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PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 65, 28 Sept. 2018, No. 1 
Figure 23. Serranus scriba from El Cabron dive site near Arinaga, Grande Canary Is., Canary Islands. Photograph by 
Rogelio Herrera. 
Figure 24. Serranus scriba from Ibiza Island, western Mediterranean Sea. Photograph by Robert Patzner. 
(in life); prominent reticulate to vermiform lines on head, and black horizontal stripe on snout, 
usually extending through eye onto dorsal margin of gill cover. 
Description. — Body deep, about 33-37% SL; head low, profile of nape rises steeply into 
prominent arch; length of head 35-40% of SL; snout sharply pointed, 3.7-4.1 times in HL, orbit 
5-6 times in HL, upper jaw slightly shorter than lower jaw. Dorsal profile of head rises in gentle 
curve, then abruptly ascends behind orbits to form a high, arched nape; profile peaking under 
middle of spinous dorsal before descending to caudal peduncle. 
Premaxillary teeth canine-like in outer series, with narrow inner band of smaller teeth; dentary 
teeth in narrow band in front, band tapering to one row posteriorly; teeth at anterior and posterior 
ends largest. Teeth on vomer in narrow V-shaped band; those on palatines in one or two irregular 
series. 
Margins of spinous dorsal fin moderately incised; spines increase gradually in height to peak 
at 4 th or 5 th spine, becoming shorter thereafter; in adults, no notch or indentation in fin outline 
where spinous and soft rays join, but juveniles have a slight indentation. Anal fin high, longest ray 
about equal to or higher than longest ray of dorsal fin; first anal spine 1.5-1.9 into second and third 
spines, which are more or less of equal length. Pectoral fin broad based, slightly pointed at tip; 
pectoral and pelvic fms fall short of anal-fin origin, a short streamer developed in pelvic fins 
between first and second rays in larger specimens. 
