Part 8

2. DULES LEUCISCUS. Jen.

Dules malo, Val.? Hist. des Poiss. tom. vii. p. 360.

D. pinnis caudali, anali, dorsalique molli, nigro-marginatis; dorsali profundè emarginatá, spiná ultimá radiis articulatis breviore; operculo mucronibus duobus, inferiore maximo, armato; preoperculo margine adscendenti levissimè denticulato, basali denticulis fortioribus.

B. 6; D. 10/11; A. 3/12; C. 16, &c.; P. 13; V. 1/5. LONG. unc. 4. lin. 5.

FORM.—General form resembling that of a small Dace. Greatest depth about one-third of the entire length, caudal excluded. Length of the head rather less. Dorsal line falling with the profile in one continuous gentle curve. Eyes large; their diameter contained two and a half times in the length of the head: the distance between them less than one diameter. Suborbitals finely but very conspicuously denticulated. Jaws nearly equal; the lower one a little the longest. In each, a band of velutine teeth, with the outer row rather longer than the others. Opercle with two points, the lower one most developed. Preopercle with the limb striated: the ascending margin with the denticulations so fine as to be hardly sensible to the naked eye; those on the basal margin larger and more obvious. Scales of a moderate size; about forty-three in a longitudinal row; their free portions finely striated. Cheeks and opercle scaly; crown naked, with a shallow groove above each eye. Lateral line at first slightly descending, but afterwards straight; its course, until past the dorsal and anal fins, a little above the middle of the depth. Dorsal deeply notched: the anterior portion consisting of nine spines; the first very short, and scarcely more than half the length of the second; third and fourth longer, increasing gradually; fifth and sixth equal and longest, equalling half the depth of the body; seventh, eighth, and ninth, shorter, and gradually decreasing; the tenth spine, with which the second portion of the fin commences, is of the same length as the fifth, but not quite so long as the soft rays which follow; these soft rays, however, gradually become shorter, the last two not more than equalling the second spinous. The whole space occupied by the dorsal is more than one-third of the entire length. Anal commencing in a line with the ninth dorsal spine; its own three spines gradually increasing in length, but the second the strongest; soft portion of this fin longer than the corresponding portion of the dorsal, and terminating a little nearer the caudal. Vent in a line with the seventh dorsal spine. Pectorals small, reaching to the vent. Ventrals attached a little further back, and reaching a very little beyond it. Caudal forked.

COLOUR.—(In spirits.) Silvery, tinged on the back, and above the lateral line, with bluish grey, and somewhat mottled in places with darker spots. Fins yellowish grey, tinged with dusky. The caudal, anal, and soft portion of the dorsal, are a little mottled with dusky, besides having a black edging; there is also a conspicuous black spot at the anterior angle of this last fin.

A second specimen is only three inches and a quarter in length; but differs in no respect from the above, except in having one soft ray less in the anal fin.

Habitat, River Matavai, Tahiti.

Several of the species in this genus are extremely similar as well in form as in colours. Possibly that which I have here characterized as new may not be distinct from the D. malo of Valenciennes, which comes from the same country; but the description in the “Histoire des Poissons” is so brief, that it is hardly possible to determine this point with certainty. It has, however, two, and one specimen three, soft rays less in the anal fin. It is also closely allied to the D. marginatus, from which it hardly differs, excepting in having the denticulations of the preopercle rather stronger, and the tenth dorsal spine shorter in relation to the soft rays which follow. The D. marginatus, however, comes from Java. The species here described was found by Mr. Darwin in Tahiti, in the river of Matavai.

HELOTES OCTOLINEATUS. Jen.

H. corpore lineis longitudinalibus nigricantibus octo; pinnis dorsali, anali, caudalique, maculis fuscis; vertice striis elevatis duabus subparallelis; preoperculo distinctè denticulato, et ad marginem limbi internum subcristato; operculo mucronibus duobus, superiore minimo; squamis ubique lævissimis.

