth from dorsal edge from origin to 

 about under eighth dorsal spine, thence nearly straight to middle of caudal; about 

 one-fourtli the depth from dorsal edge about middle of body. Total length from tip 

 of snout to end of caudal fin of large sjiecimen, 10 in. G lines. Proportional measure- 

 ments to this, as 100: Tip of snout to front edge of orbit, yj,y; diameter of orbit, 

 TBU; ^° snd of maxillary, -x^u) to end of preopercular spine, ^^a; to posterior edge 

 of operculum, Yg'g; to upper base of pectoral, y-jj'ij ; to base of first dorsal spine, y-j^; 

 to base of first branched dorsal spine, ,5^; to first anal spine, j^^jj ; length of second 

 branched ray of dorsal, y\fij ; depth of body, YVo > thickness, y-jj% ; length of first 

 dorsal spine, yV„ ; of second, y^^; of third, i-y^,, ; length of pectoral, y-o''oj length of 

 caudal fin, y-^jjj; first anal spine, -[-J^j; second anal spine, iVV; third anal spine, 

 -,\ny; second branched ray, i^V- Six scales in six lines at middle of body. Colour: 

 Upper part of back and head rich purplish, fading into white on lower edge of belly, 

 with several obscure, longitudinal rows of large, roundish, indefinite, rosy-red spots. 

 Cheeks and lower part of head bright red; pectorals greenish in some, yellowish in 

 others, with a dark, purplish posterior margin. Six or seven concentric rows of red 

 spots on ra3'S with occasionally darker spots between them on membranes. Ventrals 

 with rays red, membrane verj' pale purplish. Spinous portion of dorsal witii the 

 membrane obliquely streaked with pale purplish and obscure, scattered, irregular 

 cloudy spots; branched portion of dorsal with greenish membrane and five or six 

 transverse rows of red spots on rays. Caudal fin with basal half yellowish on mem- 

 brane, but distal half dark purphsh, with a narrow, lighter, posterior edge, the rays 

 transversely banded with six or seven rows of dull red spots. Anal with nearly 

 colourless, purplish membrane and irregular spots on the reddish rays. Iris yellow, 

 with red imperfect circles. 



Reference. — Guichenot, Mem. de la Soc. Imper. des Sc. Nat. de Cherbourg, 

 V. Vti ("Jnd ser., v. 3), p. 83. 



This very common fish in the Melbourne markets in M-inter is 

 confounded by fishermen and dealers with the Banded Ked Gurnet- 

 Perch (Sebastes percoides) — (figured on our plate 33, of the Fourth 

 Decade) — under the name of Red Gurnet. It is easily distinguished 

 by wanting the vertical or transverse dark bauds, and even 

 generically by the lower rays of the pectoral fins being branched 

 like the others, while in the Sebastes several of the lower rays are 

 unbranched and extended beyond the membrane. 



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