DR. RICHARDSON'S DESCRIPTION OF AUSTRALIAN FISH. 135 



brilliantly striped (psittaculus and laticlavius), but they are all true Lahri, and bear a 

 general resemblance in form to the Lahrus herijylta of the ' Histoire des Poissons.' The 

 scales which clothe their opercula are in fact much larger than in that species, but being 

 imbedded in a mucous skin, they are scarcely discernible until that is partially removed. 

 In a recent state, therefore, these fish might be easily mistaken for examples of the 

 genus Tautoga, which they also resemble in possessing a pretty regular inner row of 

 minute teeth. The opercular scales overlie the junction of the suboperculum, as in 

 many European species, leaving however the greater part of the latter bone naked. 

 There are no scales whatever on theinteroperculum, in which respect these Port Arthur 

 Wrasses differ from Labrus bergylta, mixtus, trimaculatus, tardus, and some others. 

 The scales upon the cbeek are small, and as they vary in the four Wrasses as to their 

 distribution, we are thus furnished with a ready means of distinguishing the species 

 from each other. In all the four the teeth are longer and stronger at the symphyses of 

 the jaws than in bergylta or mixtus, and the posterior ones being small, their diminu- 

 tion is more rapid, as in the genus Julis. All have a canine tooth implanted in the pos- 

 terior extremity of each intermaxillary, and directed forwards. It varies in size in 

 different species, and even in different individuals of the same species, but is seldom 

 larger than the teeth next the symphysis. Occasionally there is a small canine tooth 

 at the root of the larger one. In both jaws there exists an interior row of small teeth, 

 more complete than in bergylta or mixtus. The suborbitar lips are not greatly deve- 

 loped, and do not conceal the sweUing plaited ones which are attached to the upper jaw, 

 but the maxillaries lie much under the suborbitars, their lower ends appearing only when 

 the mouth is open. The lower lip folds back in a rounded plait on each bmb of the 

 jaw. The interraaxillaries of tetricus and fucicola admit of very little protrusion, and 

 even in laticlavius and psittaculus, where they have longer pedicles, they are not so pro- 

 tractile as in mixtus. In the ' Histoire des Poissons' the Wrasses are said to have in 

 general more spinous rays than jointed ones in the dorsal fin, and the anal spines are 

 described as generally short and thick. In the Tasmanian species, which we are com- 

 menting upon, the spines of the anal are rather slender, though they are not so long as 

 the soft rays, and the dorsal spines are not only less numerous than the jointed ones, 

 but they are also rather slender, and have membranous tips. The outline of the caudal 

 fin varies in the different species, and narrow scaly fillets of various lengths are inter- 

 posed between the bases of the rays. None of the other fins have any scales on their 

 membranes. In the number of the rays the Tasmanian Wrasses agree very nearly 

 with each other and with the Labrus pacilopleura of New Zealand. 



L. tetricus, Br. 6-6 ; P. 13; D. 9111; V. 1|5 ; A. 3|10; C. 14. 

 L. fucicola, Br. 6-6; P. 13; D. Qjll ; V. 1|5 ; A. 3|10; C. 14. 

 L. laticlavius, Br. 5-5; P. 12; D. 9|11 ; V. 1|5; A. 3|10; C. 14. 

 L. psittaculus, Bt. 5-5; P. 13; D. 9|11; V. 1|5; A. 3|10; C. 13. 



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