10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. ism 



Hydro. 21, 9°54'N 97°42'E, 5 spec, 117-163 mm. USNM 200694, 

 Mar. 27, 1963, Cruise 1, Sta. 28A, 11°52'N 92°49'E, 1 spec, 89 mm. 

 USNM 200695, Dec. 3, 1963, Cruise 4B, Sta 269A, 23°43'N 58°23'E, 

 depth 49 meters, 1 spec, 142 mm. USNM 200696, Dec. 3, 1963, 

 Cruise 4B, Sta. 269B, 23°33'N 58°23'E, depth 106 meters, 2 spec, 

 131 and 184 mm (photographed). USNM 200697, Nov. 14, 1963, 

 Cruise 4B, Sta. 202B, 17°41'N 71°33 / E, depth 90 meters, 29 spec, 

 94-167 mm. 



Parapercis somaliensis, new species 



Plate 2 



Holotype— USNM 200751, off coast of Somali, depth 50-70 

 meters, Dec. 18, 1964, IIOE, Sta. 468, 11°52'N 51°14'E, standard 

 length 105 mm. 



Paratypes.— USNM 200750, off coast of Somali, depth 67-72 

 meters, Dec 18, 1964, IIOE, Sta. 465, ]1°37'N 51°27'E, 2 spec, 81 

 and 120 mm. 



Description. — Counts are recorded in tables 2-4 and measurements 

 made on the holotype and paratypes are expressed in thousandths 

 of the standard length in table 6. 



Vomer with teeth, none on palatines; 6 canine teeth (3 on each side) 

 near tip of lower jaw; spinous dorsal fin connected by membrane to 

 first soft dorsal ray opposite tip of fifth dorsal spine; ninth branched 

 pectoral ray from dorsal edge longest; upper caudal fin rays elongate, 

 projecting as much as diameter of eye behind rear edge of that fin; 

 scales in a zigzag row around caudal peduncle 24-26. 



Color in alcohol. — Body with straw-colored background; dorsal 

 half of body marked with 8 bars, and an additional bar crossing in 

 front of dorsal fin; the checkered nature of these bars ends at a light 

 streak along middle of the side, below which they continue as faintly 

 pigmented bars not reaching base of anal fin; a pair of large brown 

 spots near occiput; preorbital and snout brown, but not continuing 

 on the premaxillary ; a wedge-shaped brown bar below eye extending 

 obliquely backward ; preopercle light straw colored, except the poste- 

 rior edge is brown; opercle brownish with about 4 dark brown spots; 

 base of pectoral fin brownish posteriorly and anteriorly; pectoral, 

 pelvic, and anal fins unmarked; dorsal fin rays with brown bases 

 opposite the brown bars on upper sides; caudal fin with several light 

 dusky cross bars. 



Discussion. — This new species traces down through ('ant well's 

 (1964, p. 248) key to P. xanthozona but differs by having 5 or 6 + 9 or 

 10=14-16 gill rakers instead of 6 or 7 + 11-14=17-20 gill rakers as 

 in P. xanthozona. Parapercis somaliensis has only 4 scales from lateral 

 line to base of first ray of soft dorsal whereas P. xanthozona has 6-8. 