B. 6; D. 12/9; A. 3/7; C. 17, &c.; P. 15; V. 1/5. LONG. unc. 9. lin. 9.

FORM.—Body oblong. Greatest depth exactly four and a half times in the entire length. Length of the head rather less than the depth of the body. Snout short and obtuse. Jaws exactly equal: each with a broadish band of velutine teeth, which are all, apparently even the most minute, three-pointed, although this character is not very obvious except in the outer row, which are longer than the others. No vomerine teeth appear externally, but they may be felt through the skin of the palate, and on dissecting this off, there is brought to view a small hard disk rough with minute asperities. Mouth very little cleft, the commissure not extending more than half-way between the end of the snout and the anterior margin of the orbit. Eyes rather large; their diameter one-fourth the length of the head. Maxillary, when the mouth is closed, concealed in part beneath the suborbital, the lower margin of which is somewhat sinuous and obscurely denticulated, the denticulations being concealed by the membrane and more easily felt than seen. The denticulations on the preopercle very manifest. The principal spine on the opercle slender and very sharp, not exactly straight, but slightly curved, the convexity of the bend being downwards; above is a second spine, but very small and easily overlooked. The crown of the head has two nearly parallel elevated lines, which take their origin between the nostrils, and terminate at the occiput, but do not meet as in the H. sexlineatus; a third line commences there exactly between them, and runs singly in a backward direction down the middle of the nape; this last is scarcely more than half the length of the two former. The cheeks and pieces of the gill-cover are scaly; but not the cranium, snout, jaws, or limb of the preopercle, which last is margined internally by a slightly elevated ridge. The scales on the body are thin and small, and without any trace of denticulations on their free edges, even under a magnifier, and the body of the fish is quite smooth to the touch rubbed either way. Lateral line as in H. sexlineatus. Dorsal also nearly similar, but more deeply notched, the membrane beyond the eleventh spine falling nearly to the base of the twelfth, which precedes the soft portion: sixth spine longest, equalling very nearly, but not quite, half the depth; the eleventh equals the second; the twelfth is about one-third longer than the eleventh, but is itself scarcely half the first soft ray. The anal has three soft rays less than the H. sexlineatus, and there are apparently but two spines, the first being (at least in this specimen, where, however, there may have been a portion broken off) quite short and rudimentary; the second and third spines are both slender, the former being rather more than half the length of the latter, and this last rather more than half the first soft ray. All the fins take their origin as in H. sexlineatus. The pectorals are about two-thirds the length of the head. The ventrals, which are very near together, are longer than the pectorals, but do not equal the head: they have no elongated scale between them, or in their axillæ.

COLOUR.—For the most part similar to that of the H. sexlineatus; but the longitudinal dark lines are more numerous, amounting to eight, with faint traces of a ninth: the additional ones are on the upper half of the sides, or above the lateral line, there being four (instead of two) above that one which passes through the eyes; the sixth extends the whole length of the fish from the end of the maxillary to the base of the caudal; the seventh passes immediately below the pectoral, and terminates in advance of it, without quite reaching to the edge of the gill-cover; the eighth is exactly equidistant from the pectoral and ventral; this last is a very narrow pale line, but the others, with the exception of the first two, are broader and well marked. The soft portion of the dorsal, as well as the anal and caudal are spotted; the spots on this last unite to form transverse fasciæ; those on the anal are not very well-defined. The pectorals and ventrals are without spots, and pale.

Habitat, S. W. coast of Australia.

This species was procured in King George’s Sound, New Holland. It closely approaches the H. sexlineatus of Cuvier and Valenciennes, the only species of the genus hitherto described, and obtained in the same seas by MM. Quoy and Gaimard. I have little hesitation, however, in pronouncing it to be distinct. Independently of the additional longitudinal lines on the body, and the spots on the fins, which, it is expressly stated by the above authors, are not present in the H. sexlineatus, it is distinguished by the striæ on the crown not meeting behind, the dorsal being rather more deeply notched, and the fin-ray formula different. There is one soft ray less in the dorsal, and three less in the anal; also the first spine in this last fin, if it be not broken off in this specimen, is quite rudimentary. The scales present no trace of cilia on their free edges.

1. PINGUIPES FASCIATUS. Jen. PLATE V.

P. corpore fasciis transversis duodecim castaneo-fuscis, alternis latioribus; dentibus palatinis paucis, conicis, subaggregatis, vix seriem formantibus; pharyngalibus aculeiformibus; membranâ branchiali mediocriter emarginatá; operculo spinâ unicâ forti, alterâ superiore obsoletâ; pinnis ventralibus accuratè thoracicis.

