the Ichthyology of Australia. 



217 



trals and spinous part of the dorsal, they are all spotted on their 

 lower halves like the body, three or four rows on each. There are 

 also two or three rows of paler spots on the upper part of these fins. 



Scorpaena ergastulorum (Nob.), Port Arthur Scorpaena. 



None of the Scorpcence of the southern seas described in the 

 c Histoire des Poissons' are said to have the black mark on the 

 posterior third of the spinous dorsal which characterizes the 

 Mediterranean scrofa. That spot is however strongly marked 

 in the drawing of a Scorpaena made under Dr. Lhotsky's 

 direction, at the penal settlement of Port Arthur, in Van 

 Diemen's Land. 



This species resembles porcus in general form. Its spinous dorsal 

 is moderately arched, and not deeply notched at the eleventh spine. 

 The fourth spine is the tallest, and the soft rounded part of the 

 fin rises to an equal height with it. The nine inferior rays of the 

 pectoral are represented as simple, the caudal as scarcely rounded. 

 The second anal spine is rather the longest of the three, which come 

 nearer to the length of the soft rays than usual. 



A spine and apparently a short cirrhus are represented on the 

 nasal bone : four spines on the preorbitar, four on the upper margin 

 of the orbit, one of them over the anterior canthus and three on the 

 posterior third of the margin : two prominent ones on the lateral oc- 

 cipital ridge, four on the temporal ridge : a series of seven on the 

 suborbitar ridge, and three strong angular points on the lower limb 

 of the preoperculum. The two opercular spines are longer and more 

 acute than any of the others, and the lower one is curved upwards. 

 There is a close series of conical points (cirrhi ?) on the lateral line. 

 The temples and upper halves of the cheek and gill-cover are repre- 

 sented as scaly. The scales of the body are rather small. 



The prevailing colour of the fish is scarlet, obscured in many places 

 by large blotches of purplish or brownish red, particularly along the 

 base of the dorsal, over the pectoral, and on the top of the head. 

 These blotches pass insensibly into the ground-colour, and do not 

 produce defined markings. The scarlet of the fins has a lakish tinge, 

 and passes into carmine towards their edges. There is a brown 

 mottled patch on the pectoral, at the base of the upper rays, and the 

 jointed rays of all the fins but the pectorals are marked with reddish 

 brown dots, disposed in rows. There is also some indistinct brown 

 and reddish speckling on the membranes of the vertical fins, and an 

 oval black spot crosses the ninth, tenth and eleventh dorsal spines. 



Rays:— P. 15; D. 12|9 ; A. 3|5 ; V. 1|5. 



The same black dorsal mark exists on a New Zealand Scor- 

 pana taken on Cook's first voyage, and described as follows 

 by Solander: — 



" Scorpaena cruenta. Habitat in oceano prope ' Cape Kidnap- 

 pers.' Corpus saturate sed obscure rubrum, nebulis subfascial 

 paucis pallide lutescentibus pictum, subtus dilute sanguineum Tie- 

 Ann. % Mag. N. Hist. Vol. ix. Q 



