Date: Sunday f 20, 2012
Three Spotted Wrass Sea Fish
This is also a common fish, as well in the Mediterranean as on the west and south coasts of England and Ireland, it is also mentioned by Nilsson as met with in Sweden, but it is rare in Scotland, and is only of casual occurrence in the Orkney Islands.
Its habits and food resemble those of the Cook, and indeed it is the opinion of Nilsson and Dr. Gunther that it is the female of the last named species, a fact which future observation must decide. It spawns in April or May, and on the second day of the last-mentioned month an individual was examined that proved to be a sharer of both sexes. The mature roe passed from it on slight pressure, but, on cutting the body open, while one lobe was found nearly empty, the other was far short of perfection, and a lobe of milt, in the same con dition, lay with them.
This fish reaches the length of eight or nine inches, the shape rather lengthened, plump, moderately compressed, not so robust as in the Cook, which in outline it generally resembles. Head lengthened before the eyes, jaws equal, lips fleshy, teeth in the upper jaw numerous, those in the front large, separate, curved, projecting in the lower jaw the two corner teeth in front like the upper front teeth, the others small. Body covered with scales as in the others of this family, lateral line descending gradually opposite the termination of the dorsal fin.
The dorsal fin begins above the base of the pectoial, with thirty rays, of which sixteen are firm, anal fin has two firm and twelve soft rays, both these fins expanded posteriorly, and end opposite each other. Tail round, nineteen rays, ventrals six. There is some variety in the colour, but chiefly as regards the depth or intensity, those examples which live in the deeper water and most locky ground being generally of a lively vermilion, paler on the belly.
This fish obtains its name from some remarkable very dark spots on the back and dorsal fin, in many cases amounting to five, and I have not known them less than three. One is at the origin of the dorsal fin, and is sometimes wanting, the others are at the hindward part of the back, extending up on the dorsal fin, except the last, which is on the back behind the termination of that fin, and alternate with these mentioned spots are an equil number of pale or flesh coloured spots, ending with the latter.
I have known an example where the red colour was more dull, with the absence of the spot at the origin of the dorsal fin, and of all the light coloured spots. The tail also had a slight border of blue.
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