NO. 1287. JAPANESE TRIGGER-FISHES—JORDAN ANT) FOWLER. 



269 



snout, and 5 in head, greater than the space between its lower margin 

 and the gill opening and a little less than li in interorbital space; nos- 

 trils small, gill opening f the pectoral or equal to the convex inter- 

 orbital space; with fleshy flap; spinous dorsal over posterior part of 

 e3'e; its origiii from midwav to a point a little nearer the tip of the 

 snout than the origin of the soft dorsal: rather slender spine, little 

 roughed on front, and with 2 median series of very small tul)ercles, 

 and a single series of antrorse })arbs on each side. Soft dorsal and anal 

 w4th the anterior rays much the longest, those of the former often 

 more than half of the head; caudal rays strong, the edge convex; 

 ventral spine small and rough; body smooth. 



Color in spirits, pale brown, nearly uniform; the flns, deep vitriol 

 blue, especiall}^ in the adult, outer portion of dorsal and anal darker 

 than the base of the fln; caudal dark with the outer rays light. Here 



PSEUDOMONACANTHUS MODESTUS. 



described from specimens from Kobe, the largest Hi inches long. In 

 young specimens the color in spirits is pale brown, darker above, the 

 sides with 5 dark brownish series of spots or blotches, and the caudal 

 blackish on the outer portion with the outer rays light. 



This species is very abundant on the coasts of Japan, reaching the 

 length of a foot, and often coming into the markets when its flesh is 

 regarded as wholesome. It is, in fact, the commonest and most widely 

 diffused of all the Japanese fllefishes, extending its range to the far 

 north. In life the vitriol blue color of the fish serves to distinguish 

 it. The dorsal spine is smoother and much more flattened in the adult 

 than in the young, and there is considerable variation in depth of 

 body with age or sex. Our many specimens are from Otaru, Hako- 

 date, Aomori, Tokio, Misaki, Tsuruga, Kobe, Onomichi, Hiroshima, 

 Hakata, and Nagasaki. 



{modestus, modest.) 



