300 I.AHKID.K 



ACAM'HOPTERYGll. LABRID^. 



• -"-liEl^ V 



THE SCALE-RAYED WRASSE. 



Crenilabrus luscus, The Scale-rayed Wrasse of Couch's IMS. 

 Labnis, Linn.eus. 



,, ,, Coucn, Loudon Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. v. p. 18. and 



p. 741 &;2,fig. 121. 



"Thf: specimen was twenty-two inches long; the greatest 

 depth exclusive of the fins two and a quarter inches ; the 

 body plump and rounded. Head elongated ; lips mem- 

 branous ; teeth numerous, in several rows, those in front 

 larger and more prominent, rather incurved. Eye mo- 

 derately large ; anterior gill-plate seiTate ; six gill-rays ; body 

 and gill-covers with large scales ; lateral line nearer the back, 

 descending with a sweep opposite the termination of the 

 dorsal fin, thence backward straight. Dorsal fin twenty-one 

 firm rays, eight soft rays ; the fin connected with the latter 

 expanded, reaching to the base of the tail : pectorals round, 

 fourteen rays ; ventrals six rays, the outermost simple, stout, 

 firm, tipped ; between these fins a large scale. Anal fin, 

 six firm, eight soft rays, the soft portion of the last expanded. 

 Tail round, fifteen rays ; between each ray of the dorsal, 



