(iEMMKOl S I)I;A(;i»XKT. 



27; 



tip 111 tilt' snout l)t'iiii;- tVoiu .-iliout W> to 41 % of tiic 

 lengtli of tlie hoch-, and also cuds a little heliiud the 

 tenniuatiou of the second dorsal tin. 'i'lic IcuLilii of its 

 base varies between 2() and 23 % of that of the body. 



The sliaipc ol the pectoral fins, wlien expanded, is 

 almost rlioudioid, at other times lanceolate, though some- 

 what broad; :ind their points extend a. little iiexond the 

 vent. Tlieir base is long. Thev contain one simple 

 rav and from 17 to 19 branched at the tiji. \\ hen 

 the total mindier of ravs is IS, the eighth is the longest. 

 when it is lH, the eighth and ninth are equal in lengtii 

 and longest, and when 20, the ninth ra\' is the longest. 

 These rays are \-erv distinct, though tine, and are united 

 by a thin mend)rane. 



The \enti'al tins, which are set far ajiart, in a 

 liorizoutal position, somewhat in front of the base of 

 the pectoral tins, are united to tiie anterior side of the 

 latter b^- the fin- membrane. They contain one simple 

 rav and five repeatcdlv branched at the tip and thick 

 at tiic base. The simple ray is very small and closely 

 tuiited to the second; tlie others gradually increase in 

 length, the last ra\- being the longest oi', at least, of 

 the same lengtii as the next to it, and extending to 

 the vent or, in old males, even to the beginning of the 

 anal fin. The relative length of these fins decreases, 

 however, with increasing age from about 22' ^ to U) % 

 of the length of the bodA'. The breadth of the pelvis 

 across their base, on the other hand, shows even rela- 

 tive increase with age, varying between about l^'/g and 

 14\, % of the length of the body, and being greatest 

 in the females. 



The caudal hii is long- and rounded at tlie end, 

 its lengtii, in the females and young specimens, being 

 about 19 or 20 "o of that of the body, greatest in the 

 males, in which, according to Kroyer, it may rise as 

 high as 25 ?& thereof. It is composed of seven middle, 

 bitid I'ays and a varying, but comparatively small, 

 number of supporting rays on each side. The number 

 of the latter is generally o, this being most often the 

 case at the lower mai'gin, but at the upper margin in 

 particular it varies between 1 and 4. 



The remainder of the external sexual distinctions 

 are as follows: 



1. 01(1 iiiiilr (Plate XIV, fig. d"). Head more 



elongated, obo\ate, its length from the margin of the 



upper jaw, when drawn back, to either of the gill-oi)en- 



" ings being about 23 % of that of the body. Snout also 



long, its length being about equal to the distance be- 



tween the hind margin of the gill-cover and that of 

 the eye or about 13 or 14 % of the length of the body, 

 the eyes being thus set behind the middle of the head. 

 The two dorsal tins contiguous at the base. The an- 

 terior rises in a falciform shape to a considerable height, 

 which nia\ be more than half (he length of the body, 

 the tip of the liii. w lien (hipi'essed, extending ijeyond the 

 base of the caudal hii. The tip is formed, however, 

 entirelv b\- the first ra\, which is the longest, being 

 iieai-ly twice as long as the second, three times as long 

 as the third, and seven times as long as the fourth. 

 Ill ihe second dorsal tin, the luMght of which is only 

 V:, of that of the first, the middle i-a\s are somewhat 

 shorter than the anterior, which in their tui'ii are shorter 

 than the last ray, which is the longest, and, when 

 erected, points obli(pielv in a liackward direction. The 

 u})per margin of the fin is thus as it were incised, and 

 the posterior part of the fin is so high that, when de- 

 pressed, this fin also extends beyond the base of the 

 caudal hn. The anal fin is also much higher behind 

 than in front, the last ray being so long that the points 

 of its branches extend beyond the base of the caudal 

 fin. The caudal fin is of nearlv the same length as the 

 head, and the other fins are also larger than in the fe- 

 I males. Behind the vent we find a long, conical papilla. 

 The colouring is above yellowish brown and below 

 yellowish, the belly being white with a dash of yellow. 

 Along the sides there run two handsome, azure bands, 

 separated by a somewhat broader, greenish stripe. The 

 upper of these blue l)ands is generally broken up an- 

 teriorly into spots. Above these bands we find a longi- 

 tudinal YiAv of bi'ight green spots, which are continued 

 on the head across the gill-cover, and mingled with 

 the handsome, Ijlue and violet spots and short, irregular 

 stripes which adorn the sides of the head and a part 

 of the snout. The lips are also altei'iiately violet 

 and blue. Iris bricrht irreen, with a fairly broad, 

 brown stripe above and below the pu]iil, which often 

 has a bluish lustre. First dorsal fin bright yellow, 

 with three, small, oval, light gridelin spots edged with 

 blue, at the base, one betAveen each ])air of rays, and 

 a wav\ band of the same colour and edged in the 

 same AvaA', running from these spots and folloAving each 

 mesial line of the membrane betAveen the first three rays. 

 Second dor.sal fin marked with several bands, succes- 

 sively green, yellow and light blue, and running trans- 

 verseh- across the fin (i. e. in the direction of the body), 

 three of them being generally continuous and edged 



