WRASSES. 
11 
Obs. Valenciennes with some hesitation also gives as a synonym 
for this species Labrus onitis, Linnaeus, Mils. Ad. Frid., prodr. Tomi 
Secundi, p. 79: Syst. Nat., ed. X, p. 286, ed. XII, p. 478. In the 
Royal Zoological Museum in Stockholm there is a specimen bearing 
the name Labrus onitis , which was brought there together with the 
rest of the collections from Drottningholm and is probably the very 
specimen described by Linnaeus. Sundevall ( Skand . Fiskar , list Edit., 
p. 160) included this fish under the name of Labrus tessellatus, Bloch, 
Oecon. Naturgesch. Ausl. Fisclie, Vol. VI, p. 8, plate CCXCI, fig. 1, 
which should thus be synonymous with Labrus onitis. As we now 
know that the younger specimens of Tautoga onitis , a species very 
common on the west coast of the United States, and which in a mu- 
tilated condition (without the anal fin) has been described by Linnaeus 
{Syst. Nat., ed. XII, p. 475) under the name Labrus hiatula, possess 
the network of coloured lines mentioned by Bloch (cf. Jordan and 
Gilbert, Synopsis of the fishes of North America, Bull, U. S. Nat. 
Mus. N:o 16, pp. 600 and 936), there is no doubt that Sundevall’s 
opinion was correct. The colouring of the specimen described by 
Linnaeus is, it is true, destroyed by the action of the alcohol in which it 
has been preserved, but there are still traces of dark markings which seem 
to have resembled those given in Bloch’s figure ; and when Sundevall 
described this specimen, some dark dots on the ventral side, mentioned 
in Linnaeus’s description, were especially distinct. The fish is 142 mm. 
in length. There are no scales on the operculum, except on the top 
17 3 
margin: and the fin formula is D. — ) A. — The pectoral fins are 
& 10 8 1 
fairly large, in length about 3 / 4 of the greatest depth of the body, and 
there are 15 rays, the first of which is simple, and in addition to these 
one small ray at the beginning of the fin. The ventral fins are scarcely 
more than 2 / 3 of the pectoral fins in length. The caudal fin has 13 
branched rays of equal length, and one shorter simple ray with several 
supporting rays on each side. The jaw-teeth are set in two rows, 
the inner of which is indistinct and incomplete; the front teeth in the 
outer row are fairly large, and the two middle teeth in each jaw the 
largest of all, conical at the base, flat and truncate at the apex. There 
is no record of the place of origin of this specimen, but that it comes 
from America is a matter that scarcely admits of question, any more 
than we can doubt that it must have been at second-hand that Bloch 
got his specimen from Norway. 
That the Labrus ossifagus of Linnaeus (Z>. n / 14 , A. 3 / I2 ; ’ habitat 
in Europa ’) belongs to this species, as both Valenciennes and Sun- 
devall have assumed, is most highly probable, for no other European 
Labrus more nearly corresponds with Linnaeus’s description in the num- 
ber of the fin rays. But, as Linnaeus has left no specimen himself 
and has not cited any authority or figure, there still remains enough 
uncertainty to prevent the use of this name for the species. LinNaEUS 
has indeed confused the habitats in his Systema Naturce so often that 
it is impossible to place implicit reliance in his statements. Thus in 
the Mus. Ad. Frid. p. 66, he assigns no region to Sciama ( Labrus , 
Syst. Natl) punctata, which, to judge by the specimen in the Royal 
Museum, is the species that has subsequently been named Polycentrus 
Schomburgkii, by Muller and Troschel, or to Scicena ( Labrus , Syst. 
Nat.) bimacidata, which, to judge by the specimen in the Royal Museum, 
is the Acara bimaculata of later writers, and therefore, like the for- 
mer species, undoubtedly comes from Guiana, though both of the above- 
mentioned specimens have no region assigned to them in the labels 
from Linnaeus's time. In the Systema Naturce the region of the for- 
mer species has been given correctly (’Habitat Surinami’), but Labrus 
bimaculatus is said to inhabit the Mediterranean. In one of the earliest 
collections in the Royal Museum there is a specimen of Labrus mixtus, 
a In 6 measured specimens the least depth of the tail was on 
the maximum 11.5 %. 
but it is only ticketed Labrus, without any Linmean label or statement 
as to its habitat. This uncertainty compels us to retain for the Stri- 
ped Wrasse the Linnrean name which has first been fixed with scien- 
tific accuracy. (Cf. Valenciennes, 1. c.). 
This fish generally attains a length of from 300 
to 350 mm., but the female is apparently always a 
little smaller than the male and most probably does 
not exceed the former measurement. The length of 
the head, measured to the apex of the gill-cover, is 
about 1 / 3 of the length of the body minus the caudal 
hn, which measures about 2 /' 3 of the length of the head. 
The body is more elongate than is the case with any 
other of the Scandinavian members of this genus, ex- 
cept the Scale-rayed Wrasse ( Labrus Pcdloni ); its great- 
est depth, which is almost uniform along the anterior 
half of the dorsal fin, is from 6 / 25 to 2 / 9 of the total 
length. Least depth of the body 1 / 9 of the length “. 
The production of the snout is especially remarkable; 
it tapers regularly to a point, forming a rectilinear 
profile, and is so produced that it forms an angle of 
less than 60° when the jaws are closed. The distance 
from the eye to the tip of the snout is about equal to 
the depth of the head at the anterior orbital margin. 
Head slightly compressed and transversely rounded at 
the top. Body still more compressed, the thickness 
about 1 / 2 of the depth. 
The eye is closely surrounded by the tense, thin, 
dermal margin of the orbit; the diameter about 1 / 3 of 
the distance from the tip of the snout. The pupil not 
quite circular but slightly produced anteriorly. The 
nostrils are very small, and remind one of the stitches 
in a piece of needlework; the two openings on each 
side are a good way apart from each other. The posterior 
opening is higher than the anterior corner of the eye 
and on a level with its anterior margin; the anterior 
opening lies at a point such that the distance to the 
eye is about 1 / 5 of the distance to the tip of the snout, 
it is on a level with the articulation of the lower jaw 
and has a small tubular rim. 
The mouth is larger than in the other Scandi- 
navian wrasses. It extends half the distance between 
the eye and the tip of the snout, but the dermal folds 
reach a little further back. The jaws are of equal size. 
The lips are also fairly large. The upper lip in par- 
ticular is considerably produced, and underneath thickly 
covered with small papillae and closely folded, as is 
also the large bent lateral flap of the under lip. The 
aD average 10.9 % of the length of the body; the minimum was 10.5 %, 
