108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 122 



spots. The anal fin is variably dusky, always darker and more 

 extensively pigmented in males than females from the same collection. 

 There are indications of diffuse pale spots posteriorly on the anal fin 

 in males, whereas in females the pale areas in this region may give 

 the impression of banding. There is evidence of 3-5 irregular dusky 

 bands on the caudal fin, darkest ventrally and sometimes restricted 

 to -the ventral portion of the fin. The pectoral fin is pale with a 

 variable dustmg of fine melanophores, concentrated ventrally and 

 basally. There is frequently a dark vertical stripe on the pectoral 

 base. The pelvic fins are pale. 



The head is pale to dusky usually with a dark spot just posterior 

 to the eye. The upper lip in most specimens from Panama and the 

 Mexican mainland and adjacent islands, except Clarion Island, usu- 

 ally has or shows traces of 11-14 dark stripes alternating with paler 

 interspaces. The stripes may be absent above the crenulated portions 

 of the lip. There are about six stripes above the noncrenulated por- 

 tion of the lip. The stripes are darkest ventrally on the lip and may 

 grade into a pale stripe dorsally. Specimens from Clipperton and 

 Socorro Islands may have the lip stripes, a complementary pattern 

 (pale stripes and dusky interspaces or bands), or lack the stripes 

 entirely. Specimens from Clarion Island either had only faint indi- 

 cations of the complementary stripe pattern or completely lacked 

 stripes. The miderside of the head frequently exhibits an extension 

 of the upper lip pattern in the form of chevrons. Fowler (1944, as 

 Salarichthys vanderbilti) described the color pattern of fresh alcoholic 

 specimens. In contrast to the old preserved material I examined, he 

 noted that numerous pearly white spots were scattered over the body. 



Geographic variation. — Aside from variation in color pattern (see 

 above), there was little variation noted betw^een collections of speci- 

 mens from different localities. Series from Clipperton Island, Socorro 

 Island, Acapulco, the Cape San Lucas area, and the Tres Marias 



TABLE '*9. — Frequency distribution of number of predorsal commissural pores of specimens of 

 Entomacrodus chiostictus arranged by SL classes (in mm) 



15-19.9 



20 



25 



30 



35 



40 



45 



50 



55 



60 



65 



Number of pores 



3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 Average 



5 1 ------------------- - 3.2 



3342231---- .--- 4.8 



--46 10 22 15 8-23----------- 8.3 



-2338 13 20 24 13 822----- 9.3 



--135 1119 12 8 15 641 9.9 



-----24 14 9 15 831622 12.0 



-7 69285312 1 12.2 



2143416533-1----- 13.2 



---1--1111-1-1- 11.1 



1131221-1------- 12.5 



---1- 3----------- 11.2 



