266 ACANTHOPTERYGIL 



Genus IV. — Acantholabrus, Guvier and Valenciennes. 



Brancliiostegals five : pseudohrancliice present. Body oblong and moderately 

 compressed. Teeth in the jaws in a band of conical ones, those in the outer row being 

 the strongest : no posterior canine. A single dorsal fin consisting of more than 

 25 rays, of which at least 20 to 21 are spinous, none are elongated : anal with more 

 than three spines. Scales of moderate size, those on the cheeks and opercles being 

 imbricate. Lateral-line continuous. 



Geographical distribution. — South coast of Great Britain, to Madeira ; likewise 

 the Mediterranean. 



1. Acantholabrus Palloni, Plate LXXY. 



Lutjamts Palloni, Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 263. 



Grenilabrus exoletus, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 329. 



Acantholabrus Palloni, Cuv. and Yal. xiii, p. 243, pi. ccclxxv ; Giinther, Catal. 

 iv, p. 91 ; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 1869, p. 33 ; Giglioli, Peso. Ital. p. 35 ; 

 Moreau, Poiss. Prance, iii, p. 139, c. fig. 



Grenilabrus luscus, Lowe, Trans. Zool. Soc. ii, p. 187 (not Linn.). 



Acantholabrus imbricatus, Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc. iii, 1839, p. 86, 1843, p. 87, 

 and Trans. Zool. Soc. iii, p. 10. 



Labrus luscus, Couch, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, v, pp. 18, 742, fig. 121 ; 

 Jenyns, Manual, p. 400 ; Yarrell, Brit. Pish. (Ed. 1) i, p. 300, c. fig. 



Acantholabrus Gouchii, Cuv. and Val. xiii, p. 248 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 2) 

 i, p. 337, c. fig. (Ed. 3) i, p. 514; White, Catal. p. 25; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 92 ; 

 Collett, Norges Pisk. p. 93. 



Scale-rayed wrass, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 38, pi. cxxix. 



B. v, D. 2 f:fi, P. 14-15, V. 1/5, A. f:|, C. 14-15, L. 1. 40-45, L. tr. $£. 



Length of head 3| to 4|, of caudal fin 7|, height of body 4| to 4| in the total 

 length. Eye— diameter 3j to 4 in the length of the head, 1| diameters from the 

 end of the snout, and 1 apart. Mouth rather large, the lower jaw the longer : 

 the posterior extremity of the maxilla reaches to beneath the front edge of the 

 eye. Posterior border and angle of the preopercle rather strongly serrated. 

 Teeth — a band of conical ones in the jaws, the outer row being the larger. Fins 

 ■ — the dorsal commences above the origin of the pectoral, its spines increase in 

 height to the last, which however is lower than the rays. Pectoral inserted 

 below the middle of the height of the body. Anal spines increasing in length to 

 the last. Caudal rounded posteriorly. Scales — five or six rows across the cheeks 

 and seven across the opercles. A row along each dorsal spine and ray, also over 

 the base of the caudal and anal fins. Colours — Deep orange, brown, violet, or blue 

 along the back, becoming rosy on the sides and nearly white beneath. Fins orange 

 or tinged with pink, a large oval black blotch extends along the middle of the 

 interspinous membrane between the last three or four dorsal spines and is 

 continued on to the first few rays : a second is likewise usually present superiorly 

 at the base of the caudal fin. Each of the scales on the cheeks, along the 

 shoulder and lower half of the body, may have a blue spot in its centre. 



Varieties. — -The number of anal spines may be reduced to four, or augmented to 

 six, this last form having received the name of Acantholabrus Gouchii. 



Names. — Scale-rayed wrass, due to the existence of scales on the vertical fins. 

 1j Acantholabre Palloni, French. 



Habits. — Of these but little is known, but it appears to frequent deep waters. 



Means of capture. — Hooks and baits. 



Habitat. — An example 22 inches in length was taken in February, 1830, by a 

 fisherman at Deadman's Point, off the south coast of Cornwall, in upwards of 50 

 fathoms of water : a second 10 inches long was subsequently obtained by Mr. 

 Couch, and is now in the British Museum. It is found in the Mediterranean 

 where it is rare, and has been obtained at Madeira. 



The figure is taken from a specimen in the national collection which is 10 

 inches in length. This species attains to more than double that size. 



