Knowledge of the Crenilabri. 449 



precludes further comparison, and at the same time it leaves us in 

 doubt whether his Labrus exoletus and the Crenilabrus microstoma 

 may not be identical. 



Ckenilabrus multidentatus, Nob. Ball's Wrasse. PI. XIII. 



Three specimens of a Crenilabrus, taken at Youghal in the sum- 

 mer of 1835, have been kindly sent me for examination by R. Ball, 

 Esq. As in the instance of the last species, I cannot, by careful re- 

 search, find any fish described with which they accord, I with some 

 hesitation bring them forward as new, under the name of C. multi- 

 dentatus. 



Their chief characteristics are — Form elongated ; mouth large and 

 powerfully armed with pointed teeth ; pre-opercle obscurely denticu- 

 lated ; scales of moderate size ; ventral scale one-fourth the length of 

 ventral fin ; a blackish spot behind the eye, one at the base of the 

 last ray of the dorsal fin, and a third at the lowermost portion of 

 the tail. 



D. 19+10. A. 3+8 P. 14. V. 1+5. C. 13, well developed = Branch, mem. 5- 

 The specimen from which the following description is drawn up 

 is in length 2± inches ; depth \ of the entire length, and less 

 than the length of head ; head to entire length is 1 to 2| ; upper 

 jaw the longer ; lips prominent and double ; mouth large ; teeth 

 numerous and large, two rows in the upper, one in the lower jaw ; 

 number in lower twenty-six. The five hinder ones in each side 

 equal, thence forward to the centre eight unequal, of which the two 

 in front are considerably the largest, and curve inwards ; in the 

 outer row of upper jaw twenty, the four hinder on each side of equal 

 size, next six increasing somewhat gradually to the centre ; no ser- 

 ration visible with the highest power of a lens on any tooth ; the 

 larger teeth in both jaws sharp and curving inwards. This number 

 and arrangement of teeth relatively to size, the same in two out of 

 three specimens. Eyes of moderate size, distance between them 

 equal to their diameter ; a row of pores appeal's above each eye, ex- 

 tends back to the pre-opercle, and thence through its entire length 

 a short way in from the margin ; pre-opercle ascending obliquely, 

 obscurely denticulated, especially towards the base ; covered with 

 small scales ; opercle covered with large scales ; scales of the body 

 of moderate size, somewhat rounded at their free margins, strongly 

 marked with concentric stria; ; lateral line takes the form of dorsal 

 profile, and extends between one-third and one-fourth of the entire 

 depth below it ; ventral central. Dorsal fin commences at one-third of 

 the entire length, and ends considerably nearer the tail than the anal 



