230 report — 1845. 



Biblioth. Banks ; Icon, Reeves, 93 ; Hardw. Acanth. 29 & 33. Chinese 



name, Hwa mei tsaou (Birch) ; Hwa mei tso, " Painted eye-brow" (Reeves); 



Wa mil tso (Bridgem. Chrest. 68). 



A common Chinese fish, and in all the collections. Most of the Chinese specimens have 

 the fifth line below the pectoral, which is often wanting in examples from other quarters ; and 

 one specimen in the Chinese collection at Hyde Park has the lateral black mark so frequent 

 in the Diacopes. 



Hab. Red sea, Mauritius, Polynesia, Australia, Malay archipelago, Chinese and Japanese 

 seas. 



Plectropoma leopardus, Lacepede (Holocentrus), iv. p. 332 et 337. 

 Plectropoma leopardinum, C. et V. ii. p. 392. t. 36; Temm. et Schl. 

 Faun. Japon. Sieb. p. 12. 

 Hab. Seas of Japan and Australia. 



Plectropoma susuki, C. et V. ii. p. 404 ; Temm. et Schl. F.J. p. 11. pi. 4. 

 f. 1 (upper figure) ; Icon. Reeves, a. 34 ; Hardw. Acanth. 25. Chinese 

 name, Tsing shihpan (Birch); Ching shehpan, "Blue garoupa" (Reeves) ; 

 Shikpan u (Bridgem. Chrest. 59). 



Mr. Reeves states this to be the commonest of the Serrani or Garoupas on the Chinese coast. 

 Hab. Coasts of China and Japan. 



(Merous.) 



Serranus altivelis, C. et V. ii. p. 324. t. 25 ; Icon. Reeves, 267 ; Hardw. 

 Acanth. 67. Chinese name, To yu, "Carrier fish" (Birch); Ming yu 

 (Reeves). Bad. D. 10|18 vel 19 ; A. 3|9 vel 10 ; P. 15. (Spec. Brit. Mus.) 



The British Museum possesses a specimen obtained in one of Cook's voyages, and one 

 brought from China by John Reeves, Esq. Sir Edward Belcher also obtained one in his 

 voyage in the Sulphur. 



Hab. Javan and Chinese seas. 



Serranus gilberti, Richardson, Ann. Nat. Hist. March 1842. vol. ix. p. 

 19 ; Icon. Reeves, 257 ; Hardw. Acanth. 26. Chinese name, Hwa paou 

 yu, " Spotted leopard fish ; " Fa kou yu, " Spotted garoupa" (Reeves). 

 Bad. D. 11|17; A. 3|9; C. 15f ; P. 17; V. 1|5. (Spec. Brit. Mus.) 



This is one of the Serrani which bear a close resemblance to merra, and are perhaps merely 

 varieties of that species. It is a common fish in the southern seas, yet I have not been able 

 to identify it with any of the numerous species or varieties described in the ' Histoire des 

 Poissons.' In the British Museum there are examples from China and North Australia which 

 do not differ from each other. 



Hab. Torres straits. China seas. 



Serranus megachir, Richardson. Icon. Reeves, 113; Hardw. Acanth. 



28. Chinese name, Tae mei pan, " Tortoise-shell garoupa" (Reeves). 



Bad. D. 11)15 ; A. 3|8 ; C. 12f ; P. 15 ; V. 1|5. (Spec. Brit. Mus.) 



This is another merou, almost identical in the markings of its body and fins with gilberti, 

 but distinguished from it and from merra by the greater size of its pectoral fin, which is edged 

 with black and reaches beyond the anus. The only species described in the ' Fauna Japonica' 

 which resembles this, is the S. epistictus, and that has the spots on the fore part of the body 

 ranged in three rows, which coalesce into one row posteriorly. The "tortoise-shell merou" 

 grows to the length of a foot. There are examples of it in the Chinese collection at Hyde 

 Park and in the British Museum, the latter presented by Mr. Reeves. 



Hab. Coasts of China. 



Serranus epistictus, Temm. et Schl. F. J. Sieb. p. 8. 



None of Mr. Reeves's drawings correspond with the description of this species, nor have we 

 seen any Chinese specimens of it. 

 Hab. Japanese sea. 



