Part 9

Pinguipes Chilensis, Cuv. et Val. Hist. des Poiss. tom. ix. p. 338.

FORM.—More slender and elongated than the last species. Depth nearly six and a half times in the entire length. Head four times and a quarter in the same. Eyes high, a little before the middle, or with the distance in front to the end of the snout not equalling that behind measured to the posterior part of the opercle; their diameter nearly six times in the length of the head; the interval between them nearly two diameters. When the mouth is closed, a vertical from the posterior part of the maxillary forms a tangent to the anterior part of the orbit. Lips not so thick and fleshy as in the P. fasciatus; but the teeth almost exactly similar. Tongue much larger, occupying nearly the entire platform of the mouth. Branchial membrane much more deeply notched, the notch reaching as far as the anterior extremity of the interopercle. Preopercle with the ascending margin nearly vertical. Opercle with two small flat spines, the lower one rather more developed then the upper. Scales and lateral line as in the P. fasciatus. Pectorals similar. Ventrals attached entirely in front of the pectorals, though not much in advance; fleshy, but perhaps rather less so than in the P. fasciatus: in neither species do they pass beyond the pectorals, or indeed reach quite so far. The other fins exactly similar. The dorsal, however, has one spine less, and one soft ray more. The anal, also, has one soft ray more.

B. 6; D. 6/28; A. 1/25; C. 17, &c.; P. 19; V. 1/5. Length 11 inches.

COLOUR.—(In spirits.) Back and sides deep brown, with the exception of two rows of pale spots along the sides, very faint and ill-defined. Underneath altogether paler. The dorsal and anal appear to have been bluish, with the basal portion of each fin pale, but without any edging of white above. Inside of the ventrals blue; pectorals the same, but paler. The caudal shows some trace of a dark round spot on the base of the upper lobe. Mr. Darwin’s notes, with respect to the colour in the living fish, only state “fins dark.”

Habitat, Valparaiso, Chile.

This species, which was procured by Mr. Darwin at Valparaiso, is probably the same as the P. Chilensis of Valenciennes, obtained by M. Gay on the same coast. But the description in the “Histoire des Poissons” is brief, and notices very little besides the colours, which accord tolerably well. Mention, however, is made of a second spine in the anal fin, which certainly does not exist in the above specimen, though a very careful examination was made in search of it. There is also one soft ray more in this fin, as well as in the dorsal, in the fin-ray formula in that work.

This species is very distinct from the P. fasciatus last described, and does not show so strong a resemblance to the Labridæ; but it approaches very closely the P. Brasilianus.

PERCOPHIS BRASILIANUS. Cuv.

Percophis Brasilianus, Cuv. et Val. Hist. des Poiss. tom. iii. p. 209. pl. 64. ———— Brasiliensis, Freycinet, (Voyage) Zoologie, p. 351, pl. 53. fig. 1.

FORM.—Depth and breadth in the region of the pectorals about equal, each being contained ten and a half, or nearly eleven times in the entire length. Head not quite four and a half times in the same. In the upper jaw, three strong, curved, sharp-pointed canine teeth on each side; besides a velutine band extending the whole way, with the outer row longer and more developed than the others: in the lower jaw a velutine band, with long sharp canines, similar to those above, arising amongst them at nearly regular intervals, to the number of ten or eleven on each side; none exactly in front, and not all of the same size, but passing here and there into card. Membranous margin of the preopercle very finely, almost obsoletely denticulated. Branchial membrane with seven rays, the seventh being not much smaller than the sixth. The whole head covered with scales, including the lower jaw, and the upper half of the maxillary. Lateral line nearly straight, a little above the middle. First dorsal commencing at about one-third of the entire length, excluding caudal; of a triangular form, with its length a little exceeding its height; second spine longest, about equalling the depth of the body. Distance between the two dorsals equalling half the length of the first. Second dorsal with the first ray longest, equalling the longest of the spines in the first dorsal; second and succeeding rays slightly decreasing to the sixth, beyond which they are nearly even, with the exception of the last three or four, which are shorter; all these rays very much branched, with the intervening membrane deeply notched. Anal commencing a little before the end of the first dorsal, and terminating nearly in a line with, but in strictness a very little beyond, the second dorsal; rays and membrane much as in that fin, to which it answers in general height. Distance between the second dorsal and caudal, only one-twenty-eighth of the entire length. Caudal appears obliquely square, the upper rays being slightly longer than the lower, but perhaps worn so. Pectorals one-eighth of the entire length. Ventrals about three-fourths of their length, attached in front of them, as described by Cuvier. In the axillæ of the pectorals is a falcated membranaceous appendage covered with scales (not noticed by Cuvier), a very little less than one-fourth the length of the fins themselves.

