DIPLECTRUM FASCICULARE. 33 



Synonymes. Serranus fascicularis, Cuv. el Vol., Hist. Nat. Poiss., torn. ii. p. 245, pi. 30 ; idem, 

 torn. vi. p. 350. 

 Serranus fascicularis, DeKay, Zool. N. Y., part iv. p. 23. 

 Serranus fascicularis, Storer, Synops., p. 28. 

 Squirrel-fish, Vulgo. 



Description. The body is elongated, sub-compressed, and slightly arched 

 along the back. The head is large, broad above, though rather contracted between 

 the eyes, but the snout is full and rounded. The eye is very large, longest in the 

 horizontal direction ; it is placed one diameter and a quarter from the snout, and 

 three diameters from the posterior margin of the opercle, with its inferior margin 

 above the median plane of the head. The anterior and smaller nostril is midway 

 betAveen the orbit and snout ; the posterior is sub-round ; both are below the me- 

 dian plane of the eye, and on a line slightly within the orbit. The mouth is 

 large ; the posterior extremity of the superior maxillary bone extends behind the 

 orbit ; the superior lip is tolerably thick and fleshy ; the upper jaw is armed with 

 a group, broad in front, of minute, villiform, pointed, and card-like or closely-set 

 teeth, with several much larger or canine teeth in front, and in an outer row. The 

 lower jaw is armed with a patch of teeth similar to those of the upper, but it has 

 an internal row of larger teeth ; these teeth are largest towards the commissure of 

 the mouth. The vomer has a triangular patch of minute teeth in front ; and the 

 palate a long, narrow group of similar teeth on each side. The pharyngeals are 

 armed with numerous small, pointed, and slightly recurved teeth. 



The pre-opercle is large, and has two rounded projecting groups of radiating 

 spines, like spurs, the first at its angle, and the second near the middle of its as- 

 cending border ; between these two groups the margin is incurved, and armed with 

 a few teeth, and above the superior group it is minutely serrated. The opercle is 

 broad, and terminates behind in two flat spines, the lower one the longer, and 

 from them projects the skin. The inter-opercle is broad and rounded below. The 

 head above is covered with scales only to the posterior margin of the orbits, but 

 nearly to their middle on the sides ; the snout, jaws, &c. are naked. There are 

 seven branchial rays ; the supra-scapular is serrated. 

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