188 BULLETIN 100, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Family LABRIDAE 



Body oblong, elongate, compressed. IMoiith terminal, moderate. 

 Premaxillary protractile. Lips thick, with longitudinal folds or plaits. 

 Front teeth usually strong canines and lateral teeth frequently united 

 basally. Palate edentulous. Nostrils 2, pair each side of snout. 

 Gill membranes somewhat joined. Pseudobranchiae well developed. 

 Branchiostegals 5 or 6. Lower pharyngeals completely joined as 1 

 above and furnished with tubercular or conic teeth. Suborbital shelf 

 not present. Entopterygoid present. Vertebrae with transverse 

 processes from third and all ribs attached to transverse processes. 

 Scales cycloid. Lateral ime well developed, continuous, interrupted, 

 often with an angle. Dorsal fin continuous, long, with many spines, 

 these usually slender, 3 to 20. Anal with 2 to 6 spines. Soft dorsal 

 and soft anal similar. Ventral with spine and 5 soft rays, placed 

 below or slightly before pectoral. 



A large family of brilliant marine fishes, many of large size. Most 

 are tropical, though a few well represented in some subtropical or 

 temperate regions. Partly herbivorous or carnivorous. Many feed 

 on mollusks, their dentition being modified to crush shells. Some 

 have been found to construct nests for their eggs and young. In the 

 European labroids the nests are formed of seaweeds, algae, various 

 marine animals, etc., and are constructed by both male and female. 

 Fossil labroids occur in the Eocene and Miocene of Europe, also in the 

 Tertiary beds in North America. 



The following have been reported from the Philippines, though the 

 records are of doubtful status. 



PSEUDOLABRUS RUBIGINOSUS (Schlegel) 



Listed from Luzon, Santa Cruz, and Cavite as Lahrichthys rubig- 

 inosa by Elera.^° 



PSEUDOJULIS GIKARDI (Sleeker) 



Also listed from Luzon, Manila, and Costa de Boleling by Elera.^^ 



THALASSOMA FUSCUS (Lacepede) 



As Julis trilobata by Elera,^^ from Luzon, Manila, and Navotas. 



ANALYSIS OF THE GENERA 



o^ Lateral line continuous, bent abruptly behind, but not interrupted, 

 b'. Dorsal spines 11 to 13; cheeks and opercles scah'. 

 c^ BoDiANiNAE. Teeth not modified as 2 pairs of broad incisors with lateral 

 cutting edges; but at least 1 pair of canines in front of each jaw; pre- 

 opercle edges usually finely serrate, 

 d'. Preorbital and cheek deep. 



i« Cat. Fauna Filip., vol. 1, 1895, p. 560. " Idem., p. 554. Idem., p. 555. 



