is 
LAB 
line is very near the back, then drops aim oft perpendi¬ 
cularly into the middle of the tail. The head is reddilh; 
the body grey, with two broad llripes of brown at the 
front part ; tail forked, the bafe and outer forks grey, the 
middle bluifli. The bread: is white; the peftoral and ven¬ 
tral fins are yellow; the anal and dorfal reddifh, bordered 
with light blue. This fpecies is from the Eaft Indies. 
5. Labrus trichopterus, the brittle-finned wrafle: ven¬ 
tral fin with briltly rays. The membrane of the gills has 
4 rays, the peiforal fin 10, the ventral 3, the anal 44, the 
tail 16, and the dorfal 14. Pallas gives the ventral fin 
but one ray, and makes that the fpecific character. The 
head and mouth are fmall ; the lips ftrong, and the jaws 
of equal length armed with fmall teeth ; the noftrils are 
double, the front pair furnifhdd with a membrane to dole 
them. The eyes have a golden iris furrounding a black 
pupil. The body is broad and thin ; the back is rounded 
in the front part, but carinated back, as is the belly, which 
is very fhort, fo that the anus is near the head. On the 
Tides is a blackifh oblong fpot, anti another on the tail. 
The lateral line makes a ftrong inflection at the end of 
the peftoral fin. The fcales are very fmall, hard, and fer- 
rated. The dorfal fin is very fhort, and the anal remark¬ 
ably long ; the long ray of the ventral is made up of joints 
like the antennae of beetles; this ray is long as the whole 
body, and probably ferves the fifli as a line to angle for 
young fry, who may miftake it for a worm. The back is 
brown ; the reft of the body pale blue varied with yellow. 
The tail-fin is crefcent fhaped, (Cepede fays forked,) co¬ 
vered with yellow fpots, as the anal is in part; the pec¬ 
torals are bluifh. This fpecies is from Japan. 
6. Labrus monodadylus, the one-fingered labrus : the 
ventral fin confifting of one fmall fpiny ray, hardly vifi- 
ble; dorfal and anal falcated, tail crefcent-lhaped. The 
membrane of the gills has feven rays, the dorfal fin 33, 
the pectorals 17, ventrals 1, anal -^. This is from Com- 
merfon, and made adiftinfil genus (Monodaftylus) by Ce¬ 
pede. The dorfal and anal fins are nearly equal in extent, 
almoft reaching to the tail fin. The anus is juft oppofite 
the pefitoral fins, which are pointed. The lateral line runs 
near the back, and follows its curvature. The gill-covert 
is in two pieces, the hinder one irregularly fringed. The 
eyes are large ; the mouth fmall; the upper jaw in a femi- 
circular form, furnifhed with fhort fliarp teeth clofe fet; 
it is extenfile alfo, and covers the lower. The tongue is 
broad, rounded in front, narrow at the rims, almoft en¬ 
tirely rough; the noftrils are double. The body and tail 
are much comprefied, covered with fmall round fmooth 
fcales ; fcales l'maller ftill appear on the bafe of the dorfal 
and anal fins. Prevailing colour filver, with brown tints 
on the back, as well as on the anterior part of the anal, 
dorfal, and pefforal, fins, though thefe are lometimes flefh- 
colour. Length, ten inches. 
7. Labrus melagafter, the black-bellied wrafle : fcales on 
the front operculum. The membrane of the gills lias five 
rays, the pebloral fin 12, the ventral 6, the anal 10, the 
tail 19, and the dorfal 25. The head is fhort, declining, 
and comprefied ; the mouth is very fmall, and the teeth 
fo minute as to be hardly perceptible; jaws nearly equal. 
The noftrils are fingle, and near the eyes. The eyes are 
large, high in the head, with a black pupil and golden 
iris. The pofterior operculum is compofed of two equal 
laminae; the under furface of the anterior one exhibits 
the fingle gill. The gills have a very wide aperture, and 
the membrane is covered in part. The trunk is broad 
and thin 5 the fcales are broad, fmooth, and round, black 
on the belly, which is very uncommon ; on the other parts 
chocolate-colour, edged with brown and black; they form 
a furrow on the back and at the anus, and cover part of 
the tail-fin alfo. The lateral line is interrupted. The 
fins are black, ending fliarp; the peftorals and ventrals are 
peculiarly long. This fpecies is from Surinam. 
8. Labrus melapterus, the foft-finned wrafle: all the 
rays of the fins foft except the firft of the ventral. The 
peftoral fin has 12 rays, the ventral £, the anal 12, the tail 
Vol. XII. No. 807. 
R U S. 
