132 GENUS HYDRARGIRA. ^[November. 



pectoral, and ventral fins yellowish; dorsal fin of a clear 

 blue colour, with small yellow spots, its posterior part 

 marked with a large deep blue patch, surrounded with a 

 white band, and another of blue; the sides are of a bright 

 blue colour, with small white spots, and ornamented with 

 fifteen or sixteen transverse, narrow stripes of bright sil- 

 very; anal and caudal fins of a clear blue, spotted with 

 white, and margined with yellow; the scales on the head 

 of this species are larger than those of the preceding, and 

 disposed in the form of a rose around the centre scale. 



P. 18.— D. 11.— V. 6.— A. 12.— C. 181 rays. 



The colours of the individual described were gay; it 

 was a male. Other specimens, which I examined, pre- 

 -sented a difference in the disposition of the spots; some 

 had more bands than others; and in some the colours were 

 deeper than in others. 



The female differs from the male in colour, which is 

 of a burnt umber on the backy the abdomen whitish; the 

 eyes, as in the male, are large, round, surrounded with 

 hrown, pupil black, encircled with yellow; on the anterior 

 pan of the dorsal fin there is a golden spot, which is visi- 

 ble only when the fish is in water; opening of the mouth 

 of a medium size; pectoral fins yellowish; anal fin and 

 ventral fins whitish; caudal and dorsal reddish; the fins are 

 not so large as those of the male. 



The oviduct, as is remarked in the common charac- 

 ters of this genus,. is peculiarly situated; and is more con- 

 spicuous in tiiis species than in the rest here described: 

 it IS prolonged witjiout the body, and embraces the first 

 rays of the anal fin, the movements of which, I suppose^ 

 facilitate the exclusion of the ova. 



Length of individual described three inches. 



