Species of the Genus Lab rax. 175 



the British Museum has received several examples collected at 

 Gibraltar by Dr. Sclater^ in two of which I have recognized the 

 spotted form ; whilst examples received from Alexandria^ through 

 Consul Petherick, cannot be referred to either of those two species, 

 but evidently belong to a third. These three species, although 

 readily distinguished by their vomerine teeth, are externally 

 veiy similar to one another, so that it is not necessary to give a 

 detailed description of them. 



1. We retain the name of Lahrax Lupus for the species which 

 is the most common on the European coasts. The vomerine teeth 



form a simple subcrescentic transverse band^^^. D. 9 | j^zTi- 

 A. Ypzya' ^* ^^^' 66-74. The body is almost always immacu- 

 late, and I have seen only one young specimen with small 

 black spots on the back. British specimens have the scales 

 on the hind part of the tail rather larger than those from more 

 southern coasts ; but this does not appear to me to be of spe- 

 cific value. The following synonyms ought to be referred to 

 this species : — 



Centroporrms Lupus, Lacep. iv. p. 26/. 

 Scicena Labrax, Bloch, taf. 301 . 



diacantha, Blocli, taf. 302. 



Perea elongata, Geoflfr., Descr. Egypte, Poiss. pi. 19. fig. 1. 

 sinuosa, Geofir. I. c. pi. 20. fig. 3. 



2. The second species, observed by M. Bocage at Lisbon, of 

 which we have two specimens from Gibraltar, is Labrax punc- 

 tatus ; it has the vomerine teeth arranged in an anchor-shaped 



band | , extending backwards to the end of the vomer. 



D. 9 I j^. A. Y^. L. lat. 62. The upper parts of the body are 



constantly marked with small black spots. This is Sciana 

 punctata, Bloch, taf. 305. 



3. The third species has the posterior process of the vomerine 



band very short ^ . D. 9 [ ^. A. y^.^. L. lat. 57. The 



upper parts of the body are black-spotted, as in the preceding 

 species. Two specimens sent by Consul Petherick from Alexan- 

 dria are perfectly alike. This is probably the species figured 

 by Geoffroy St. Hilaire in the 'Description de TEgypte,^ Poiss. 

 pi. 20. fig. 2, as Perca punctata — a name which cannot be re- 

 tained, as it belongs to the preceding species, and instead of 

 which we propose that of Labrax orientalis. 



