26. SEEEANUS. 125 



rounded throughout, with excessively fine denticulations at the pos- 

 terior limb. Operculum with three conspicuoiLS spines nearlj- of 

 equal size, the two lower ones nearer together. Wlierevcr the den- 

 ticulations of the prseoperculum are as minute as in this species, 

 the sub- and interoperculum have always an entire margin. There 

 are in front of the upper jaw two canities of moderate size, corre- 

 sponding to two pairs of the lower; the other teeth occupy, in a 

 broad band, all the length of the intermaxUlary, those in the outer 

 series being rather stronger ; the interior front teeth are excessivelv 

 long, one being nearly equal to the distance between the eyes. 

 The teeth of the mandibula reach to the end of the dental bone, 

 being arranged posteriorly in a single series, and fiu-ther in front 

 in two series ; the strongest teeth are in the middle of the side of 

 the dental bone and in front. The series of the vomerine teeth form 

 a right angle ; those of the palatine are minute, in a single series, 

 and do not reach to the posterior end of tliis bone. As the second 

 spine of the anal fin is very strong, so is its interhaemal correspond- 

 ingly developed ; it is fixed to the hajmal spines of the ninth and 

 tenth vertebrae, and is as long as the first seven vertebrae together. 



e. With twelve rays. 

 54. Seiranus spiloparceus. 

 Cuv. <§• Val. ii. p. 338. 



T). ^. A. ^. 



12 8 



CaudaHs rounded ; denticulations of the praeoperculum very fine. 

 Brown, \vith darker rounded spots on the head, obsolete on the body ; 

 fins without spots and streaks. (Val.) 



Hah. ? 



b. Dorsalis with ten or eleven (rarely with twelve) spines. 



[As in the preceding group \\'ith nine spines in the dorsal fin, I 

 also divide this according to the number of the soft rays in the same 

 fin, and refer to what I have there said. Most of the species have 

 stronger denticulations on the angle of the praeoperculum, whereby 

 they are stiU more distinguished fi-om those of the preceding group.] 



a. With eleven or twelve rays. 



55. Serranus limbatus. 



Citi'. 4- Val. ii. p. 307. 



V. -. A. -. 



Caudalis tnmcated. Praeoperculum denticulated, and with a slight 

 notch above the angle ; interoperculimi A^-ithout any protuberance. 

 Unifonn whitish; dorsal fin black-edged. (VaJ.) 



Island^of Guam. 



