J)r. Richardson's Contribution* to 



There are two Serrani in the museum at Haslar of un- 

 known origin, though from some circumstances they are sup- 

 posed to be from Melville Island, on the north coast of Neil 

 Holland. One of them agrees so well with the account of 

 the S. merra in the e Histoire des Poissons/ that I have con- 

 sidered it to be an example of that common and somewhat 

 variable species. 



It differs from S. Gilberti in the head being rather longer in pro- 

 portion, and forming exactly one-third of the entire length of the 

 fish, caudal included ; in the presence of some very minute scales on 

 the limb of the maxillary, and in the very regular round spots being 

 distributed over every part of the head, body, and fins. The ground- 

 colour, after long maceration in spirits, has a pale leaden tint ; the 

 spots are dark umber-brown, and are smaller on the snout and lower 

 jaw, and less crowded on the belly. There are but few on the ven- 

 trals, and on the pectorals they are small, though distinct, being 

 confined to the rays, and forming about six rows. They are paler 

 and less distinct on the spinous dorsal, but the fillet of membrane 

 behind the tip of each spine is black. On the soft dorsal, anal and 

 caudal, they are as in S. Gilberti, and the forms of these fins are the 

 same. The opercular spines are more acute, but less conspicuous, 

 particularly the middle one, which is nevertheless much larger than 

 the other two, and the preoperculum is more rounded, both limbs 

 being arched, without any distinct lobe at the moderately obtuse 

 angle, above which, however, there is a slight re-entering curve. 

 The ascending limb curves forwards considerably, and the lower one 

 declines very slightly, so that the spherical angle which they form 

 does not exceed a right one. The ascending limb is finely denticu- 

 lated, with the teeth enlarging towards the angle ; the lower one is 

 faintly crenated. There is a canine tooth on each side of the sym- 

 physis above and below, but no exterior row of short conical teeth 

 on the sides of the jaws. The bands of teeth on the limbs of the 

 jaws, palate, and vomer are finer and more even than in S. Gilberti, 

 approaching to villiform. The second anal spine is a little longer 

 and much stronger than the third one. There is a further slight 

 difference between the species, in the fourth and fifth dorsal spines 

 of merra being rather taller than the third one. The soft dorsal 

 is as tall as the highest spine ; but the spines becoming shorter, 

 though only a little, as they approach it, the soft fin appears taller 

 than the spinous one, as is the case also in S. Gilberti. The under 

 jaw of S. merra projects very evidently beyond the upper one, even 

 when the mouth is shut. The scales of the body are small, and 

 strongly ciliated. 



Rays: — P. 16; V. l|5 ; D. 1)116 ; A. 3|7, last ray deeply divided ; 

 C. 15f. 



Specimen 5-§ inches long. 



Bloch's figure 329 gives a good idea of the specimen above men- 

 tioned, though it does not exhibit the slight re-entering curve above 

 the angle of the preoperculum. 



