48 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



of the lower jaw, and a weakly crenulate upper lip. Entomacrodus 

 vermiculatus differs from E. decussatus primarily in the nature of its 

 complex color pattern which appears to be an elaboration of that of 

 E. decussatiLS. It also differs from most specimens of E. decussatus 

 in having more than one pore before each anterior nostril, and modally 

 fewer soft dorsal rays. The posterior extension of the lateral line 

 pores beyond the level of the last dorsal ray onto the caudal peduncle 

 occurs with greater frequency in E. vermiculatus than in E. decussatus. 

 It is, with E. decussatus, the closest relative of E. stellifer, but both 

 E. vermiculatus and E. decussatus can be easily distinguished from 

 E. stellifer by color pattern and the number of supraorbital cirri. 

 Remarks. — Entomacrodus vermiculatus has been collected with or 

 from the same general locality as E. thalassinus, E. striatus, and 

 E. epalzeocheilus. It differs most obviously from all these species 

 in the nature of its color pattern. In addition it differs: from E. 

 thalassinus, in having crenulae on the upper lip, multiple pores in the 

 preopercular series, more than one pore before each anterior nostril, 

 and in having more gill-rakers (it also attains a maximum size of 

 more than three times that of E. thalassinus); from E. striatus, in 

 having multiple pores in the preopercular series, more than one pore 

 before each anterior nostril, and more predorsal commissural pores 

 at any particular size; and from E. epalzeocheilus, in the nature of its 

 nuchal cirri, in having more supraorbital cirri, and in having lateral 

 branches on the main supraorbital cirrus. 



TABLE 15. — Proportional dimensions as percent SL of specinens of Entomacrodus vermiculatus 

 (for meaning of abbreviations see methods section) 



