Part 29

Batrachus porosissimus, Cuv. et Val. Hist. des Poiss. tom. xii. p. 373.

FORM.—Head very large, broad and depressed, exactly one-fourth of the entire length; its breadth two-thirds of its own length. Body compressed posteriorly, with its greatest depth about one-sixth of the entire length. Snout blunt and rounded, the lower jaw projecting; gape wide. The teeth above form but a single row along the intermaxillary, mostly small, but sharp, and the posterior ones much curved: along each palatine there is a row of much stronger ones, and at each angle of the vomer are two very long hooked ones, resembling true canines. In the lower jaw the teeth are in a single row at the sides, but in two or three rows in front, and are unequally sized, some of the lateral ones being as strong as those on each side of the vomer, and much hooked, as well as partially reclining backwards. Tongue smooth, and free at the tip, which is bluntish. Pharynx armed with two patches of velutine teeth above and below. No regular barbule at the chin, but a row of minute cutaneous cirri running all round the edge of the lower jaw; a similar row along the anterior edge of the upper jaw, behind the intermaxillary, with two thicker and more conspicuous appendages of the skin in the middle. Eyes far apart, and not very large. Opercle armed with one very strong spine, but only just the point appearing through the skin.

Two small spines in front of the dorsal, a little more backward than the insertion of the pectorals, the first very minute, and hardly appearing through the skin. Second or true dorsal very long, reaching to the base of the caudal, and of nearly uniform height throughout, equalling about one-third of the greatest depth of the body; the rays branched, and the membrane notched between their tips. Anal commencing under the fifth dorsal ray, similar to that fin, but with the membrane more notched between the rays: both fins are fastened down at their extremities to the fleshy part of the tail by a membrane. Caudal slightly rounded, when spread. Pectorals broad and large, but, from the middle rays being longest, appearing somewhat wedge-shaped, not quite equalling the length of the head. Ventrals much smaller, only half their length, and cut nearly square.

Skin perfectly naked. The lines of pores, which are very numerous about the head and body, run in the exact directions laid down by Cuvier and Valenciennes, in their description of the B. porosissimus; but in addition to those which have been pointed out by them, there is one commencing at the nostrils, and passing underneath each eye, thence ascending a little behind the eye to descend again by the margin of the preopercle; another directed transversely across the cheek, connecting the former with the row that passes along the edge of the lower jaw: this transverse row, if continued upwards, would form a tangent to the posterior part of the orbit. All the lines of pores are furnished with very minute cutaneous appendages, similar to those already spoken of above, as fringing the edges of the jaws.

D. 2—36; A. 33; C. 12, &c.; P. 20: V. ½. Length 9 inches.

COLOUR.—“Above purple-coppery; sides pearly; beneath yellowish, with silver dots in regular figures; iris coppery.”—D. The silver dots alluded to by Mr. Darwin, are the lines of pores. There are two longitudinal dark lines on the dorsal, the uppermost serving as an edging: the anal also is edged in the same manner, especially posteriorly.

Habitat, Bahia Blanca.

This species was found by Mr. Darwin cast up on the beach at Bahia Blanca, where he states that it is not uncommon. It approaches so closely the B. porosissimus of Cuvier and Valenciennes, that I dare not consider it as distinct without comparison. Yet it differs from their description of that species, in having four vomerine teeth, instead of two; in having six more rays in the anal fin; and in having the additional lines of pores above indicated; though these last may have been accidentally left unnoticed. It requires the examination of more specimens to determine whether these differences result from a difference in species or not.

FAMILY.—LABRIDÆ.

COSSYPHUS DARWINI. Jen.

PLATE XX.

C. corpore elongato-ovali; capite grandi, fronte elevato, rostro ex hoc declivi: caninis quatuor fortibus ad apicem utriusque maxillæ, ad angulos oris nullis; dentibus lateralibus conicis; interiùs, ad latera palati, granis plurimis minutis obtusis: preoperculo, limbo excepto, operculo, et interoperculo, squamatis; preoperculo margine integro: rostro, maxillis, et suborbitalibus ante oculos, nudis: lineâ laterali subrectâ: pinnâ dorsali parte spinosa humili, spinis ad apices laciniatis; molli, heic respondente anali, duplò altiore, sub-acuminatâ: caudali æquali, solùm radiis exterioribus aliis paulo longioribus.