B. 7; D. 10—32; A. 41; C. 15. &c.; P. 18; V. 1/5. Length 21 inches.

COLOUR.—“Above pale, regularly and symmetrically marked with brownish red, the tip of each scale being so coloured. Beneath silvery white. Sides with a faint coppery tinge. Ventral fins yellowish. Pupil of the eye intense black.”—D.

SECOND SPECIMEN.—Breadth or thickness at the pectorals about ten and a half times in the entire length. Depth at that point less than the breadth. Canine teeth in the lower jaw smaller than those above, and not set at such regular intervals as in the first specimen. Scarcely any appearance of denticulations on the membranous border of the preopercle. Distance between the two dorsals a little less than the length of the first. Pectorals contained eight and a half times in the entire length. Fin-ray formula as follows:—

D. 9–32; A. 42; C. 15, &c.; P. 17; V. 1/5. Length 14 inches.

In all other respects exactly similar to the specimen first described.

Habitat, coast of Northern Patagonia, and Maldonado.

Mr. Darwin’s collection contains two specimens of this fish, which was first discovered by MM. Quoy and Gaimard at Rio Janeiro. The larger one was caught by hook and line in fourteen fathoms water on the coast of Patagonia, in lat. 38° 20′. The second was taken at Maldonado, where he states it to be common. They differ in several respects from the description and figure in the “Histoire des Poissons,” of Cuvier and Valenciennes; but as they also differ a little from each other, the species is perhaps subject to variation. Amongst other points, I may mention the scales on the jaws, which are expressly stated by Cuvier to be without scales; and also the emargination of the membrane between the rays of the second dorsal and anal, which is not represented in his figure, nor alluded to in his description, though very striking. This last character appears, however, in the figure given in the Zoological Atlas of Freycinet’s voyage, which is on the whole a more correct representation. “When cooked, was good eating.”—D.

FAMILY.—MULLIDÆ.

1. UPENEUS FLAVOLINEATUS. Cuv. et Val.

Upeneus flavolineatus, Cuv. et Val. Hist. des Poiss. tom. iii. p. 336.

FORM.—Considerably elongated. Greatest depth contained five times in the entire length, caudal excluded. Head three and a half times in the same. Dorsal line nearly straight. Profile very convex. Crown between the eyes broad and somewhat depressed, forming a slight hollow. Eyes large; their diameter more than one-fourth that of the head. Suborbitals marked on their surface near the lower margin with six or eight diverging salient lines, each terminating at bottom in a mucous pore. Teeth forming a narrow velutine band, hardly visible to the naked eye, but sensible to the touch: none on the vomer or palatines. Opercle with one short flat spine projecting beyond the posterior margin rather more than half a line. Barbules reaching to a little beyond the angle of the preopercle. Mucous tubes of the lateral line with five or six branches; the branches not always simple, but consisting sometimes of two or three main ones which are subdivided. First dorsal of a triangular form, with the spines rather slender; the first two equalling more than three-fourths of the depth of the body. Space between the dorsals about equalling the length of the first. Second dorsal with the first ray (or spine) scarcely more than half the length of the second, which is longest; the third and succeeding rays gradually decreasing to the last, which is shortest. Length of the second dorsal just equalling its greatest height. Anal answering to this last fin. Caudal deeply forked; the central rays not being one-fourth the length of the outermost ones. Ventrals and pectorals exactly of the same length; both reaching to a vertical line from the extremity of the first dorsal. Vent in a line with the commencement of the second dorsal.

D. 7–1/8; A. 1/6; C. 15, &c.; P. 16; V. 1/5. Length 6 inches 9 lines.

COLOUR.—“Dull silvery, with a yellow stripe on the side.”—D.

There can be but little doubt of this species being the U. flavolineatus, which appears to have a wide range over the Indian Ocean, and also to occur in the South Pacific. Mr. Darwin’s specimen was taken at the Keeling Islands.

2. UPENEUS TRIFASCIATUS. Cuv. et Val.

Upeneus trifasciatus, Cuv. et Val. Hist. des Poiss. tom. iii. p. 344.

FORM.—General form resembling that of the Mullus Surmuletus, but the snout more elongated. Greatest depth contained about four times and a half in the entire length. Head exactly one-fourth of the same. Eyes small, distant three diameters from the end of the snout. Suborbitals with a moderate number of pores on their disk, but without any salient lines. Posterior extremity of the maxillary broad. A single row of conical teeth in each jaw, very uniform in size, not very large or very close; about twenty-two above and twenty below. Spine of the opercle about a line in length. Barbules reaching to, or a little beyond, the posterior margin of the opercle. Lateral line not much ramified. Height of the first dorsal equalling more than half the depth. Space between the two dorsals equalling one-third the length of the second dorsal. Both this last fin and the anal terminating in a considerable point behind. Ventrals large, reaching very nearly to the anal.

D. 8—9; A. 7; C. 15, &c.; P. 16; V. 1/5. Length 7 inches 9 lines.