ON THE ICHTHYOLOGY OP THE SEAS OF CHINA AND JAPAN. 263 



more. In form and distribution of colours the species closely resembles Scarus frenatus, 

 Lacep., Sc. psittacus and Sc. harid, Riipp., Sc. harid, C. et V. (which is different from that of 

 Ruppell), and Sc. dussumieri, and several others described in the ' Histoire des Poissons.' It 

 cannot however be perfectly reconciled with the descriptions of any of them ; and unless 

 several characters, which have been relied upon by ichthyologists for distinguishing species, 

 should prove to be mere individual variations, it is a proper species; but I expect when 

 further comparisons have been instituted, that a number of nominal species, and this probably 

 among the number, will be absorbed in the more ancient designations. In the ' Histoire des 

 Poissons,' the name of Riippell's Scarus is changed from harid to ruppelii, another species or 

 variety being described as the harid of Forskal ; but the dentition, as described by the latter 

 author, agrees much better with Riippell's fish than with the harid of M. Valenciennes, which 

 wants the canines at the angle of the mouth. Sc. pyrrostethus is much like Sc. pepo (Benn. 

 Ceyl. 28. Maj. Neild's drawing in Hardw. Coll. Br. Mus. No. 313) in distribution of colours, 

 but that fish has an uniformly arched profile. 



Scarus pyrrostethus has the profile of the face moderately concave before the eye, and the 

 acute points of the caudal projecting very little beyond the even or slightly rounded end of 

 the intermediate membrane. The white jaws are moderately convex and bulge less than 

 those of limbatus. About ten teeth may be counted on each side of the symphysis of each 

 jaw, and there is no canine at the angle of the mouth. The scales of the cheek approach 

 close to the orbit and permit less of the veined suborbitars to be seen than in limbatus. The 

 lateral line is traced on twenty-five scales by a tube on each, which emits a few simple 

 branches upwards and downwards, and has no bushy end. [The harid of the ' Histoire des 

 Poissons' is described as having a lateral line formed of a series of unbranched tubes.] The 

 discs of the scales are more finely granulated than in limbatus. The first anal spine is very 

 short, and the last soft ray is divided only at the tip, while the last ray of the dorsal is divided 

 to the base. 



Each scale on the body and tail, down to the level of the lower edge of the pectoral fin, has 

 an indigo-blue disc with a broad golden-coloured border edged with chestnut-brown. The 

 borders are wider on the back and the blue discs smaller, and the scaly sheath of the base of 

 the dorsal presents alternate, short, golden and blue vertical bars, the blue running into a 

 stripe of the same colour that runs along the bottom of the membrane. The rays of the fin 

 and its outer border are also blue, the membrane being reddish- orange. The anal has a 

 reddish-orange disc without the blue rays, but its outer edge and a line skirting its base are 

 blue. The same blue colour exists on the upper and under edge of the caudal and the first rays 

 of the pectoral and ventrals, but not on any other part of these fins. A part of the pectoral next 

 the blue ray, three soft rays of the ventrals, and the under part of the fish below the level of 

 the pectorals, are reddish-orange. The disc of the caudal and upper parts of the head are 

 yellowish-brown. The eye and lips are orpiment orange, and there is a blue bar behind each 

 lip ; another curves up from the angle of the mouth to the orbit to terminate there, and a 

 blue streak passes from the temples over the eye and across the forehead, to meet its fellow on 

 the other side. 



Hab. Chinese sea. Canton. 

 Scarus c^eruleo-punctatus, Ruppell, Neue Wirlb. p. 24. pi. 7. f. 3. 

 (Calliodon); C. et V. xiv. p. 262. Icon. Reeves, 248; Hardw. i. 311. 

 Chinese name, Ma e> " Flax clothes" (Birch); "Ma clothed ;" Ma is a 

 Canton word (Reeves). 



Mr. Reeves's drawing shows numerous blue dots on the head, and also four rows of them 

 on the rays of the ventrals and anal, which are not mentioned in the ' Histoire des Poissons,' 

 but which are indicated in Riippell's figure. 

 Hab. Sea of China and the Red sea. 



Calliodon chlorolepis, Richardson, Ichth. of Voy. of Sulph. p. 137. pi. 

 64. f. 4-7 ; Icon. Reeves, 77; Hardw. i. 310. Chinese name, Tsuy leen 

 chuy, "Green-scaled tsuy-fish" (Birch); Tsuy lin chuey, "Scaly king- 

 fisher ;" Tsuy is the name of the king-fisher (Reeves) ; Tsui lun chui 

 (Bridgem. Chrest. 122). 

 Surgeon R. A. Bankier, of the Royal Navy, presented a specimen of this fish, which he 



obtained at Hong Kong, to Haslar Museum. 

 Hab. China seas. Canton (J. Reeves, Esq.). Hong Kong (Surgeon R. A. Bankier, R.N.). 



Calliodon japonicus, Temm. et Schl. F. J. Sieb. pi. 89. (Letter-press not 

 published.) 

 Hab. Sea of Japan. 



