_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_;[6] 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.[7] 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.
[Illustration:
_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_.