195 
NETWORK SUCKER. 
Lifaria reticulcdus, Eisso? 
Lepadogaster bimaeulatus, Gunther; Cat. Br. M., vol. iii, p. 514. 
Thb naturalist Risso describes under the name here given a 
kind of sucking fish which he supposed new to science, and 
which he had discovered in the Mediterranean. The specific 
character which he assigned to it is, — the colour a dusky yellow, 
with a network of grey and black; the dorsal and anal fins 
opposite each other, and not united to the tail. In his description 
he also remarks that the muzzle is short and round, and the 
jaws of equal length; but he further adds, with some apparent 
contradiction, that the dorsal fin, which is furnished with six 
rays, is placed immediately over the tail, and the anal with 
only four rays is opposite to it, but both of them are at some 
distance from the tail. But setting aside these last-named 
particulars, if the fish thus referred to be indeed a distinct species, 
and not a variety of Montagu’s Sucker, as Dr. Gunther sup- 
posed it to be, we may then venture to claim some Cornish 
examples as the same with Risso’s fish, and as such one that 
has not hitherto been recognised as belonging to the British 
Catalogue. Three species have been examined, and all of 
them from a very limited extent of coast, at the depth of only 
a few fathoms; but of their particular habits nothing further 
has been ascertained. 
The length was very nearly three inches. In comparison with 
an example of Montagu’s Sucker the front appeared wider, head 
more depressed, dorsal and anal fins shorter, and approaching 
less nearly to the tail; sucking organ with the same number of 
tubercles. The general colour was a dusky yellow, lighter on 
the belly; but the whole surface of the skin and fins was covered 
with a network of lines, of which the meshes in different parts 
only varied in being more or less small. They were so especially 
in front, from the eyes to the mouth. When an example had 
been preserved for no long time in diluted spirit of wine, this 
beautiful network disappeared. 
