136 PERCID^. 



Skeleton. — That part of the upper surface of the head which is 

 formed by the supraoccipital and the posterior part of the frontal 

 bones is slightly elevated and rounded on both sides, there being a 

 rather deep groove between those ridges which run from the orbit 

 to the articulations of the suprascapula ; the interior of these ridges 

 is elevated behind, becoming inconspicuous near the orbit. The 

 upper anteiior branch of the siipraoccipital crest is low, and does not 

 exceed the supraoccipital bone ; there is on each side a siriiilar ad- 

 ditional crest, arising from the body of the paroccipital one. The 

 space between the orbits is narrow, with a shght median groove. 

 The maxillaiy bone exhibits a nearly straight superior edge, the 

 inferior being irregularly concave and angular. The operculum 

 with three distinct, nearly equidistant points, the upper of which is 

 smallest, the middle longest and very prominent ; the posterior edge 

 of the praeoperculum finely seiTated, with rather stronger denticu- 

 lations at the angle ; the lower edge entire, with a longitudinal 

 groove ; the suboperculum entire, produced behind into a long soft 

 point ; the interoperculum with one or two inconspicuous denticula- 

 tions. The dentition is verj- similar to that of S. tceniops ; there is 

 a pair of strong, but short canines in each jaAV. I cannot decide 

 whether ^another pair, not perfectly developed, between the up2>er 

 canines, are merely the successors of the latter, or whether they will 

 form a second separate pair of canines. A similar pair, also not 

 perfectly developed, are to be seen in the lower jaw, but at the outside 

 of the canines which are in function. The first interha^mal spine is 

 long and strong, equal to the length of the second to the eighth (in- 

 clusive) vertebra, and attached to the haemal spine of the tenth 

 vertebra ; it corresponds to the first and second dormoha^mal, there 

 being no separate interhaemal for the first ; but this strong inter- 

 hajmal generally exhibits a jirominent longitudinal ridge along its 

 anterior surface, and I consider this ridge to be the interha)mal pro- 

 perly belonging to the fij'st dermolucmal, being a separate bone in an 

 earlier period of life, but afterwards united with that of the second. 



84. Serranus horridus. 



Serranus horridus, (KuhlSfv. i/./ss.) Cuv.^Val. ii. p. 321; Bleeker, 

 Perc, p. 3G ; Cantor, Caiiil. p. 9. 



15-16 8 



Caudalis rounded ; head nearly one-third of the total length ; eye 

 nearly one-seventh of the length of the head. Sub- and interopercu- 

 lum entire ; praeoperculum with rounded angle and a fine, but distinct 

 serrature ; the third dorsal spine to the eleventh nearly equal in 

 height, and much shorter than the soft dorsal fin. The upper max- 

 illary reaches beyond the posterior margin of the eye. Upper profile 

 of the head rather concave. Brown, largely marbled with blackish 

 brown ; head, body, and fins with roundish brownish-black spots. 



Javanese Sea ; Sea of Pinang. 



One stuffed specimen in the Collection of the East India House. 



