NO. 1875. THE JAPANESE SPARTD.^— JORDAN AND THOMPSON. 585 



Third and fourth dorsal spines longest, If to 2 in head, last spine 2^ 

 in head. Doreal rays but little longer than the latter. Anal spines 

 very strong, heavy, the second strongest, 1| to 1^ in head, third 2 J to 

 2| (in adults). First ray much shorter than second spine but equal 

 to third, tip of second spine nearly coinciding wdth that of last ray 

 when supine, or extending beyond its middle. Pectorals long, 

 falcate, reaching third anal spine, equal to head plus eye diameter. 

 Ventrals IJ in head. Caudal forked, nearly as long as head. 



Scales very slightly ctenoid below lateral line, present as low sheath 

 at bases of vertical fins; ro\\'^ on cheek 6 or 7. Lateral line more 

 strongly arched anteriorly than in S. aries. 



Color of alcoholic specunens uniform, save for indistinct small 

 blotch at upper angle of gill opening. Doreal margined strongly and 

 somewhat shaded below with black. Anal lightly stippled with 

 black; a famt dusky shade at base. Caudal margined with black. 

 Scale rows indicated by longitudinal stripes, but not as prominently 

 as in Sparus aries. A dark spot at origin of lateral line. Peritoneum 

 silvery. Gill cavity lining colorless. In life silvery with dark brown 

 streaks; fins and lower lobe of caudal bright golden. 



It is very questionable whether this fish extends into the Indian 

 Saas, or beyond Formosa. Bleeker considered it identical with 

 specimens from Calcutta, but says that there is a difference in the 

 number of doi-sal spines, 12 in the Indian, 11 in Japanese. His first 

 description of S. sclilegeli from Japan was composite, according to his 

 later paper.^ The characters were certainly taken from the species 

 here called 8. swinlionis, and not from the present species. However, 

 he applied the name S. sclilegeli to the latter, and identified it with 

 Indian specimens. He decided that ;S'. hasta was distinct from either, 

 as it probably is. On this basis his Indian synonymy has been 

 worked out. Sparus herda of Forekal, from the Red Sea, is not the 

 same as our fish, if we may judge by Riippell's figure, and all pub- 

 lished descriptions from that locality. Steindachner and Doderlein 

 say 2 that Ghrysophrys cuvieri, schlegeli, datnia, and Jiasta of Bleeker 

 are the same species in all probability, but the evidence available is 

 all against this view. A careful comparison of actual specimens from 

 all localities will be necessary to decide the number of species present. 



We adopt for the Japanese fish the name Sparus latus. Hout- 

 tuyn's careless description has three distinct characters of the spe- 

 cies, the deep body, the rows of olive spots on the rows of scales, and 

 the presence of rays III, 8 in the anal. Sparus aries has the anal 

 III, 11. Sparus swinlionis has no distinct rows of spots. The name 

 Sparus herda, from the Red Sea, is older than Houttuyn's name, 

 and it may prove, after all, that the two species are identical, 

 although the present evidence points to the contrary. If the pre- 



> Versl. kon. Acad. Wet., vol. 11, 1876, p. 5. a Beitr., vol. 2, 1883. 



