30 SERRANUS ERYTHROGASTER, 



when the mouth is shut. Both jaws are armed with numerous carcl-Hke teeth, 

 pointed and curved backwards ; those near the middle are the largest ; there is 

 also a posterior row of longer and very sharp teeth ; and in front of these are from 

 two to four canine teeth in both jaws. There is a chevron of card-like teeth on 

 the vomer ; each palate-bone is armed with a long group of similar teeth, and each 

 group has an internal series rather longer than the others. The tongue is small 

 thin, I'ounded in front, and but slightly movable. The superior pharyngeals are 

 studded with numerous card-like teeth ; the inferior have similar teeth, but 

 those of the internal row are longest. 



The pre-opercle is but slightly rounded at its angle, with its posterior border 

 serrated finely above, and with larger serratures below. The opercle is irregularly 

 pentagonal, with a long, straight margin before, and a concave margin behind, 

 between two flat spines, in which it ends ; the upper spine is rounded and the 

 longer, the lower is sharp-pointed ; and from them is extended back a triangular 

 fold of skin. The sub-opercle is long, large, sub-pyramidal, with its apex behind 

 and base before. The inter-opercle is sub-triangular, with its apex before and 

 truncated. The whole head is covered with scales, except between and in front of 

 the eye. The gill-openings are very large ; there are seven branchial rays. 



The dorsal fin is long, large, single, but emarginate ; it arises with the ventral, 

 and ends near the caudal ; it has eleven stout spines, the first very short, and the 

 third longest ; the soft portion has seventeen rays. The pectoral is broad and 

 rounded behind ; it begins before the fleshy termination of the opercle, but does 

 not extend quite as far back as the ventral, and has sixteen rays ; both the spinous 

 and soft portions are covered with small scales for some distance. The ventral is 

 very large and broad ; it arises behind the root of the pectoral, and has one spinous 

 and five soft rays, the internal of which is joined for half its length by skin to the 

 belly. The anal is large and elevated ; it begins nearly opposite the root of the 

 third dorsal soft ray, and extends as far back ; it has three spines, the anterior very 

 small, and ten branched rays, and is covered with small scales for half its length. 

 The caudal is large, broad, and nearly entire, or but slightly lunated, and has 

 eighteen rays, covered for some distance with minute scales. 



