P. H. GOSSE, _del._ LEIGHTON, BROS.
TWO-SPOTTED SUCKER.
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Their form is flattened; they have a broad shovel-shaped muzzle,
prominent eyes, looking rather upwards, and the head much widened
behind; the head, indeed, constitutes more than one-fourth of the
entire length; and at its hinder part, or where the gills open, is
far wider than any other part of the fish. They rarely exceed an inch
and a half in length. The general hue above is pale red; but in some
specimens they become a nearly uniform lake-purple, in others the hue
is a clear orange; while yet in others it is almost white. A band of
white, bounded by darker lines, almost invariably connects the two
eyes. Frequently the hue of the body is varied by clouds and patches of
dark reddish brown, which patches have a tendency to assume a constant
pattern, quite recognisable when you look at a good many specimens
together. In the hinder half and on the sides the ground colour is apt
to be minutely divided or mottled, the interspaces being of a delicate
azure or lilac; and when examined with a lens, the whole surface seems
sown with gold dust. The dorsal fin is set very far back, and, as well
as the caudal, is prettily pencilled with dark brown: the under parts
are pearly white.
The eyes are exquisitely beautiful, and as they are prominent, very
movable, and especially as they are moved quite independently of each
other, they at once attract and fix the admiration of the beholder. The
large pupil is of a deep lustrous green, the iris of the most brilliant
orange gold, and the whole set as it were in the midst of a globe of
the purest glass. On the whole I scarcely know of a more attractive
little fish than this.