WRASSES. 



11 



Obs. Valenciennes with some hesitation also gives as a synonym 

 for tliis species Lahrus onitis, LiNN«u.s, Mus. Ad. Frid., pvodr. Tomi 

 Secundi, p. 79; 6'i/st. Mat., ed. X, p. 28G, ed. XII, p. 478. In the 

 Royal Zoological Museum in Stockholm there is a specimen bearing 

 the name Labrus o?nti,i, which was brouglit there together with the 

 rest of the collections from Drottningholni and is iirobal)ly the very 

 specimen described by Linn.kus. Sundevall (Skand. Fishar, l:8t Edit., 

 p. 1()0) included this fish under the name of Labrus tessellattis, Bloch, 

 Oecon. Naturfjesch. Ausl. Fisclie, Vol. VI, p. 8, plate CCXCI, fig. 1, 

 which should thus be synonymous with Labrus onitis. As we now 

 know tlmt tlie younger specimens of Tantoga onitis, a species very 

 common on the west coast of the United States, and which in a mu- 

 tilated condition (without the anal fin) has been described by LiNN/BUS 

 (iSyst. Nat., ed. XII, p. 475) under the name Labrus hiatula, possess 

 the network of coloured lines mentioned by Bloch (cf. Jordan and 

 Gilbert, Synopsis of the fishes of North America, Bidl, U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. N:o 16, pp. 600 and 936), Ihere is no doubt that Sundevall's 

 opinion was correct. The colouring of the specimen described by 

 LlNN^US is, it is true, destroyed by the action of the alcohol in which it 

 has been preserved, but there are still traces of dark markings which seem 

 to have resembled those given in Block's figure ; and when Sundevall 

 described this specimen, some dark dots on the ventral side, mentioned 

 in Linn«us's description, were especially distinct. The fish is 142 mm. 

 in length. There are no scales on the operculum, except on the top 



margin; and the fin formula is D. — i A. — The pectoral fins are 



fairly large, in length about '^l\ of the greatest depth of the body, and 

 there are 15 rays, the first of which is simple, and in addition to these 

 one small ray at the beginning of the fin. The ventral fins are scarcely 

 more than -/^ of the pectoral fins in length. The caudal fin has 13 

 branched rays of equal length, and one shorter simple ray with several 



j — I supporting rays on each side. The jaw-teeth are set in two rows, 



the inner of which is indistinct and incomplete; the front teeth in the 

 outer row are fairly large, and the two middle teeth in each jaw the 

 largest of all, conical at the base, flat and truncate at the apex. There 

 is no record of the place of origin of this specimen, but that it comes 

 from America is a matter that scarcely admits of question, any more 

 than we can doubt that it must have been at second-hand that Bloch 

 got his specimen from Norway. 



That the Labrus ossifayns of Linnaeus (D. "/14, A. ^ ,2; 'habitat 

 in Europa'') belongs to this species, as both VALENCIENNES and StJN- 

 devall have assumed, is most highly probable, for no other European 

 Labrus more nearly corresponds with Linn.eus's description in the num- 

 ber of the fin rays. But, as Linn.eus h.'is left no specimen himself 

 and has not cited any authority or figure, there still remains enough 

 uncertainty to prevent the use of this name for tlie species. Linn/eus 

 has indeed confused the habitats in his Systema Nattirw so often that 

 it is impossible to place implicit reliance in his statements. Thus in 

 the Mus. Ad. Frid. p. 66, he assigns no region to Scia-na (Labrus, 

 Syst. Nat.) punctata, which, to judge by the specimen in the Royal 

 JIuscum, is the species that has subsequently been named Polycentrus 

 Schomhurqkii, by MI'llkr and Troschel, or to Scicena (Labrus, Syst. 

 Nat.) bimaculata, which, to judge by the specimen in the Royal Museum, 

 is the Acara bimaculata of later writers, and therefore, like the for- 

 mer species, undoubtedly comes from Guiana, though both of the above- 

 mentioned specimens have no region assigned to them in the labels 

 from LiNX.EL's's time. In the Systema Nalurir the region of the for- 

 mer species has been given correctly ('Habitat Surinami), but Lahrus 

 bimaculatus is said to inhabit the Mediterranean. In one of the earliest 

 collections in the Royal Museum there is a specimen of Labrus mixtus, 



" In 6 measured specimens the least depth of the tail was on 

 the maximum 11.5 %. 



but if is only ticketed L^abrus, without any Linna>an label or statement 

 as to its habitat. This uncertainty compels us to retain for the Stri- 

 ped Wrasse the Linna'an name which has first been fi.xed with scien- 

 tific accuracy. (Cf. Valenciennes, 1. c.). 



This fi.sh <rener;illy attains a length of from 300 

 to 350 mill., hut tlio female is a])parently always a 

 little smaller tliaii the iiiiile and most jn'ohjibly does 

 not exceed the former measurement. The length of 

 the head, measured to the npcx- of the gill-cover, is 

 about V3 of the length of the body minus the caudal 

 fin, which measures about ^3 of the length of the head. 

 The body is more elongate than is the case with any 

 other of the Scandinavian members of this genus, ex- 

 cept the Scale-rayed Wrasse {Lahrus Palloni); its great- 

 est depth, which is almost uniform along the anterior 

 half of the dorsal fin, is from ''u^ to '/., of the tot.-il 

 length. Least depth of the body V9 of the length". 

 The production of the snout is especially remarkable; 

 it tapers regularly to a point, forming a rectilinear 

 profile, and is so produced that it forms :\n angle of 

 less than 60° wlien the jaws are closed. The di.stance 

 from the eye to the tip of the snout is about equal to 

 the depth of the head at the anterior orbital margin. 

 Head slightly compressed and transversely rounded at 

 the top. Body still more compressed, the thickness 

 about ^/g of the depth. 



The eye is closely surrounded by the tense, thin, 

 dermal margin of the orbit; the diameter about '/g of 

 the distance from the tip of the snout. The pupil not 

 quite circular Init slightlv produced anteriorly. The 

 nostrils are very small, and remind one of the stitches 

 in a piece of needle^vork ; the two openings on each 

 side are a, good wav ajjart from each other. The posterior 

 opening is higher than the iinterior corner of the eye 

 and on a level with its anterior margin; the anterior 

 opening lies at a point sucli that the distance to the 

 eye is about ','5 of the distance to the tip of the snout, 

 it is on a level with the articulation of the lower jaw 

 and has a smnll tubular rim. 



The mouth is larger than in the other Scandi- 

 navian wrasses. It extends lialf the distance between 

 the eve and the tip of the snout, liut the dermal folds 

 reach a little further liack. The jaws are of equal size. 

 The lips are also fairly large. The upper lip in par- 

 ticular is considerably jiroduced, and underneath thickly 

 covered with smaU papilla^ and closely folded, as is 

 also the large bent lateral flap of the under lip. The 



an average 10.9 'c of the length of the body; the minimum was 10.5 %, 



