67 
MELANICHTHTS TUrCUSPIDATA. 
Box tricuspidata, Qp,oy et Oaim. Voy. de Freycinet Zool., 
p. 296. 
Oblata tricuspidata, Cwo. ^ Val., vii., p. 372. 
Grirella tricuspidata ? Gunther, Gatal. Brit. Mus., v. 1, p. 428 
Crenidens triglyphiis ? IlicTiardson, Erehus and Terror, 
Fishes, p. 36, pi. 25, fig. 2, 
(JBock or Black Ferch.) 
Almost black on tbe upper parts; grey on the sides, and 
white below. On the anterior part of the head, and even on the 
operculum, there is a yellow tinge. Dorsal fin of an obscure olive 
grey, with the lower two-thirds of a dark red. Caudal obscure ; 
anal of a dark green, with the spines white ; ventrals of a dirty 
white ; pectorals sometimes of a light colour, and sometimes with 
their external half obscure ; eye yellow. 
The fish that I consider to be Dr. Ounther’s Tricuspis agrees 
much better with Richardson’s figure of Tephrceops, only the 
scales are not small, but of moderate size. They number 57 on 
the longitudinal Hue, and about 38 on the transverse one, of these 
13 are above the lateral line. It is next to impossible to count 
with absolute certainty the very small ones of the extreme lower 
parts of the body. 
The dorsal has 15 spines and 13 soft rays ; the caudal has 15 
long rays and 4 shorter ones on each side ; the anal has 3 spines, 
of which the first is very small, and the others nearly equal ; the 
rays number 11 ; the pectorals have 16 rays. 
Specimens of this sort sometimes show nine or ten very narrow, 
transverse, obscure bands. In the warm months, the colour of 
this fish seems to become much lighter ; and in December, I have 
seen many specimens almost white. 
The teeth are very singular, being each three-lobed on the 
edge. These teeth form a continued series, but over them is 
another rather irregular and spaced one. In the inside of the 
mouth, these large teeth are succeeded by a deep groove, behind 
which are numerous rows of others, much smaller. 
The Black Perch is esteemed as an article of food. 
The usual size of this sort is from 12 to 15 inches long, but 
some specimens weigh up to six pounds and over. 
