FAMILY, XLI— LABRID^. 411 



The fishes of this Geims appear to be subject to very great variation ia colour, dependant perhaps on 

 age, sex, season, or locality. Dr. Giinther observed " their distiuctive characters really appear to depend so 

 much on the colours, which rapidly fade after death, that it wUl always be very di£B.cult to determine preserved 

 specimens," (Catal. iv, p. 217, 1862). He also remarked " by far the greater portion of our knowledge of this 

 genus is due to the labours of Dr. v. Bleeker, who first poiated out the characters by which the species may 

 be determined." Later (Zool. Record, 1866) he observed on the great variation of colours in fish belonging to 

 this Genus, and in recording his own remarks on the Pishes of Zanzibar, he concluded that the three varieties 

 of colours which he has shown in P. TroschelU " would be types of three distinct species according to Bleeker's 

 views," (p. 149.) That colours alone should be considered a sufficient diagnosis of species, is I consider open 

 to very grave doubt. 



SYNOPSIS or SPECIES. 



1. Pseudoscarus hand. Caudal lobed. Three rows of scales on cheeks, none on lower preopercular limb. 

 Upper lip broad, snout elongated. A pointed tooth at angle of month. Greenish, two red streaks from snout 

 througli the eye, and another on lips. Dorsal and anal fins reddish, edged with blue, and with blue bands or 

 spots. Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



2. Pseudoscarus ehrysopoma. Caudal truncated. Three rows of scales on cheeks, the lower covering 

 the inferior limb of preopercle. Upper lip broad. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Grreen, blue lines 

 radiate from the eye and cover the lips. Dorsal and anal rosy, with a narrow band along their bases, and green 

 edges. Seas of India and Malay Archipelago. 



3. Pseudosoourus ghobham. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks, the lower of which has 

 five scales, and two scales on lower preopercular limb. Upper lip broad, no pointed tooth at angle of month 

 (at least in the young). Lips blue, scales on body with blue edges, vertical fins reddish, with blue bases and 

 edges. Red Sea, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



4. Pseudoscarus ceruginosus. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks and two scales on the 

 lower preopercular limb. Upper lip broad. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth, present or absent. OHve, 

 with three longitudinal silvery bands below the pectoral fin. Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



6. Pseudoscarus rivulatus. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks, the lower of which has 

 six scales, and two scales on the lower preopercular limb. Upper Up broad. Usually a pointed tooth at angle 

 of mouth. Green, each scale with a red base. Dorsal and anal reddish, spotted or banded with green. East 

 coast of Africa, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



6. Ps&udosca/rus erythrodon. Caudal rounded. Two rows of scales on cheeks, none on the lower 

 preopercular limb. Upper lip very broad. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Purplish, a narrow black edge 

 to dorsal fin. East coast of Africa, Andamans, to the Malay Archipelago. 



7. Pseudnsca/rus sordidms. Caudal truncated. Two rows of scales on cheeks, none on the lower 

 preopercular limb. Upper lip narrow. A pointed tooth at angle of mouth. Pink, green, or brown, sometimes 

 with green lips and a blue or green band or spots along the dorsal and anal fins. Red Sea, east coast 

 of Africa, to the Malay Archipelago. 



1. Pseudoscarus harid. 



Scavus harid, Forsk. p. 30 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1282 ; Rupp. Atl. Fische, p. 80, t. xxi, f . 1 ; Cuv. and Yal. 

 xiv, t. 404 (not description) ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 135; Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. p. 54. 



Seams mastax, Riipp. Atl. Fish. p. 80, t. xxi, f. 2, and N. W". Fische, p. 28 ; Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 246 ; 

 Bleeker, Batav. Nov. Nat. T. Ned. Ind. vi, p. 299. 



Scarus Bwppellii, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 259. 



Scan-US cyarvwrus, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 261. 



Scarus lotus, (Bhrenb.) Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 245. 



? Sca/rus longiceps, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 241. 



Pebronason longieay,da, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 226. 



Pseudoscarus mastax, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. i, p. 35, t. x, f. 1. 



Pseudoscarus havid, Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 220 ; Klunz. Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1861, p. 561. 



B. V, D. ^, P. 15, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 13, L. 1. 25, Vert. 11/13. 



Length of head 4 to 4i, of caudal 4 to 6, height of body 4 in the total length. %es— situated in about 

 the middle of the length of head, and about 4 diameters from the end of the snout, which is produced : 

 upper lip broad. Teeth^a, pointed one at the angle, ^ms— anterior dorsal spines not so high as the 

 succeeding ones : caudal lobes much produced in adult specimens. Scales— three rows on the cheeks, none 

 on the lower preopercular limb. CoZows— olive-green, with two red streaks passing from the forehead through 

 the eye : lips red, and forming a narrow red band that passes towards the base of the pectoral fin : scaleson 

 body with a bluish basal spot and red margin. Dorsal and anal fins reddish edged with blue, and having 

 several rows of blue or green spots. Upper rays of pectoral and outer ones of caudal blue, sometimes two 

 vertical blue lines on the caudal. There may also be blue spots on the side above the vent. 



Habitat— Bed Sea, east coast of Africa, seas of India, to the Malay Archipelago. 



3 G 2 



