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N o . C X IX .
L abrus piuna caudali medio suh-tnmcala; maxillis apice bipartatis; linea lateralis ramosa,
interrupta; pinnis vittis cteruleis.
T h e L a b r u s with the tail somewhat truncate in the m id d le ; the m ax ills divided at the
p o in t; the lateral line ramous, and in te rru p ted ; pale blue fillets on the dorsal, anal,
and caudal fins.
Called b y the Natives S ah n e e M o ia .
B .w . D . T \ . p . 15. V. 6. A. U . C. 16.
T he hody oblong, compressed, most beautifully coloured; scales remarkably larg e, somewhat triangular,
tenacious, the posterior edge rounded and striate.
The head large, rounded, compressed, and mostly naked; the front convex, smooth. The mouth middle,
not large, transverse; lips thickish, blue. Jaws not extractile, equal, divided in the middle, as in the Tetraodon,
rouglL in the inside, the margin somewhat serrate, and the outside tuberculate. Tongue ovate, fleshy, immoveable.
Palate smootii. Eyes high, backward, small, orbicular, beautifully coloured, not prominent. Nostrils
nearer the orbit than the ro.strum, very small, oval.
Opercula squamous, the posterior bluntly pointed, ciliate. Branchial membrane concealed; aperture large,
arched, lateral, and gular.
The trunk. The back and belly convex; the sides and tail compressed. Lateral line, at its origin from the
upper part of the opercula, a very little arched, afterwards descends obliquely to near its termination at the
middle of the caudal fin. Anus nearly middle, somewhat prominent.
The fins. The dorsal long, not broad, occupies the whole of the back from the shoulder to within an inch of
the caudal fin. It consists of 19 or 21 rays, of which nine resemble spines, but are soft and club-pointed; the
others ramous : all are assurgent. The pectoral fins low, short, broad, acuminate at top. The ventral shorter,
without any distinct spine; the anal assurgent,like the dorsal, with two or three similar club-pointed spines; the
caudal is of an uncommon form, being a little convex in the middle, with a short inverted horn at each end.
The colour. The beautiful colours of this fish, though more permanent than those of the dolphin, yet fade
too quickly for the painter to sketch accurately, and it is next to impossible to describe them in words.
The face greenish, the edges of the lips light blue, the throat and opercula have a faint reddish tint, the eye
changeable blue, red, and white. The scales are greenish with yellow mar^ns, but the back and posterior part
of the tail are darkened by a purplish tint, while the sides towards the belly brighten and slide insensibly into
a pale red; the breast is of a pale green. T he lateral line is smooth and singularly ramous, consisting of a
series of small obverted fusi-forra roots, from which issue minute uniform branches. The edge and root of
the dorsal fin are of a light blue, the membrane faint green and yellow ; the pectoral fin a dark reddish; the
ventral a yellowish red: the first ray in both blue; the anal faintly reddish, striped the whole length by three
blue fillets; the sides of the caudal fin blue, the horns yellow, the membrane yellowish red, with cross,
waving, blue, fillets.
The length, including the caudal fin, one foot eight inches.
The fishermen asserted that this fish very rarely appeared, which I was inclined to believe, from its having
been brought to me once only.
N o . C X X .
L a brus cauda-sub-rotundata ; corpore ovali, picto, linea laterali infracta; dente curvo ex
ángulo oris exerto, utrinque.
T h e L abrus with a roundish tail ; an oval, h ig h ly coloured body-; thelateral line broken.
A small curve tooth protruding from the corner of the mouth, on each side.
Called also b y the Natives S ah n e e M o ia .
B . y . D . T i . P. 14. V. 6. A. 13. C. 14.
T he body long-oval, compressed, squamous. Scales large, smooth, ciliate, imbricate.
The bead small, sharp, compressed, without scales ; the front depressed, the neck roughish. Mouth middle,
small, straight. Jaws a little extractile, equal, set with teeth. Lips large, covering the teeth. Teeth large, a
little curve, close in the upper jaw, but more distant from each other in the lower : in the upper, there is a
remarkable crooked tooth, projecting in the manner of tusks from the comer of the mouth on each side.
Tongue short, obtuse, smooth. Palate smooth, the throat rough; the eyes high, small, orbicular; the iris
orange. Nostrils double, before the superior edge of the orbit.
I'he branchial opercula consist of two acuminate laminæ, without scales ; the aperture lateral ; the membrane
covered.
The trunk. The back convex; sides compressed; beliy rather plane. Branchiæ consist of three simple
leaves. The lateral line bends gendy from the edge of the opercula to the end of the dorsal fin, then declines
rapidly, and is continued straight along the middle of the tail. The anus middle, depressed.
The fins. The dorsal solitary, lower in the middle than at either extremity, with a remarkable spot on the
anterior part ; the pectoral acuminate at top ; the first ray of the ventral long and setaceous ; the anal of the
form of the hinder part of the dorsal ; the caudal fin rounded at the edge.
The colour. The face sea-green with a few streaks of purple and dusky yellow. The back dark-green, the
sides variegated with a few purple and orange fillets, The green of the trunk shades off to a dull white on
the belly. The dorsal fin spotted green and purple, and there is a remarkable black spot with an orange dot,
on the membrane between the fiftli and seventh ray ; the root of the pectoral red, the rest light ; the ventral
and anal fins with spots of a lighter green than the dorsal ; the rays of the anal purplish, with some streaks of
orange towards the tail ; the caudal fin strcwæd with green spots with purple borders, the margin yellowish
green.
Length, five inches.