D. 12/10; A. 3/12; C. 14, &c.; P. 17; V. 1/5. LONG. unc. 19.

Fish Pl. 20.

Cossuphus Darwini. ½ Nat. Size. ]

FORM.—Head large: body of a suboval form, but much elongated: greatest depth at the nape contained about four times and three quarters in the entire length: head not quite three times and three quarters in the same. Nape and forehead high, whence the profile descends obliquely in a straight line to the end of the snout. Jaws equal, and rather acute: lips fleshy: the end of the maxillary not quite reaching to a vertical line from the anterior margin of the orbit. Four very conspicuous, strong, curved, canine teeth at the anterior extremity of each jaw; those above of nearly equal length, but the two middle ones rather longer and stouter than the other two; of those below, on the contrary, the outer ones are the longest, as well as strongest, being nearly twice as much developed as the middle ones, which last are of about the same length as, but rather slenderer than, the outer ones above. The teeth at the sides of the jaw are short and conical, and not very sharp pointed, forming a regular series; below they amount to nine or ten on each side; above, the series may have been originally of the same number, but in this specimen several appear wanting. Besides these conical teeth at the sides of the jaws, there is an inner band of small rounded grains about the size of pins’ heads: the band is broader, and the grains larger and more distinct above than below: many of them appear much flattened, and as if ground down by use. Eyes of moderate size; their diameter about one-seventh the length of the head; rather high in the cheeks, and nearly equidistant from the end of the snout and the posterior angle of the opercle. Snout and suborbital in advance of the eyes, as well as the jaws, naked. Preopercle large; occupying the posterior half of the cheek, rectangular, but the angle at bottom much rounded, the ascending margin vertical, both margins entire; covered with small scales; the limb rather broad, bounded internally by a slightly raised ridge, and without scales, but with a few scattered small pores. The opercle and subopercle form together an irregular oblong, of which the height is double the length; both are covered with scales larger than those on the preopercle: the membrane terminates behind in a blunt angle. The interopercle, which is very distinct, has three rows of scales on its surface, but none on the margin.

The lateral line is nearly straight throughout its course, the bend downwards beneath the termination of the dorsal fin being scarcely perceptible. The tubes of which it is composed are unbranched; many of them, however, incline upwards at their posterior extremity towards the back. The scales on the body are rather larger than those on the opercle: there appear to be upwards of fifty in a longitudinal line. The free portion of each scale has its surface finely granulated in the middle, and striated at the sides.

The dorsal commences rather before one-third of the entire length, excluding caudal, and occupies a space equalling nearly half the same; the spinous portion is low, and the spines of nearly the same length, the first and second only being rather shorter than the succeeding ones; the membrane between the spines notched: the soft portion rather pointed, and twice as much elevated as the spinous. The anal commences beneath the eleventh or twelfth dorsal spine, and terminates in the same vertical line with that fin; the soft portion, which answers to the soft portion of the dorsal, is preceded by three spines, increasing in length to the third, which is double the first, though itself not above half the length of the soft rays; these spines are not particularly stout. The space between the anal and caudal equals one-sixth of the whole length. Caudal rays nearly even, with the exception of the two outermost above and below, which being rather longer than the others, give the fin a slightly crescent-shaped form: the base of the caudal is scaly, but the scales advance only a very little way between the rays. Pectorals very little in advance of the ventrals, in length more than half that of the head, with the second, third, and fourth rays longest. Ventrals in an exact vertical line with the commencement of the dorsal, nearly equal to the pectorals, with the first and second soft rays longest; the spine rather more than half the length of the first soft ray; the last soft ray united to the body by a membrane.

