P E R C A. 
592 
of being- the (horteft, is the longeft, forming the begin¬ 
ning of the fecond divifton of that fin ; the third fpine of 
the anal fin is not near fo long, and that fin contains two 
foft rays more; laftly, the longitudinal ftraw-colour 
ftripes on the body are not vifible. From thefe differences 
it is evident it might have been affumed as a new fpecies; 
its name in Dutch is roede hattljlwp-vifch de Vocean. 
2. Holocentrus virefcens, the green holocenter : %% rays 
in the dorfal fin, and the tail-fin feniilunar. There are 6 
rays in the membrane of the gills, 14 in the peftoral fins, 
•jt in the ventrals, in the anal, and 18 in the tail. The 
body is moftly of a green colour ; the head is long ; the 
lower jaw is protruded, and both are armed with (harp 
teeth, of which the two in front are the longed-. There 
is a long thin hone on each fide of the upper jaw. The 
noftrils are double 5 the opercula are ftriped with yellow. 
The eyes are large, and fituated high in the head ; the pu¬ 
pil is black, the inner iris is a broad circle of red, the ou¬ 
ter one is narrow and white. The front operculum is 
ferrated, and the hinder one is armed with two fpines, 
ibmtetimes with three. The lateral line runs arched near 
the back, with fpines all the way like the teeth of a faw. 
The vent in the middle of the body. The fins’are dark 
green on the edges 5 but towards the belly the green co¬ 
lour fades away to white. The whole body is covered with 
hard ferrated (bales. This fpecies is from the Eaft Indies. 
3. Holocentrus tigrinus, the chequered holocenter: 
body fpotted and ftriped ; tail-fin femilunar. There are 
6 rays in the membrane of the gills, x 3 in the peftoral fins, 
6 in the ventrals, ^ in the anal, 15 in the tail, and -jj-J 
in the dorfal. The head is long, narrow, comprefled, and 
truncated; the jaws are armed with little (harp teeth 
Handing apart, and the under jaw is the longed; the 
tongue is (lippery and loofe, the palate rough ; the nof- 
trils are double, and near the eyes ; the pupil is black in 
a filvery iris. The front operculum is dentated at both 
rims ; the hinder one terminates in a membranous point, 
and is armed with three flat fpines: this fi(h is alfo fur- 
niftied with the Angle gill. The aperture of the gills is 
wide, and the membrane loofe. The whole body is co¬ 
vered with minute ferrated fcales ; both head and body 
are interfperfed with brown fpots of various (hapes, but 
thofe on the fins are moflly round. The back is brown- 
ilh ; the (ides bluifli above the lateral line, filvery below 
it. This fpecies is from the Eaft Indies; and, according 
to Valentine, is delicate food. See fig. 2. 
4. Holocentrus quinque-lineatus, the five-firiped holo¬ 
center ; five blue ftripes on each fide the body, and the 
rail crefcent-fliaped. The membrane of the gills has 6 rays, 
the pebloral fins 16, the ventrals 6, the'anal -5^, the tail 20, 
and the dorfal if. The head is (liort, comprefled, and 
bare of fcales as far as the operculum, which is covered 
with (mail fcales, but thofe on the body are large. The 
lower jaw' is the longed, and each is armed with a row of 
(mall teeth (landing apart, befides which there are a 
great number irregularly placed in the upper jaw and pa¬ 
late; noftrils double. The eyes are large ; pupil black, 
iris yellow. The pofterior operculum terminates back¬ 
wards in a membranous point; but in the middle of its 
front rim is a fpine which (huts into a correfponding fur¬ 
row in the back of the other operculum ; this is ferrated 
at the lower rim, and the other is furniflied with a flat 
fpine. Four of the blue longitudinal ftripes arife near 
the eye, the fifth from the aperture of the gills, which is 
very wide. The lateral line runs near and parallel with 
the back. This fifli is yellow; the head and fins violet 
inclining to red ; it is from Japan, but its habits are not 
known. 
5. Holocentrus Bengalenfis, the Bengal holocenter: 
four ftripes along the body, and the tail crefent-fliaped. 
