238 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.94 



Head much depressed anteriorly, body compressed; snout bluntly 

 rouuded, the lower jaw a little projecting; eyes lateral, visible from 

 below as well as from a])Ove; gill membranes joined to sides of head, 

 the gill opening not extending be3^ond base of pectoral fin; margin 

 of eye not free; teeth villiform, hi a narrow band on premaxillaries 

 and on dentary, no teeth on vomer or palatines; pectoral spine strong, 

 the anterior or outer margin with antrorse teeth, and nuich stronger 

 retroi-se ones on inner surface; dorsal spme strong, not serrated, in 

 males this si)ine longer, bent, and crooked; nostrils wide apart, the 

 anterior pair tu])ular at front of snout; maxillary barbel in a groove 

 below eye, not extending quite to tip of pectoral spine, this barbel 

 with a bony base in males; two pairs of mental barbels, the anterior 

 pair shortest, their bases near front of lower jaw and reaching a little 

 past a line between rear margins of eye, the posterior pair about op- 

 posite front of ej'e and reaching to behind pectoral base; adipose fin 

 base short and fin short; anal base as long as head; least depth of caudal 

 peduncle about 3 times in snout to dorsal origin, 1.6 to 2.0 in pectoral 

 spine, and 2.2 to 2.7 in anal fin base; length of postcleithral process 

 behind head 2.3 to 3.1 in length of pectoral spine, 3.5 to 4.5 hi snout 

 to dorsal origin, and 1.5 to 1.7 in least depth of caudal peduncle; 

 head 3.4 to 3.7 and depth 3.7 to 4.0 in standard length; caudal fin a 

 little concave; eye 3.7 to 3.9 in interorbital space; rear margins of 

 dorsal and of pectorals truncate, other fins rounded; dorsal and 

 pectoral spines about equal in length, except in males the dorsal 

 spine elongated and crooked; supraoccipital process broad, reaching 

 base of dorsal fin and giving off nme pairs of wings that reach a little 

 below front of dorsal fin base; frontal fontanel narrow, between orbits; 

 anus near anal origin; pelvics reach to anal origin, pectoral reaches 

 two-thirds the way to pelvic base; first anal raj's of male longer than 

 other rays of this fin. 



Color. — Blackish above with golden-brown reflections showing on 

 upper sides and back when alive, this golden-brown fading when 

 specimens wen^ preserved and remaining as pale areas, giving an ob- 

 scure mottled effect; belly paler, white in most of the specimens, 

 although the black pigment occurs on front of lower jaw and under 

 side of head in irregular patches; all fins blackish, the caudal a little 

 mottled; peritoneum pale. 



Remarks. — This new subspecies differs from Trachycorystes insignis 

 insignis in having a shorter postcleithral process, the length of this 

 behind the operculum being 2.3 to 3.1 in length of pectoral spuie, 3.5 

 to 4.5 in snout to dorsal origin and 1.5 to 1.7 in least depth ot caudal 

 peduncle instead of 2.1 to 2.5 in the pectoral spine, 2.8 to 3.2 in snout 

 to dorsal origin, and 1.0 to 1.3 in least depth of the caudal peduncle. 

 The dorsal and pectoral spines in females are little longer in insignis 

 than in peloichthys. 



