232 report — 1845. 



descriptions of it in the works we have quoted, what are the characters that distinguish i 

 from the other Chinese species. 

 Hab. Sea of Japan. 



Serranus areolatus, Forskal (Perca), C. et V. ii. p. 350. Perca taurine 

 Geoff. Saint-Hilaire, Egypt, pi. 20. f. 1 ; Is. Geoff, p. 201. Serranus areo- 

 latus japonicus, Temm. et Schl. F. J. Sieb. p. 8. 



The Japanese fish is stated to differ from the species in the Red sea only in having the 

 pectorals of an uniformly yellow hue and the caudal slightly rounded. We have seen no 

 specimen of it. 



Hab. Red sea. Sea of Japan, 



Serranus reevesii, Richardson. Icon. Reeves, 211 ; Hardw. Acanth. 32. 

 Chinese name, Pa pan, "Variegated garoupa" (Reeves); Pa pan u 

 (Bridgem. Chrest. 62). Bad. D. 1 1|14 ; A. 3|8, &c. (exjigurd.) 



The spots of this figure are singularly like those of S. hexagonatus (Forster, C. et V. ii. 

 p. 330), but the angles of the meshes want the bright white spots; there is a more decided 

 notch in the preoperculum, and the third anal spine is longer than the second. The ground 

 colour is pale aurora-red, the spots orange-brown, and the head and body are clouded by 

 about twelve large brown patches on each side. The spots are equally crowded on all the fins, 

 but are rather rounder than on the body. They are slightly deeper than the ground tint on 

 the pectorals, which is like that of the body, but clearer. The other fins have a brownish 

 hue, and the spots on the dorsal and ventrals are umber-brown, and on the caudal and anal au- 

 ricula-purple ; the ground tint of the latter fins being also dark. The upper tip of the caudal 

 is lighter: that fin is truncated or slightly rounded. The lower jaw projects considerably be- 

 yond the upper one. Length of the figure 10 inches. 



Hab. Sea of China. Canton. 



Serranus stigmapomus, Richardson. Icon. Reeves, 72 ; Hardw. Acanth. 

 24?. Chinese name, Hih shihpan, " Black garoupa" (Reeves) ; Hak shik 

 pau (Bridgem. Chrest. 59). Pad. B. 7 ; D. 9|17 ; A. 3|8 ; C. 19, &c. 



The individual from which Mr. Reeves's drawing was made was presented by that gentle- 

 man to the British Museum. It agrees singularly well with the description of Serranus kawa 

 mebari in the • Fauna Japonica,' in all that relates to colours and markings; but that species 

 differs in the number of rays, and is said to belong to the true Serrani with naked jaws, while 

 this is a Merou. 



The teeth are small and fine, but with a canine on each side of the symphysis of the upper 

 jaw. No scales on the upper jaw or maxillary, but the snout is scaly even before the nostrils, 

 and scales exist on the preorbitar and suborbitars, and cover the preoperculum to its extreme edge. 

 The lower jaw is furnished with small, deeply imbedded scales. Preoperculum curved in the arc 

 of a circle, and minutely toothed in a pectinated manner on its upper limb, a little coarser at the 

 angle. Gill-cover very obtuse, or cut nearly vertically with a slightly projecting tip opposite 

 the central spine, which is thin and flat. Lateral line considerably arched. Fins rounded 

 and covered with small scales. The anal has three stout spines, shorter than the soft rays. 



The colour is pale chestnut, with eight well-defined and regular, darker vertical bands, 

 which encroach a little on the dorsal. The head and fins are mostly of the colour of the bands ; 

 the tips of the dorsal and edges of the pectoral and anal dark. The soft dorsal has a pale edge, 

 and the upper edge of the caudal is pale, the under one dark. A round black spot occupies 

 the membrane filling the sinus between the two upper opercular spines. 



Hab. China seas. Canton (Reeves). North-west coast of Australia? (Lieut. Emery.) 



Serranus nebulosus, C. et V. ii. p. 313. Pad. D. 11|16; A. 3|7 vel 8 



(second spine longest). (Spec. Brit. Mus.) 



There are two specimens of this fish in the British Museum, which were brought from Can- 

 ton by John Reeves, Esq., and one whose origin is unknown. 



Hab. China seas. 



Serranus trimaculatus, C. et V. ii. p. 331 ; Temm. et Schl. F. J. Sieb. 

 p. 8. Ppinephelus japonicus, Krusenst. Voy. pi. 64<. f. 2. Pad. D. 11(17 ; 

 A. 3|7; C. 15f ; P. 17; V. l|5. (Several spec.) 



In the ' Histoire des Poissons' the numbers of the rays being quoted from Krusenstern's 

 figure are erroneous. There seems however to be some variation in their number. In one of 



