1918.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 33 



on extreme lower surface of head, breast and belly. About 5 indis- 

 tinct deep brown obscure slightly inclined band-like saddles on back, 

 first at predorsal, second on spinous dorsal medially, third just before 

 soft dorsal, fourth at front median region of soft dorsal, and fifth at 

 hind portion of soft dorsal. Whole trunk and head with slightly 

 inclined dark streaks, irregularly and obscurely, slightly wavy, and 

 quite numerous, but not parallel with rows of scales. Also ground- 

 color with, many pale blotches, spots or streaks, underlaid and 

 obscure. Head more with speckled or spotted appearance than 

 trunk. Coloration of latter extends on vertical fins more or less 

 basally. Maxillary with brownish streak on scaly area. Fins all 

 with obscure speckled appearance. Iris slaty-gray. 



Length 178 mm. 



Type, No. 47,506, A. N. S. P. 



Phihppine Islands. Presented by the Commercial Museums of 

 Philadelpliia. 



This species is allied with E. honioides (Bleeker), E. megachir 

 (Richardson), E. diacanthus (Valenciennes) and E. maculatus (Bloch) 

 in its biserial mandibular teeth. It most closely approaches E. 

 bontoides in its equidistant opercular spines and mostly ciliated 

 scales. These characters also agree with E. megachir, but that 

 species has the pectoral long as its head. From E. bontoides it differs 

 at once from any material or accounts I have seen, in color. This 

 has been described as brown above with more or less numerous 

 black clots, which may not be present on the fins. 



RHOMBOPLITOIDES gen. nov. 

 Type Rhomboplitoides megalops sp. nov. 



This genus of Lutianidce resembles the American Rhombloplites 

 in its scaly soft dorsal and anal fins, but differs in squamation, as 

 the scales above the lateral line in oblique rows and those below in 

 horizontal rows. It falls witliin the Lutianince in its entire inter- 

 orbital and dentition. 



(Rhomboplites; £T(5<>9, appearance.) 



Rhomboplitoides megalops sp. nov. Fig. 14. 



Head 2|; depth 3; D. XI, 11, i; A. Ill, 8; P. ii, 15; V. I, 5; scales 

 51 in lateral line to caudal base and 7 more on latter; 7 scales above 

 1.1. to spinous dorsal origin, and 14 below in vertical row to spinous 

 anal origin; 25 predorsal scales; head width 2yo in its length; head 

 depth at occiput 1|; mandible 2yV; third dorsal spine 2|; first branched 

 dorsal ray 3^; third anal spine 2f ; first branched anal ray 2|; least 

 3 



