14 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



6. Serranus hexagonatus, Plate II, fig. 3. 



Perca hexagonata, Porster, Desc. An. p. 189. 



Holocentrus hexagonatus, Bl. Schn. p. 323. 



Holocentrus merra, Lacep. pp. 342, 384. 



Serranus merra etfaveahis, Cuv. & Val. ii, pp. 325, 329. 



Serranus hexagonatus, Cuv. & Val. ii, p. 330 ; Guerin, Icon. Poiss. pi. 4, fig. 1 ; Richards. Voyage Sulphur, 

 p. 82, pi. 38, fig. 1 ; Cantor. Catal. p. 7 ; Bleeker, Nat. T. Ned. Ind. vi, p. 191 ; Peters, Monat. Ak. Wiss. 1865 : 

 Giinther, Catal. i, p. 141 & Pische d. Sudsee, p. 7, t. vii ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 25 ; Klunz. Fische d. Roth. 

 Meer. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien. 1870, p. 683. 



Serranus confertus, Benn. Life Raffles, Pish. Sumatra, p. 686. 



Serranus nigriceps, Cuv. & Val. vi, p. 517. 



Fpinephelus hexagonatus, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. 23, fig. 2. 



Epinephelus merra, Bleeker, Bpinephelini, p. 88 (not Bloch). 



Naambu, Bel. .: Pulli-cullawah, ' Spotted Perch' Tarn, 



B. vii, D. -5^ l,, P. 16, V. 1/5, A. a C. 17, L. r. u=?> L. tr. 13/36, Case. pyl. 32, (24 Kner). 



Length of head from 3/10 to 2/7, of caudal 1/6, height of body 2/7 to 1/4 of the total length. Eyes — 

 diameter 1/4 to 2/9 of the length of head, 1 to lj diameters from the end of snout, and from 1/3 to 1 apart. 

 The maxilla reaches to below the hind edge of the orbit. Vertical limb of preopercle finely serrated in its 

 upper two-thirds, more coarsely so in its lower third, especially at its angle, which, though usually rounded, is 

 sometimes slightly produced and armed with one or two strong teeth, its lower limb and also the sub- and inter- 

 opercles entire : the central opercular spine the most developed. Teeth — canines in the upper jaw stronger than 

 those in the lower, the outer row of teeth in the maxilla and the inner in the mandibles stronger than the villiform 

 bands. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength, the fourth the longest, from whence they slightly decrease 

 to the last, which is not so high as the first ray : soft portion of the dorsal and anal fins angularly rounded : 

 pectoral a little longer than the ventral and equal to the length of the head behind the middle of the eye : 

 second anal spine strongest and slightly the longest : caudal obtusely rounded. Scales — ctenoid. Colours — 

 reddish brown with a light reticulation causing the body, and also the pectoral, soft dorsal, and caudal fins to be 

 covered with hexagonal, or sometimes rounded markings. In some specimens the dark blotches become more 

 confluent, the light reticulations being indistinct. 



Although Blood's figure (t. 329) more resembles S. Jiexagonatus than the species under which I here 

 place it, my reason for doing so is that Professor Peters has shown me the type specimen which unquestionably 

 belongs to this species. 



Serranus eylindricus, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 151, in some respects very closely resembles this species, its scales 

 are L. r. y T °, L. tr. 13/, the diameter of its eye 4f in the length of the head, and 1 diameter from the end of 

 the snout. Although the body is more elongated, it is wider than normal. I almost think that it will turn out 

 to be a variety of this species. 



In Cuv. & Val. it is suggested that Trachinus Adscensionis, Osbeck, ii, p. 96 belongs to this species, he 

 observes " the body is somewhat compressed and not quite round." 



Habitat. — Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India, Malay Archipelago to the Pacific. The specimen 

 figured was taken at the Andaman Islands and is a little over 8 inches in length. 



7. Serranus maculatus, Plate II, fig- 4. 



Holocentrus maculatus, Bl. t. 242, fig. 3 (young) ; Bl. Schn. p. 315. 



Holocentrus albofuscus, Lacep. iv, p. 384. 



Serranus Oaimardi, Cuv. & Val. vi, p. 520 ; Quoy & Gaim. Voy. Astrol. Poiss. p. 656, pi. 3, fig. 3 ; 

 Bleeker, Batav. p. 455 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 150 ; Playfair, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 847. 



Serranus Seba, Bleeker, Amb. p. 488 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 137- 



Serranus maculatus, Bleeker, Boeroe, p. 398. 



Serranus albofuscus, Giinther, Catal. i, p. 108. 



Serranus longispinis, Kner, Voy. Novara, Poiss. p. 27, t. ii, f. 2 : Playfair, Pish. Zanz. p. 10. 



Epinephelus Gaimardi, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. Perc. vii, fig. 1. 



Epinephelus albofuscus, Bleeker, 1. c. Perc. xxvi, fig. 2. 



Epinephelus maculatus, Bleeker, Epinephelini, p. 75, Atl. Ich. Perc. t. viii, fig. 3, & xi, fig. 2. 



B. vii, D. JU P. 18, V. 1/5, A. f, C. 17, L. r. V¥, L. tr. 20/45. 



Length of head 3/10 to 2/7, of caudal 1/6, height of body nearly 1/4 of the total length. Eyes— diameter 

 from 2/9 to 1/5 of the length of head, rather above 1 diameter from the end of snout, and 1 apart. The maxilla, 

 which is rather wide posteriorly, reaches (in the young) to below the last third of the orbit, and in the adult 

 to beneath its hind edge. Preopercle rounded, with its vertical border strongly but pretty evenly serrated, 

 whilst its angle is a little produced and has about eight coarse denticulations. Opercle with the central spine 

 well developed. Teeth — small canines in either jaw : the outer row in the maxilla, and the inner in the mandible 

 larger than the villiform bands. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength : they increase to the third, which 

 equals half the length of the head, and is one half longer than the rays : from thence they decrease, but the last is 

 nearly as long as the rays ; the soft portions of the dorsal and anal are somewhat angular : pectorals longer than 

 the ventrals and equal to the length of the head from behind the middle of the orbit: second anal spine strongest 

 but not so long as the third, which is nearly one third of the length of the head : caudal cut square but with 



