the Ichthyology of Australia. 



23 



Serranus stellans (Nob.), Star-spotted Serranus. 



This is the second Serranus. mentioned in a preceding page 

 as belonging to the museum at Haslar, and as being supposed 

 to have come from Melville Island, on the south side of Tor- 

 res Straits. 



The specimen bears a strong general resemblance to that which 

 we have considered to be the merra, having the same distribution of 

 the scales on the jaws, fins, &c, the same spines on the operculum 

 and denticulations on the preoperculum, whose limbs form the same 

 arcs ; but the angle appears more rounded, from the absence of the 

 small re-entering curve above it : the crenatures on the under limb 

 are also more readily discovered. The teeth are rather more brush- 

 like and unequal than in the merra, but the canines are the same, — 

 a pair above and below. The under jaw is shorter, being just equal 

 with the upper one when the mouth is closed. The dorsal is less 

 arched anteriorly, the spines diminishing more gradually after the 

 fifth, which is the tallest. From this cause the soft fin seems to be 

 lower in proportion than in merra, but its posterior third actually 

 equals the highest spine in height. The spines generally are more 

 slender, and somewhat taller than in a merra of the same size. The 

 second anal spine is stout, and exceeds the third one conspicuously 

 in length. The caudal is much rounded, and the soft vertical fins 

 moderately so, as in merra. The dark round spots are more crowded, 

 so as to show little of any paler ground-colour ; but instead thereof 

 each spot is surrounded by six triangular specks of white, giving a 

 somewhat hexagonal form to the meshes, though the dark areas are 

 quite round. These spots exist on the caudal fin also, on the whole 

 soft dorsal and anal, and the posterior part of the pectoral ; but they 

 are confined to the inferior halves of the spinous dorsal and fore-part 

 of the pectorals; they are absent on the lower jaw and under surface 

 of the fish from thence to the anus. The vestiges of spots of any 

 kind are very faint on the ventrals. The dorsal and anal are edged 

 with black. 



Rays :—B. 7 - 7 ; P. 16 ; V. 1|5 ; D. 1 1|15, the last one divided ; 

 A. 3|8; C. 15f. 



This is much like the species sketched by Parkinson at Otaheite*, 

 where, as we learn by a note in pencil on the drawing, it is named 

 ' tarao ' or ' tarao opoppe.' " The ground-colour and the spots are 

 darker, and softened into one another. Round about each spot there 

 are small dots of white or straw-colour ; the same across the fins. 

 There is of this fish as large again." (Solander.) The spots on the 

 body are coloured dark purplish-brown, those on the pectorals being 

 redder. The figure shows twelve dorsal spines ; the third anal spine 

 is much the tallest, equalling the soft rays, and the lower jaw is 

 longer than the upper one. The two latter characters disagree with 

 stellans. S. hexagonatus (Cuv. & Val.), (Perca hexagonata, Forster), 



* Fig. No. 36. Parkinson ; pi, 75, Banks. Libr. [Perca maculata) ; Ser- 

 ranus Parkinsonii, Cuv. & Val. ii. p. 239. 



