WRASSES. 



in nlcohol, and ai-e shown in the figure. In this sjm'- 

 cinien there appear too, (jn tlie inferioi' part of the 

 gill-rover and on iho, anterior parts of the suhopercu- 

 Inni .'ind the l)elly, especially at the bases of tlie pec- 

 tt)ral fins, distinct traces of the golden gloss which this 

 fish jiossesses in Valenciennes' figure. 



onc! that has been observed u]) to the present on the 

 coast of Scandinavia, was acquired l)y Dr. P. Oberg 

 during a visit to HitterO near the town of Flekkefjord 

 in Norway, in the summer of 1869. It was caught at 

 a depth of 30 fathoms. On the English coast only two 

 specimens are known to have been taken, the one at 



The Scale-rayed Wrasse l)elongs to the fauna of ' a de])tii of 50 fathoms. (.)ff tlie coasts of Portugal and 



the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. In the Atlantic it 

 is found from Madeira, to the south coast <jf Norway. 

 However, as it is more of a, deep-sea fish than the rest 

 of the Scandinavian wrasses, it is more seldom met 

 ^^■ith. The specimen in the Ro}'al Museum, the oidy 



Madeira too it is very rare, according to Lowe and 

 Steindachner". Mokeau also says that it is very 

 seldom met with in the Mediterranean. It can there- 

 foi-e hardly possess any value as an article of food. 



THE BALLAN WRASSE (sw. beuggyltan). 

 LABRUS BERGGYLTA. 



Plate I, fig. 1. 



The hack of the head and the forehead naked. Number of scales in the lateral line more than 40. At least 6 

 roivs of sccdes (d)ove tlte lateral line. Otdij the posterior part of the interoperculum scaly. The cheeks covered 

 irith small sccdes: at least 6 suhorhital rows of sccdes. Number of spinous rays in the dorsal fin at least 19. 

 Length cf tlie snout {when the mouth is closed) less than either the greatest thickness of body or the postorbital 

 length of the head. Least deptli, of the tail more than ^/j of the base of the anal fin''. Streaks on the head red. 



R. hr. 5; D. 



19 —21 



1 + 10 1. 9.1. 8 

 C. o; + 11 + x: L. lat. 41 — 47.'= 



; A. 



1+7 1. 8 



; P. 2/13; V. 15; 



Syti. LabTus Bergylta, Ascanius, Ic. rer. nat., I, p. 3, tab. I; Muller, 



Zool. Dan. Pi-odr., p. 46 (Berg-galt); Cuv., Val., Hist. Sat. 



Foiss., XIII, p. 20; Kroyer, Danm. Fiske, I, p. 47G {Berij- 



gylta); Malm, Gbgs, Boh. Fn., p. 475; Winther, Prodi'. 



Ichth. Dan. mai:, Naturh. Tidskr., 3, XII, p. 25; Lilueborg, 



Sv., Norg. Fisk., vol. I, p. 419. 

 Ballan Wrasse, Pennant, Brit. Zool., ed. 1, III, p. 216, tab. 



XLIV; Walb., Icht. Art., Ill, p. 259 {Labrus Ballan); 



Couch, Hist. Fish. Brit. Isl. Ill, p. 24, tab. CXXV (Ballan 



Wrass). 

 Comber, Pennant, 1. c. p. 221, tab. XLVII, fig. 122; Gmel., 



Syst. Nat. Lin., p. 1297 (Labrus Comber): Couch, 1. c. p. 



32, tab. CXXVI, fig. 2 (Comber Wrass). 

 Labrus maculatus, Bloch, Naturg. Ausl. Fische, VI, p. 17, tab. 



CCXCIV; NiLSSON, Prodr. Ichth. 6'c., pag. 74; Fr., Ekstr., 



Wright, Skand. Fiskar, ed. 1, p. 11 et 43, tab. 2; Nilss., 



Skand. Fn., Fisk., p. 261; Gi3.\TH., Brit. Mus. Cat., Fish., 



IV, p. 70; Day, Fi.ih. Gt. Brit., D-eL, I, p. 252, tab. LXX 



& LXXI. 

 I^abriis Aper, Retzius, Fn. Suec. Lin., p. 335. 

 Labrus lineatiis, Donov.\n, Nat. Hist. Brit. Fish., IV, tab. 



LXXIV; nee Penn. 1. c., nee Nilss., Prodr.; Day, 1. c., p. 



253, Labrus Donovani, Cuv., Val., 1. c. p. 39; Day, 1. c. 



Labrus tancoides et Neustrice, LACEPfeDE; Labrus tinea, Shaw; 

 Labrus cornubiensis, CoDCH; Labrus variabilis, Thompson; 

 vide GiJ.vrHER, 1. c. et Day 1. c. 



Labrus pusillus, Jenyns et Crenilabrus multidentatus, Thomp- 

 son; (juvenes) vide Gunther, 1. c. et Day, 1. c. 



La Vieille, Duhamel, Tr. d. Pcches, part. II, vol. Ill, sect. 

 IV, cap. Ill, p. 34, tab. VI, fig. 1; La Vieille commune on 

 Perroqnet de Mer, Cuv., Val., 1. c. 



In Scandinavia the Ballan Wrasse attains a length 

 of from 300 to 370 mm., and is thus one of the lar- 

 gest species belonging to this genus which we possess. 

 The length of the head is about ' ^ of the total length; 

 the greatest depth of the body from "/, to Vis and the 

 least about ' ^ t)f the length'*. The head is triangular 

 and suddenly comes to a point. The mouth is small; 

 the jawbones are completely concealed by large, thick 

 lips which project some way in front of them. On 

 the upper jaw the lips are double, the one lying above 

 the other. The superior is the shorter, and really forms 

 a continuation of the skin which covers the suborbital 

 bones; the inferior is longer and more fleshy, has deep 



" Ichth. Span. Port, Sitzb. Akad. Wien, Matb. Natiirw. CI. LVII, Abtb. I, p. 699. 



* The least depth of the body, in proportion to the length of the base of the anal fin, increases with age. In 6 measured epecimens 

 the least depth of the tail was on an average 91.5 °/o of the base of the anal fin, the minimum being 82 %. the maximun.i 99.4 %. 



'' The variations of the fin formula are explained in the text. 



■* The least depth of the body (least depth of the tail) in proportion to the length of the body increases with age; in 6 specimens 

 it was on an average 12.') '<,, the mininmm being 11.8 °o, the maximum 13.2 "». 



