116 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 122 



been composed of darker midportions and paler dorsal and ventral 

 portions. Dorsally the bands enter the dorsal fin for a variable dis- 

 tance, taking on a posterodorsal direction, but failing to extend to the 

 distal fin margin. There is no evidence of a humeral blotch, but the 

 bands are most intense in the area where such a blotch might occur. 

 Posteriorly on the side, the bands may be very faint to absent. Ven- 

 trally the bands become faint and may have reached the anal fin base 

 but do not appear to have entered that fin. I find no evidence of the 

 tiny dark spots that occur on the sides below the spinous dorsal fin in 

 all the other Atlantic species. 



The head is variably dark with two or one (when presumably the 

 two are fused) daik stripes passing from the upper lip to the eye and 

 then continuing dorsoposteriorly for a very short distance from the 

 dorsal margin of the eye. Just posterior to the eye there is a pale 

 area extending from the corner of the lip to the top of the head. The 

 pale area may have a dark margin posteriorly, darkest at mideye level, 

 giving the appearance of a spot. In small specimens, 7-9 dark, un- 

 interrupted stripes may be seen on the upper lip. In large specimens 

 the lip has become almost uniformly dark, but in some of these speci- 

 mens indications of the stripes persist. Dark chevrons appear on the 

 underside of the head in many specimens, but these are frequently 

 diffuse or obscured. 



Aside from the extensions of the body bands entering the dorsal fin, 

 the soft dorsal fin shows some pale diffuse striping. Other than these 

 marks the dorsal fin is more or less uniformly dusky. The anal fin 

 membranes are uniformly dusky, except possibly for a basal pale area 

 or some diffuse pale spots in the posterior distal region on the fin of 

 some specimens. The caudal fin bears about 5-8 dark bands, depend- 

 ing on size; small specimens with fewer stripes than large specimens. 

 The pectoral fin is variably dusky with possible indications basally of 

 intensification of the melanophores. The pectoral base may have a 

 pale area just proximal to the pectoral rays, followed by a diffuse dark 

 cresentic mark. The pelvic fins are dusky. 



I noted no evidence of sexual dichromatism, but better preserved 

 material may alter this impression. 



Remarks. — There is a tendency for males to have more segmented 

 dorsal fin rays than females. Of 51 males examined, 3 had 15 rays, 

 41 had 16 rays, and 8 had 17 rays. Of 74 females examined, 13 had 

 15 rays, 60 had 16 rays, and 1 had 17 rays. No sexual dimorphism 

 was noted for other meristic characters. 



Relationships. — Entomacrodus vomerinus is a member of the 

 E. nigricans species group. Of this group, the Atlantic species 

 appear to be most closely interrelated (see "Relationships" under E. 

 nigricans) . 



