1572 



Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



tropical seas, living among rocks or kelp. Many of them are brilliantly 

 colored, and some are valued as food-fish. Most of them feed upon mol- 

 lusks, the dentition being adapted for crushing shells. 



The Labrince are the most generalized forms, well distinguished from the 

 others by their greater number of vertebrae, a character associated with 

 the greater number of dorsal spines and with their northern habitat. 

 These are the only Labroids properly belonging to the North Temperate 

 Zone, and all but 2 of the species are European. 



The Malapterince seem to be allied to the Labrinw, although they may 

 belong to some other family. The number of vertebrae has not been 

 counted in a single known species. They belong to the South Temperate 

 Zone, and differ from the Labrince in having most of the dorsal spines 

 replaced by soft rays. 



The Harpince are allied to the Labrince, but are chiefly tropical fishes 

 with a reduced number of vertebrae and spines. Close to the Harpince is 

 the small subfamily Clepticince, distinguished by the little development 

 of the jaws and pharyngeals and by the corresponding feeble dentition. 



The Julidinas are the most abundant of the tropical Labroids, brilliant 

 little fishes, abounding about banks and reefs, and having the vertebrae 

 reduced to the normal number 10 + 14 = 24, and the dorsal spines to about 

 9. The XyrichtJiyince are an offshoot of the Julidince, with the head more 

 or less modified and the lateral line incomplete. 



The Scaridce are here placed in a distinct family. They have the normal 

 number of vertebrae and of spines. Their pharyngeal bones and teeth are, 

 however, modified in a very singular way, and they must be regarded as 

 forming the most specialized type of Pharyngognathi, the suborder to 

 which the Labroids belong. 



The general rule that marine fishes found in temperate regions have an 

 increased number of vertebrae is well shown in this group. The follow- 

 ing table shows the numbers of vertebrae as given by Drs. Gunther and 

 Jordan in the species examined by them : 



Labrus viridis, 20 + 21 = 41. 

 Labrus bimaculatus, 18 + 21 = 39. 

 Labrus livens, 18 + 20 = 38. 

 Labrus berggylta, 19 + 19 = 38. 

 Tautogolabrus adspersus, 17 + 19 = 



36. 



Acantholabrus palloni, 18 -f- 18 = 36. 

 Odax balteatus (Antarctic), 19 + 17 



= 66. 



Tautoga onitis, 16 + 18 = 34. 

 Ctenolabrus suillus, 15 -f- 18 = 33. 

 Crenilabrus melops, 15 + 18 = 33. 

 Crenilabrus tinea, 15 -j- 18 = 33. 

 Crenilabrus ocellaris, 14 + 18 = 32. 

 Crenilabrus cinereus, 14 + 17 = 31. 



Halichosres nigrescens, 10 -f- 15 = 25. 

 Hemitautoga hortulanus, 10 + 15 = 



25. 



Thalassoma pavo, 11 + 14 = 25. 

 Thalassoma lunare, 11 + 14 = 25. 

 Thalassoma dorsale, 11 + 14 = 25. 

 Julis julis, 11 + 14 = 25. 

 Julia atlantica, 11 -f- 14 = 25. 

 Coris aygula, 11 + 14 = 25. 

 Guntheria trimaculata, 10 -f- 15 = 25. 

 Pseudolabrus psittaculus, 9 + 16 = 



25. 

 Pseudolabrus laticlavius, 9 + 16 = 



25. 

 Gomphosus tricolor, 9 + 15 = 24. 



