130 



Labrus luculentus, vel Tautoga l0culenta. 

 Richardson. 



Radii:— B. 5; D. 9|11 ; A. 3|10; C. 11, vel 1-2|; P. 12; 



V. 1|5. 



T am indebted to Dr. Mc William, so well known by his 

 humane exertions on the Niger Expedition, for five speci- 

 mens of a Labrus from Norfolk Island, closely allied to 

 the preceding species. A dried specimen in the British 

 Museum, which was brought from Western Australia by 

 Mr. Gould, shows that its range is extensive. 



The profile is elliptical, the jaws forming the acute apex 

 anteriorly, while behind the ellipse ends in the trunk of the 

 tail, whose height is contained twice and one-third in the 

 height of the body, and this again thrice and one-third in 

 the total length, caudal included. The descent from the 

 dorsal to the mouth is an even, long slope, with a slight 

 convexity : the belly is rather more convex than the back, 

 and the compression of the body is considerable, its thick- 

 ness being contained twice and two-thirds in its height. 



The head forms two-sevenths of the whole length of the 

 fish, caudal included. The eye is of moderate size, and 

 the diameter of the perfectly round orbit is equal to one- 

 fifth of the length of the head, measured to the extreme 

 edge of gill-flap. It is situated near the profile, and two 

 diameters from the symphysis of the intermaxillaries. The 

 breadth of the preorbitar is greater than the diameter of 

 the eye, and the preorbitar lip is developed about as much 

 as in the Australian species already described. The cheek 

 is protected by small tiled scales, which fill up the curve 

 of the preoperculum, where there are six rows : they come 

 close to the disk of the preoperculum, but leave a broad 

 smooth margin beneath the orbit, and also a space at the 

 corner of the mouth. The preorbitar, mandible, snout and 

 whole top of the head are also smooth, as is likewise the 

 broad, thin and flexible interoperculum. When this bone 

 is complete it laps over its fellow, and completely conceals 

 the gill-membrane ; but it is more or less deficient in 

 four of the specimens out of five, either on sides of the 

 fish or on one only. The operculum and subopercu- 

 lum are covered by three or four vertical rows of large 

 scales, which are, however, smaller than those of the body. 

 There are twenty-seven scales on the lateral line, with 

 three rows above it and seven or eight below. On the an- 

 terior scales the lateral line is formed by a small sparingly- 

 divided cluster of branchlets at the end of a long tube. 

 The branchlets are mostly above the tubular line, and di- 

 minish in number posteriorly, so that at the flexure under 

 the end of the dorsal only one upward branchlet remains. 

 The scales are nearly as strongly striated on their unco- 

 vered disks as on their bases, the striae embracing all the 

 circumference except a very small triangular portion on 

 each side. The base of the dorsal, and in a less degree 

 that of the anal, is protected by a scaly sheath. The base 

 of the caudal is also sheathed. The dorsal and anal spines 

 arc slender, round, pungent, and tipped behind with small 

 membranous processes. The soft rays are a little longer, 

 but the outline of each of these fins is even, and they end 



acutely, though not by prolonged points. The pectoral is 

 acute above and rounded beneath. The ventrals are rather 

 small, and, when fully s])read, obtuse. The membranes 

 of the fins generally, and especially of the ventrals and 

 pectorals, are delicate and transparent. 



The tooth next the symphysis on both jaws is about 

 twice the size of the second one, and the rest diminish re- 

 gularly to the corner of the mouth. They are subulate 

 and acute, and about twelve in number on each premax- 

 illary and limb of the mandible. There is also a small 

 canine at the corner of the mouth. The inner small teeth 

 are very distinct, particularly the mandibular ones, but 

 the}- are confined to a single series on the front of the jaws, 

 and do not run farther back than the third exterior tooth. 



The following tracings of colouring and markings re- 

 main, after several years of maceration in spirits. A faint 

 reddish tint prevails on the body, strongest along the dor- 

 sal and lateral line, giving indications of stripes. Below 

 the lateral line each scale is marked at its base by a some- 

 what oblique descending silvery bar: this mark belongs to 

 the integument beneath the scale and shines through. 

 One dark purple line runs from the orbit, along the upper 

 edge of the preorbitar, to the tip of the snout. Another 

 runs beneath the preorbitar, along the under margin of the 

 orbit, to the tip of the gill-cover. A series of purple dots 

 trace out the line of the occiput, and there is a row on the 

 temples. The tip of the gill-cover appears to have been 

 coloured, and the cheek to have been brighter than the 

 rest of the head. The pectoral shows a purplish-black 

 ring at its base, with a silvery and reddish axilla. A black 

 mark embraces the first two dorsal spines, and there is a 

 black spot on the scaly sheath embracing the two first soft 

 dorsal rays, with indications of a smaller spot at the fillh 

 and sixth soft rays. 



Length 6 inches. 



Hab. Eastern and western coasts of Australia. Norfolk 

 Island. 



Tautoga melaptera. Bloch. {Labrus.) 



Labrus melamptems, Bl. 285, Sclm. 247. 



Tautoga melapterus, Cnv. et Val. xiii. p. 311. Richardson, Aunals 

 and Mag of Nat. Hist. xi. p. 358. 



Radii 



-B. 5; D. 9|10; A. 2|10; C. 13f; P, 13; V. 1|.5. 



This species is known to the natives round Port Essing- 

 ton by the name of " ardilga." The reader is referred to 

 the Histoire des Poissons and the Annals of Natural His 

 lory as above quoted for an account of it. 



Length I3|^ inches. 



Hab. Sea of Java, Torres Straits and the coasts of 

 North Australia. 



