490 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



34. ERNOGRAMMUS HEXAGRAMMUS (Schlegel). 



Sticlipeiis Jic.ragnniimns t^cnLEOEL, Fauna Jaiwnica, Poiss., 1S4(J, ]>. 136, pi. lxxiii, 

 fig. 1; Bay of Shimabara, near Nagasaki. — Gunther, Cat. Fish. ,111, 1861, 

 p. 284. 



Head 4it in length; depth 5; depth of caudal peduncle ?A in head; 

 eye 5^; interorbital space 10^; snout 4. D. XLI; A. I, 28. 



Body subcylindrical, head low, somewhat flattened above; interor- 

 ))ital space fiat; snout pointed; jaws equal, maxillary extending- almost 

 to a point below posterior liorder of eye. Teeth in narrow l>ands on 

 the jaws, vomer, and palatines. Gill membranes extending forward at 

 their union, forming a V-shaped fold across the isthmus. Pseudo- 

 branchia^ large; gill rakers on first arch, 8 or 10. very short and blunt. 

 Nostrils with tubes; no tentacles on head. 



Head naked; ])od3' closely covered with minute smooth scales. 

 Lateral lines 3, with verv short branches above and l)elow, each ending 

 in a large pore; the upper line extending from above gill opening to 



Fig. 2o.— ER^•0GI;AM.^a5 hk.x.wka.mmus. 



caudal; the median one passing from upper edge of base of pectoral to 

 middle of caudal; the lower one originating in front of ventrals, divid- 

 ing two branches just l)ehind base of pectoral, passing ])a('kward along 

 belly, the ])ranches uniting at origin of anal and extending along base 

 of that fin. 



Dorsal spines not very rigid, highest liehind middle of fin, 3 in head, 

 membrane of fin rather thin, not incised between the spines, united to 

 base of caudal; anal .spine slender, small; highest rays 3i in head; 

 pectoral rays much l)roadened toward their tips, the membrane incised 

 between them; the fins rounded, 1^ in head; ventrals ecjual in length 

 to 2 times the diameter of eye. 



Body with indefinite, dai'k, vertical bands, most evident on the 

 younger specimens; side of head with 3 oblique, dark ])ands with 

 white edges; dorsal dark, the posterior spine with wdiitish tips; anal 

 narrowly edged with white; pectoral with 5 or 6 narrow, white bars; 

 caudal edged with white, sometimes having a broad, whitish blotch on 

 base. 



Described from many specimens about 120 millimeters long from 

 Hakodate. We have representatives from Hakodate and Otaru. 



