24 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



The specimen termed Serranus formosus, " adult : stuffed Isle de France," in the British Museum Catalogue 

 1. c. is, as Dr. Bleeker suggests (Fish. Madagascar, p. 20), identical with Epinephelus Polleni, Bleeker, 1. c. p. 19 : 

 the caudal is cut nearly square instead of being rounded as in S. boenach. A beautiful specimen exists in the 

 Paris Museum received from M. Lienard, of the Mauritius, but the description I am unable to recognise in his 

 papers. 



Habitat. — Seas of India and Malay Archipelago to China. 



26. Serranus miniatus, Plate VI, fig. 2. 



Perca miniata, Forsk. p. 41 ; Linn. Gmel. p. 1317. 

 Bodianus miniatus, Bl. Schn. p. 332. 



Serranus miniatus, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 106, t. xxvi, f. 3 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 118, and in Garretts. 

 Fische d. Sudsee, Heft, i, p. 5, pi. v ; Klunz. Fische d. Roth. Meer. yerh. z. b. Ges. Wien. 1870, p. 679. 

 Serranus guttatus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 357. 

 Diacope miniata, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 433. 

 Cromileptes miniatus, Swains. Fish, ii, p. 201. 



Serranus cyanostigmatoides, Bleeker, Verh. Bat. Gen. xxii, Perc. p. 31 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 117. 

 Epinephelus cyanostigmatoides, Bleeker, Ternate, p. 232, and Atl. Ich. Perc. t. v, f. 3. 

 Epinephelus argus, Bleeker, Waigiou. p. 296. 

 Epinephelus miniatus, Bleeker Epinephelini, p. 53. 



B. vii, D. -^tj, P. 18, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 90, L. r. W 6 > L. tr. 14-16/40, Case. pyl. 12 (Madras)— 

 16 (Andamans). 



Length of head from 4/13 to 2/7, of caudal 1/7, height of body 2/7 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 

 from 1/5 to 1/6 of length of head, 1 to 1| diameters from the end of snout, and f of a diameter apart. The 

 maxilla reaches to below the posterior third or hind edge of the orbit. Vertical limb of preopercle usually 

 somewhat emarginate above its angle, the whole being finely and evenly serrated, as are also the sub- and inter- 

 opercles. Opercular spines well developed, the central one being the largest. Fins — dorsal spines rather strong, 

 the fourth or fifth somewhat the longest, and equal to one-third the height of the body, the last nearly as high 

 as the first ray : pectoral as long as the head, exclusive of the snout, and longer than the ventral, which reaches 

 three-fourths of the way to the vent : caudal rounded. Scales — ctenoid. Colours — uniform scarlet : body, 

 cheeks, opercles, dorsal, caudal, and anal fins covered with large blue spots, the size of which equals the extent 

 of from 2 to 5 scales : two blue spots opposite the base of the pectoral. Two dark streaks from the orbit along 

 the snout. The fins darkest at their margins : two rows of large blue spots along the spinous portion of the 

 dorsal, and six or eight over the soft dorsal and the anal : one or two spots near the base of the pectoral, which 

 fin is sometimes spotted all over. 



Peters (Wieg. Arch. 1855, p. 235) considered S. cyanostigma as identical with this species. Bleeker 

 (Epinephelini), p. 56, observes that though closely allied they appear to be distinct, as the colour is constantly 

 different : the scaling of the snout is not identical, and it has D. ^l P. 16-17, C. 19. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. The specimen figured is 9 

 inches in length. 



27. Serranus guttatus, Plate VI, fig. 3. 



Bodianus guttatus, Bl. t. 224 ; Bl. Schn. p. 330 ; Lacep. iv, p. 296. 



Epinephelus argus, Bl. Schn. p. 301. 



Cephalopholis argus, Bl. Schn. p. 311, pi. 61. 



Serranus hemistictus, Riipp. Atl. p. 109, t. xxvii, f. 3 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 119 ; Klunzinger, Verh. z. b. 

 Ges. Wien. 1870, p. 680. 



Serranus myriaster, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 365 ; Riipp. Atl. p. 107, t. xxvii, f. 1 ; Richards. Ich. China, 

 p. 233 ; Less. Voy. Coq. Poiss. pi. 37 ; Bleeker, Nat Tyds. Ned. Ind. vi, p. 192. 



Serranus argus, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 360 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 115 ; Peters, Berlin. Monats. 1865, p. 103. 



Serranus guttatus, Peters, Wieg Arch. 1855, p. 235 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 119, and Fische d. Sudsee, p. 5, 

 t. iv ; Kjuer, Voy. Novara, p. 22 ; Klunz. Fische d. Roth. Meer. 1. c. p. 686. 



Epinephelus argus, Bleeker, Epinephelini, p. 57. 



B. vii, D. t,?^, P. 18, V. 1/5, A. ¥ V, C. 17, L. r. i§f, L. tr. 21/43, Ca^c. pyl. 8. 



Length of head 1/3 to 2/7, of caudal 1/5, height of body 1/3 to 2/7 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 

 from 1/5 to 2/13 of the length of head, If diameters from the end of snout, and 1 apart. The maxilla reaches 

 to beyond the vertical from the hind edge of the orbit. Preopercle, its vertical limb rounded and finely serrated, 

 lower limb entire : a few serrations on the interopercle. Three well developed opercular spines, the central one 

 being the longest. Teeth — rather small canines in both jaws, the outer row of teeth in the maxilla and the 

 inner in the mandible are larger than the villiform bands. Fins — dorsal spines rather strong, increasing in 

 length to the fourth and fifth, which equal about one-third the height of the body : pectoral rather longer than 

 the ventral : second anal spine strongest and slightly longer than the third : soft portions of the dorsal and 

 anal fins angularly rounded : caudal rounded. Scales — ctenoid. Colours — usually reddish-brown and mostly 

 with darker vertical bands ; head, body, and all the fins (except occasionally the pectoral and ventral) covered 

 with numerous small blue spots : dorsal, anal, and caudal with a fine white border. 



In the variety figured, S. hemistictus, the cross bands are not seen : the spots on the upper half of the 

 body are very few, and the pectoral has a broad yellow edge. 



