Jordan a7id Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 



1581 



631. HARPE, Lacppfedfi. 

 (Lady-fishes.) 



Bodianus, Bloch. Ichthyol., iv, 33, 1790 (bodianus; guttatus, etc.), in part; restri ;te(l by 

 CuviER to Bodianus guttatus, ore of the Serranidce. 



Harpe, LACfePfeDE, Hist. J^'at. Poiss., IV, 426, 1802 (cairideo-aureus=rufm). 



Cossyphus, CuviER & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xiii, 102, 1839 {bodianus=rufus) ; 

 name preoccupied by Oossyphus, Fabricius, 1792, a genus of Coleoptera, and by Cossy- 

 phus, DuMfiRiL. 1802, a genus of birds. 



Crenilttbrus, Swainson, Nat. Hist. Class'n Fishes, n, 1839 (verres^ntfus) -, not Crenilabrusof 



CuviER. 



Hurpe, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1863, 222 (bodianus=rufus). 

 Bodianus, Poey, Repertorio, 11, 331, 1867 (bodianus). 



Body robust, moderately compressed, covered with firm scales of vary- 

 ing size, about 33 in the course of the lateral line, which is continuous. 

 Head rather pointed in the young, becoming very deep and convex in the 

 adult from the development of adipose tissue on the top of the head. 

 Opercle, subopercle, interopercle, and cheeks scaly, preoperclo naked; 

 preopercle minutely serrulate, usually becoming entire with age. Mouth 

 rather large. Jaws each with 4 strong, conical, somewhat compressed 

 canines in front, the lateral teeth similar, but much smaller, coalescentat 

 base with each other, and with small granular teeth, so that the surface 

 of the jaws is bony; upper jaw with strong posterior canines, directed 

 forward. Dorsal fin with al)out 12 low spines, each portion with a scaly 

 sheath at base, the rays naked; anal with 3 spines, the spines rather 

 strong; lobes of soft dorsal, aiial, and caudal more or less produced in the 

 adult;* ventials inserted directly below pectorals. Gill membranes 

 slightly connected. Vertebra-, 11 + 17 = 28. Coarse, brightly colored 

 fishes, inhabiting tropical seas. (apTtTj, scythe; in allnsion to the falcate 

 fins.) 

 a. ('olor in life not red; male blue, with a yellow patch behind the pectoral fin, which 

 has a large dark spot on its extremity; head, tail, and fins bright red, their 

 tips black and yellow; forehead very gibbous in the adult. Female brownish 

 yellow; a dark band commences behind the snout and is divided into 2 

 behind the eye, the upper portion running along the back and nearly joining 

 its fellow from the other side on the back of the free portion of the tail, while 

 thelowercrosses the angle of the operculum and is continued on to the middle 

 of the tail, terminating near the caudal and alternating with 2 spots behind 

 the base of the caudal fin; fins yellowish or orange. Forehead scarcely gib- 

 bous in tlie adult. DIPLOTiENIA, 1987. 

 aa. Color chiefly red, without dark bands or stripes. 

 b. Pectorals immaculate. 



c. Body without dark cross band, or conspicuous pale blotch. 



d. General color violet red above and anteriorly, yellow or orange behind 

 and below ; lower part of sides and posterior part of body yellow- 

 ish orange ; upper part of head and body (as far back as a line 

 adjoining base of pectoral and soft dorsal) violet red; middle of 

 caudal, bases of pectorals and ventrals, and most of anal violace- 

 ous ; fins a little less produced than in H. diplotce^iia. rufa, 1988. 



•This character distinguishes Harpe from Diasiodon, Bowdich, (Exc. Madeira, 1825, 

 B), =Lepidoplois Gill, an Old World genus with the vertical fins low. 



