N0.1296. JAPANESE CHjETODONTID.E-JORDAN AND FOWLER. 533 



scales very large on the sides and becoming- minute on the soft dorsal, 

 anal and the base of the caudal. Head small, the profile very steep; 

 snout produced and pointed; e3'e large, equal to the snout and 2f in 

 the head; mouth shorter than the ej'e; the maxillar}^ not reaching 

 below the posterior nostril; the nostrils very small and in front of the 

 eye; teeth curved and projecting in brush-like ])ands, in each jaw; interor- 

 l)it!il space slight!}' convex; gill-opening long; the membrane not united 

 ])ut forming a fold across the isthmus; gill rakers few, short and weak; 

 dorsal spines robust, aiid strong in front, where they are shorter than 

 the last, which are long and slender; soft dorsal with the middle rays 

 the longest and rounded; lirst and second anal spines robust, the first 

 a little over half the length of the second, and the third slender and 

 about equal to the second; middle rays of soft anal produced and the 

 edge of the fin rounded; pectorals as long as the head; ventrals long, 

 nearly under the pectorals, and the first soft ray produced into a long- 

 point so that the fin is longer than the pectorals; upper caudal rays 

 the longest; the edge of the fin obliquely straight. Lateral line high, 

 very nmch arched, concurrent with the margin of the dorsal tin, and 

 descending on the sides of the caudal peduncle to the tail. Caudal 

 peduncle compressed till its depth is equal to the eye. 



(yolor in spirits pale-brown, darker above; a dark-])rown vertical 

 l)and through the eye, equal toits width, and narrowly margined with 

 white in front; (5 narrow oblique stripes sloping forward from the 

 base of the dorsal till they meet on the sides a series of 11 similar 

 bands, obliquel}' sloping in a reverse direction; edge of the soft dorsal 

 with a narrow white margin; below this a deep-brown band broadest 

 at the longest rays, and then below this white to the broad vertical 

 dark-l)rown l)ar, which extends from the upper part of the anterior 

 soft rays across the fin, the caudal peduncle, and down on the anal; 

 margin of the anal white with a narrow brown band near the edge; 

 base of the caudal with a deep-brown crescent. I'he above description 

 from a specimen taken in Okinawa, Riukiu, 21^ inches long. 



This species, very abundant in the East Indian Archipelago, and 

 from the Red Sea to Polynesia, is known as a Japanese fish from a 

 small specimen taken at Nafa. in Okinawa, ])y Yonekichi Koneyama, of 

 Tokyo, and presented by him to the nuiseum of Stanford University. 



Dr. Bleeker unites Clixtodoii pictu>< { — decunHatui) with this species, 

 stating that the ))lack bands on dorsal and anal are sometimes widened, 

 covering the whole fin. Our specimen is typical of Chsetodon vaga- 

 hun(his^ agreeing with Da} \s figure. 



{mg«ht(/Hlu.s^ wandering.) 



