no. .1630 PARAPERCIS-SCHULTZ / 



Discussion. — This new species was collected at depths between 

 47 and 80 meters and at an unknown depth in the Red Sea. It is closely 

 related to P. alboguttata Giinther, type-locality of which is Misool 

 Island, about lat, 2°S and long. 130°E, off the western tip of New 

 Guinea. Cantwell (1960, p. 258) reports it from Muscat, Monja 

 Island, China Sea. Neopercis tesselata Herre from Manilla Bay, with- 

 out palatine teeth, was placed in the synonomy of P. alboguttata by 

 Cantwell, with which opinion I agree on the basis of a radiograph 

 showing i,17 pectoral rays instead of i, 16 as found in P. simulata, new 

 species. 



Fortunately, the IIOE collected a fine series of specimens of P. 

 alboguttata from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. A com- 

 parison of P. alboguttata with P. simulata reveals that although the 

 color patterns of the two species are nearly identical, they differ in 

 regard to the following characters: In table 2, it can be observed that 

 P. alboguttata almost alwaj^s has i,17 and i, 18 pectoral rays while, in 

 table 3, the gill rakers number 6-9 + 12-15 = 19-23, whereas P. 

 simulata has i, 16 pectoral and 4 or 5 + 9 or 10 = 13-15 gill rakers 

 respectively. In the genus Parapercis, a difference in total number of 

 gill rakers from 13 to 15 compared with 19 to 23 with no overlap in 

 the range is highly significant and indicates in my opinion two dis- 

 tinct species. 



An examination of the measurements recorded in table 1 indicates 

 that P. alboguttata is a more slender species (least depth of caudal 

 peduncle 58-75, average 64, thousandths; greatest depths 144-180, 

 average 161) than P. simulata, (75-80, average 77.5, and 170-177, 

 average 174). In addition, P. simulata has a shorter head (277-307, 

 average 292 thousandths of length), smaller eye (62-73, average 69.5), 

 and shorter mouth (snout tip to rear of maxillary 111-132, average 

 120), whereas in P. alboguttata these figures are, respectively, 298-344, 

 average 321; 70-82, average 77; and 117-144, average 128. 



In table 5, a comparison of certain body proportions was made and 

 the data in this table shows that the least depth of body into head 

 length is 3.5-4.0 for P. simulata and 4.1-5.6 for P. alboguttata, and, 

 respectively, for least depth of body into eye, 0.8-1.0 and 1.1-1.3. 



Since P. alboguttata is known now to range from the China Sea to 

 Muscat in the northern Arabian Sea, it may be thought that P. 

 simulata may represent a subspecies of P. alboguttata. There was no 

 variability, however, in counts or measurements for P. alboguttata that 

 indicated a morphocine or any other data that might be correlated 

 with range. 



Other distinct species of fish have identical or nearly identical color 

 patterns: Paramia quinquelineata (Cuvier and Valenciennes) and 