There are 6 rays in the membrane of the gills, 14 in 
the pectoral fins, 6 in the ventrals, ^ in the ana), 18 in 
the tail, and \\ in the dorfal. The head is comprefled, 
fmooth in front, behind covered with round tenacious 
fcales. The jaws are of equal length, armed with (harp 
hooked teeth ; the five front teeth in the upper jaw' are 
much longer than the reft, and behind thefe is a great- 
number of (liort thin teeth, which extend over the palate 
alfo, but the tongue is fmooth ; noftrils double. The 
front operculum is ferrated both ways; and furnifhed 
with a notch to receive a kind of hook from the hinder 
one : this hook feems in fome refpeft to aflift in the work 
of refpiratlon ; for Bloch obferved, in opening the mouth 
of the fifti, that the front operculum receded, and pref- 
fed the hinder one againft the bread by means of that 
hook ; and this motion clofed the aperture of the gills: 
it is probable that this operation favours the retention of 
the water taken in for a longer time, in order to cool the 
blood. The hinder operculum has two fpines, and a 
fmall part of it is ferrated. The gills have a wide aper¬ 
ture ; the membrane is loofe. The body is comprefled, 
the fcales are fmall and ferrated; the anus is in the middle 
of the body. The back and head of this fifh are red ; 
the fides and belly white. The ftripes 5 re blue, with a 
brown edging; they arife from the head ; the three firft 
terminate in the dorfal fin, the laft in that of the tail. 
The pedtoral and ventral fins end in a point; thtg anal 
and dorfal are rounded. 
6. Holocentrus epinephelus, the wall-eyed holocenter : 
feven tranfverfe ftripes on the body ; fmall fcales on the 
head ; a membrane over the eye ; tail lunate. The mem¬ 
brane of the gills has 5 rays, the peftoral fins 14, the ven¬ 
trals 6, the anal T 3 5 , the tail 15, the dorfal This and 
five other fpecies, which have a membrane over the eye, 
are made a feparate genus by Bloch, (Part, x.) called Epi¬ 
nephelus, or wall-eye. 
The head (lopes but little, and ends in an obtufe point. 
The under jaw is fomewhat the longeft ; both are fur¬ 
nifhed with fmall teeth, and the palate alfo, but the 
tongue is fmooth. The eyes are prominent, near the 
top of the head; the pupil is bluifli, and the iris yel¬ 
low; clofe to them are the noftrils, which are (ingle. 
The (ingle gill appears under the front operculum ; the 
hinder one has two fpines. The aperture is wide, and 
the membrane partly at liberty. The belly is (liort and 
broad, and the anus nearer the head than the tail. The 
lateral line is very near the back, and in the fame direc¬ 
tion. The colour of this fifli is white, with feven broad 
ftripes of brown acrofs the body from back to belly, and 
two which interfedl them longitudinally. The ventral 
fin ends in a point; the tail is crefcent-fliaped, the reft 
rounded. This fpecies is found at Jamaica. 
7. Holocentrus perca, the perch-fiolocenter : onefpine 
bending toward the head in the laft piece of each oper¬ 
culum ; fmall fcales on the head and opercula; the fcales 
in general radiated and ferrated. There are 7 rays in the 
membrane of the gills, 15 in each pe£loral, i in each ven¬ 
tral, 17 in the tail, %% in the dorfal, and -L. in the anal. 
The lower jaw is fomewhat longer than the upper, which 
is movable; the front teeth are long, the other fmall, 
and as clofe as the teeth of a file ; there are teeth alio in 
the palate and throat; but not on the tongue, which is- 
very white. The noftrils are double. The head and 
belly are of a red colour; the back, fides, and tail-fin, 
gold brown. This and the three following are defcribed 
by Cepede from Commerfon’s MSS. r.o writer having 
mentioned them before. Native of Button’s Straits; ten 
or twelve inches long. In the firft piece ot each opercu¬ 
lum is a notch to receive the (harp fpine of tlie fecond 
piece. The Molucca Indians brought feveral of this fpe¬ 
cies to the (hip in which Commerfon and Bougainville 
vyere voyaging in the year 1768. 
8. Holocentrus flavo-casruleus, the yellow-and-blue 
holocenter; tail-fin crefcent-fliaped, three fpines in the 
hinder operculum ; opercula and head with fmall fcales ; a 
membrane over each eye. Seven rays in the membrane 
of the gills, 18 in each pedloral, £ in each ventral, 15 in 
the caudal, ’J- in the dorfal, and ^ in the anal. The 
noftrils are double; the lower jaw lomewhat longer than 
the upper, w hich is retraflile; teeth and tongue like the 
preceding. 