B. 6; D. 7/27; A. 1/24; C. 15, &c.; P. 18; V. 1/5. LONG. unc. 12. lin. 9.

FORM.—Body thickest, as well as deepest, in the region of the pectorals, compressed behind, and becoming more so as it approaches the tail; depth also gradually diminishing from that point. The greatest depth is rather less than five and a half times in the entire length: head contained four times and a quarter in the same. The thickness at the pectorals is at least three-fourths of the depth: and the thickness of the head is quite equal to it. Dorsal line nearly straight from behind the eyes, in front of which the profile descends obliquely. Eyes high, nearly reaching to the line of the profile; a little behind the middle point of the length of the head; their diameter rather less than one-fifth of this last; the distance between them one diameter and a half. The commissure of the lips does not reach to the eyes by a space equalling half the diameter of the eye. Jaws equal. Lips very thick and fleshy, and partially reflexed, like those of a Labrus. Teeth very similar to those of that genus. In the upper jaw, an outer row (extending all round) of strong, sharp, slightly curved teeth, regularly set, and nearly even, but with the anterior ones a little the longest; in all about forty, twenty on each side; behind these a velutine band, broadest in front, but also extending the whole way round. In the lower jaw, a row of curved strong teeth, similar to those above, but extending only half-way along the sides of the jaws (about nine on each side), and followed by about seven or eight short blunt conical ones; a broad velutine band behind the longer curved teeth, but not behind the others. On the front of the vomer are four or five large blunt conical teeth, mixed with smaller ones of the same form: there is also a small group of these little conical teeth at the commencement of each palatine, but they are not carried on further in a single row. Tongue small and inconspicuous, fastened down except just at the tip, smooth. Pharyngeal teeth in strong card; but no conical ones behind that are visible. Branchial membrane united to its fellow, and free all round at the margin, with a moderately deep notch underneath. Preopercle rounded at the angle; the ascending margin oblique. Opercle with a strong sharp spine at its upper angle, but not extending beyond the membrane; a second rudimentary one above it obtusely rounded. Small scales on the cheeks, preopercle, and opercle, but not on the snout, or between the eyes, or on the suborbital, or jaws, or branchial membrane, or interopercle. The scales on the body are rather small, finely ciliated on their edges, thin, and of an oblong form, cut square at the basal margin, with a fan of twelve or fifteen striæ. Lateral line not very strongly marked, taking nearly a straight course from the upper part of the scapular to the caudal. No particular lines, markings, or pores, about the head, jaws, or between the eyes. Pectorals rounded; two-thirds the length of the head. Ventrals exactly beneath them, a very little shorter, thick and fleshy, so that the rays can hardly be distinguished. Dorsal and anal similar to those of the P. Brasilianus; the former has the spinous rays at first low, but the rest of the fin is of one uniform height, equalling a little less than half the depth: the latter commences under the sixth soft ray of the dorsal, and terminates in the same line. Caudal square, with rows of small scales between the rays for half their length: also a few minute scales at the base of the pectoral rays, but none on the other fins.

Fish. Pl. 5.

W. Hawkins del^t.

Pinguipes fasciatus. ¾ Nat. Size. ]

COLOUR.—“Above pale ‘chestnut brown,’ so arranged as to form transverse bands on the sides; sides, head, fins, with a black tinge; beneath irregularly white: under lip pink: eyes with pupil black, and iris yellow.”—D. In spirits; the back and upper half of the sides are brown, the lower half of the sides and belly pale, with twelve transverse dark fasciæ, the alternate ones broader than the others. The dorsal and anal appear to have been bluish, the tint increasing in intensity from the base upwards; but the former is edged above with a narrow white line just beneath the tips of the rays, which extends the whole length of the soft portion of the fin. The inside of the ventrals appears also to have been bluish; but the pectorals are pale, or yellowish. Caudal brown like the back.

Habitat, coast of Northern Patagonia.

From the east coast of Patagonia, in Lat. 37° 26′. There can be no doubt of its belonging to the genus Pinguipes, with which it agrees in its very strong resemblance to the Labridæ, as regards the head, lips, and teeth, and in its fleshy ventrals; but there are very few teeth on the palatines, seeming to show that there is not much ground for separating this genus from Percis. In many of its characters, it resembles the P. Brasilianus of Cuvier, but it is decidedly distinct in others. It differs slightly in its proportions; in the palatine and pharyngeal teeth; in the position of the ventrals, which are not at all jugular, but immediately beneath the pectorals; in the branchial membrane being more notched; and in having two soft rays less in the anal. The colours also are different.

This fish is so like a Labrus, that at first sight it might easily deceive a student. Nevertheless its vomerine teeth, spines on the opercle, and ciliated scales, point out its right family. At the same time no system can be considered natural, which does not admit Pinguipes as one of the connecting links between the Percidæ and Labridæ.

2. PINGUIPES CHILENSIS. Val.