1912 Bulletin //, United States National Museiun. 



The body is fusiform, with the abdominal outline nearly straight; the 

 greatest height of the body at the origin of the spinous dorsal fin is 

 J of the total length of the caudal base. The caudal peduncle is slender, 

 the least height of the tail being only \ of the greatest height of the 

 body. The head is large and naked, its length being contained 2f times 

 in the total length to the caudal base. The nuchal region has a cross 

 ridge in front of which is a quadrate depression. The occiput is armed 

 with a pair of blunt spines, the length of a s])ine being | of the greatest 

 diameter of the eye. At the base of each spine is a blunt protuberance. 

 The preopercle is armed with 4 sj^ines, the upper of which is the long- 

 est, bifurcate, and hooked upward, the 1 next below is sLightlj^ bent 

 upward, and the remaining 2 are bent downward and forward. The sub- 

 orbital stay is prominent. The eye is large, placed next to the upper pro- 

 file of the head, its greatest diameter is equal to the length of the snout, 

 and is I of the length of the head. The interorbital area is very narrow 

 and concave, its width being ^ of the greatest diameter of the eye. Tlie 

 nuixilla extends slightly beyond the A'ertical through the posterior margin 

 of the eye, and its length is contained 2 times in the length of the head. 

 The teeth are in villiform bands on the jaws, vomer, and palatines. The 

 body is chiefly naked, with a dorsal series of 23 bony, scale-like plates 

 beginning opposite the sixth dorsal spine and extending upon the upper 

 side of the caudal peduncle; a second series of 41 similar plates along the 

 lateral line. There are 2 or 3 of these plates on either side of the nape, 

 behind the occipital spines, and a patch of 4 or 5 plates below the lateral 

 line in the pectoral region. The spinous dorsal begins over the tip of the 

 opercular flap, and the length of its base is equal to that of the upper jaw ; 

 it is composed of 9 slender and flexible spines, the longest spine being as 

 long as the distance from the tip of the snout to the orbit. The soft dor- 

 sal, of 20 rays, begins halfway between the tip of the snout and the base 

 of the caudal fin. Its base is nearly as long as the head, and the long- 

 est ray is * the length of its base. The origin of the anal fin is under 

 the third dorsal ray; the length of its base is equal to the greatest height 

 of the body, and the longest ray is as long as the longest dorsal spine. 

 The caudal fin is rounded, the middle rays being as long as the maxilla. 

 The length of the pectoral base is ? of that of the head, and the longest 

 pectoral ray is etiual in length to the greatest height of the body. The 

 ventral fin is composed of 1 spine and 3 rays, its length being | of that of 

 the head. There are no gill rakers, but the anterior arch bears 9 or 10 low 

 tubercles. Color in spirits, a light olive brown above, yellowish below; 

 belly white; a large dark brown blotch, marked with white, extends 

 from the base of the spinous dorsal down upon the side to the base of the 

 liectoral fin, being darkest just behind the oiiercular flap; a second sim- 

 ilar, but narrower, blotch on the back from the seventh to the tenth dor- 

 sal rays extends obliquely down and forward to below the lateral line ; 

 a third faint blotch on the back, at the end of the soft dorsal; in addi- 

 tion there are numerous smaller spots and blotches along the lateral line, 

 and a triangular sjiot on the caudal peduncle at the caudal base; cheeks 