16, the dorfal 20. The body is narrow and comprefied, 
and there are no fcales on the head ; the aperture of the 
mouth is fmall; the jaws of equal length, with a fingle 
row of fmall fliarp teeth, of which tliofe in front of the 
upper jaw are larger than the reft. The noftrils are fin¬ 
gle. The eye coniifts of a black pupil and yellow iris. 
The front operculum is made up of feveral finall lamina;; 
the hinder one terminates in a blunt point. The fcales 
are broad and fmooth ; the anus is in the middle of the 
body. The fifli is white, towards the back inclining to 
blue; the fins are yellow tliaded with blue ; there are five 
dark-coloured fpots on the body. Native of Japan. 
9. Labrus rufus, the rufous wrafle : tail-fin lunate, body 
entirely tawny. There are 23 rays in the dorfal fin, 17 
in the pectorals, 6 in the ventrals, 12 iri the anal, 16 in the 
tail. This fpecies inhabits North America; grows to a 
foot or more in length. The lower jaw is longer than 
the upper; the front teeth of the upper jaw are longer 
than the reft. 
10. Labrus Zeylanicus, the Ceylon wrafle : tail lunate, 
body green above, pale purple beneath. This fpecies in¬ 
habits Ceylon ; one foot and a half long ; fieth good. Head 
blue; gill-coverts green with purple lines ; pefloral fins 
with a purple fpot in the middle, and edged with fine blue ; 
ventral blue; dorfal and anal bluifh purple, edged with 
green ; tail yellow in the middle, each fide Itreaked with 
red, blue at the bafe. 
11. Labrus femi-ruber, the red-and-yellow wrafle: iz 
fpiny and 11 articulated rays in the dorfal fin, the fixth 
articulated ray mucli longer than the reft; four teeth 
larger than the reft in the upper jaw ; the anterior part cf 
the body red, the pofterior yellow. There are 5 rays in 
the membrane of the gills, 16 in the pefiorals and anal, 6 
in the ventrals, 14 in the tail. This was firft obferved by 
Commerfon in June 1767, in the fifh-market at St. Salva¬ 
dor, the capital of Bralil. It has fcales on the bale of the 
dorlal and anal fins. 
12. Labrus tetracanthus, the four-fpined wrafle : 4 fpines 
and 21 jointed rays in the dorfal fin; the upper lip broad, 
thick, and wrinkled ; three rows of black dots on the dor¬ 
fal fin, one row on the anal; tail femilunar; 18 rays in 
the anal fin, which, as well as the foft rays of the dorfal, 
end in filaments. Its country is not known ; the account 
was taken from a fpecimen preferved in fpirits belonging 
to a collection brought from Holland to Paris during the 
late war. Befides the four rows of fmall black fpots on each 
fide mentioned above, fimilar ones appear on the tail-fin. 
13. Labrus femi-difeus, the femicircular wrafle: 21 
rays in the dorfal fin, that and the anal fringed ; 19 tranf- 
verfe llripes on each fide; a light femicircular fpot at the 
end of the tail-fin, which is crefcent-ftiaped. Fourteen 
rays in the anal fin, 13 in the caudal. This fpecies and 
the two following, taken from Commerfon’s manuferipts, 
inhabit the great Indian Gulf, and the Teas which run into 
it. Jaws nearly equal in this and the following. 
14. Labrus doliatus, the encircled wrafle: 9 fpiny and 
13 articulated rays in the dorfal fin; tail femilunar; 20 
tranfverfe llripes on each fide encircling the animal ; oper- 
cula not fcaly in this and the preceding. There are 14 
rays in the anal fin, 11 in the caudal. 
15. Labrus hirfutus, the prickly wrafle: 11 hard and 
12 foft rays in the dorfal fin, 6 large teeth in the upper 
jaw; the lateral line prickly; 12 longitudinal ftripes on 
each fide, 4 more on the neck ; back dotted. The anal 
and tail fins have 13 rays each. A thick tranfverfe ftripe 
acrols the tail. 
16. Labrus fcarus, the doubtful wrafle: tranfverfe ap¬ 
pendages at the fides of the tail. This is Gmelin’s firft: 
lpecies, and has its name from being fomewhat fimilar to 
the Scarus genus, which immediately precedes the Labrus 
in that (yftem. Cepede has placed this and the following 
in a feparate genus, Cheilinus, from Gr. a lip, to 
denote a certain fimilarity with the Labrus, which figni- 
fiss the fame. We have therefore called it the doubtful 
wrajfe. It inhabits the coarts of Greece, and was greatly 
E . eiteemed 