COLOURS.—“Centre of each scale pale vermilion red: lower jaw quite white: a large irregular patch above the pectoral bright yellow: iris red, pupil blue-black.”—I. The dried skin in its present state is of a nearly uniform brown.

Habitat, Chatham Island, Galapagos Archipelago.

I have named this species in honour of Mr. Darwin, whose researches in the Galapagos Archipelago, where he obtained it, have been so productive in bringing to light new forms. I have referred it to the genus Cossyphus of Valenciennes, on account of the small rounded grains behind the principal teeth; but it rather departs from that group in not having the preopercle denticulated, and in having no scales on any of the vertical fins, with the exception of a few at the base of the caudal. In some respects it seems intermediate between that genus and Labrus. It does not appear to be described, though it seems to approach the C. reticulatus of Valenciennes in many of its characters. That species however is from Japan.

The canines at the anterior extremity of each jaw are very conspicuous in this fish, and give it at first sight much the appearance of a Dentex.

CHEILIO RAMOSUS. Jen.

C. nigro-fuscus, infra lineam lateralem et in ventre obscurè argenteus; pinnis pallidè fuscis immaculatis: corpore valde elongato: dentibus in maxillâ superiore duobus anticis caninis fortibus, lateralibus conicis parvis subœqualibus; in inferiore, caninis parvis, lateralibus variis inæqualibus: lineâ laterali ramosâ.

B. 6; D. 9/13; A. 3/12; C. 12, et 4 breviores; P. 11; V. 1/5. LONG. unc. 9. lin. 6.

FORM.—Very much elongated, with the dorsal and ventral lines nearly straight. Depth varying but little, and contained nine and a half times in the entire length; thickness not quite three-fourths of the depth. Head elongated, contained not more than three and a half times in the entire length, compressed, with the cheeks vertical. Snout very much produced, slightly rounded at the extremity: gape reaching half-way to beneath the middle of the eye. Jaws scarcely protractile; the upper one a little the longest: lips reflexed in the form of membranaceous flaps, especially the lower one, the margin of which is sinuous. Teeth ranged in a single row in each jaw. Those above form a numerous, close-set, nearly even series at the sides of the jaw, with two long hooked canines in front; the lateral teeth amount to about thirty-five on each side, and are small, but strong, somewhat conical, and not very sharp-pointed. In the lower jaw there are two front canines, similar to those in the upper, but much smaller; then follow four short conical teeth; then six large triangular, compressed, sharp-pointed ones, but not all of equal size; then five more small conical ones, which complete the series on each side. No teeth on the vomer or palatines. Eyes of moderate size, situate in the middle of the length of the head, high, but not touching the line of the profile; their diameter one-eighth the length of the head. Preopercle rectangular. Opercle triangular, the membrane produced posteriorly at the upper part in the form of a rounded angle: a short row of scales observable along its upper margin, and another along its lower. Subopercle and interopercle without scales. Also a short row of scales, similar to those on the opercle, behind and partially beneath each eye, and, with these exceptions, no other scales on the head. Above each eye is an irregular row of minute pores: there are also pores beneath the eye, and on the sides of the snout, mixed with short raised lines having somewhat the appearance of written characters. Gill-opening widely cleft; the branchial membrane free all round.

Scales on the body moderately large, and similar in form to those of the C. auratus, as described by Cuvier and Valenciennes. The number, in a longitudinal line from the gill to the caudal, is forty-six, in a vertical about seventeen. Lateral line also as in that species, but with the mucous tubes branched, and giving off eight or nine twigs on each side.

The dorsal commences a little behind the terminating angle of the opercle, and the anal immediately beneath the first branched ray of the dorsal: these fins terminate in the same vertical line, and the last ray in each is double: the simple rays are soft and flexible. Caudal slightly rounded. Pectorals short, and obliquely truncated, contained eleven and a half times in the entire length. Ventrals very small, about two-thirds the length of the pectorals, rounded, close together, with an elongated scale between them; their point of insertion slightly backwarder than that of the pectorals.