NO. 1319. SOME JAPANESE FISHES— JORDAN AND STARRS. 537 



3. COLOLABIS Gill. 



Cololahis Gill, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVIII, 1895, p. 176. — Jordan and Everman, 

 Fishes North and Middle Amer., I, 1896, p. 726 {brevirostris. ) 



This genus is close to Scombresox^ differing chiefly in the very short 

 beak, the upper jaw, even in the adult, not being at all produced, and 

 the lower jaw having only a short flexible tip. This genus represents 

 the immature state of Scomhresox. 



(/coAo's-, defective, curtailed; Xa^ig, forceps.) 



8. COLOLABIS SAIRA (BreVoort). 



SAMMA. 



Scombresox saira Brevoort, Perry's Exp. to Japan, 1856, p. 281, j)!. vii, fig. 4 (on 

 a drawing). — Ishikawa, Prel. Cat., 1897, ji. 18; Tokyo. 



Scomhremx saurus Nystrom, Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., 1887, p. 46; Nagasaki, 

 not of Walbaum. 



Head, including tip of lower jaw, H in length; depth 7f. Dorsal 10 

 to 12— V or VI (rarely VI); anal U to 14— VI or VII; scales 120. 



Body elongate and much compressed, the width of head li the 

 diameter of eye. E3^e placed exactly between tip of mandible and 

 edge of opercle, its diameter contained 2i in snout. Teeth extremely 

 small, in a single scattered row on edge of jaws, sometimes not evident. 

 Maxillary produced to a sharp point; as viewed from above it is as 

 long as broad. Mandible projecting to a short point, which enters 

 upper profile when mouth is closed. Interorbital width equals diam- 

 eter of eye, opercle and subopercle together forming a ])road plate 

 continuous on lower outline with that of the rest of head and ending 

 behind in a blunt right angle. Gill rakers slender and niunerous, as 

 long as three-fifths the diameter of eye, 27 on lower part of arch. 

 Gill slit not open aljove upper ray of pectoral. Top of head to tip of 

 upper jaw with scales. One or two specimens show slight traces of 

 large scales on opercles, cheeks, mandible, and preor})ital. Usually, 

 however, no trace remains, and in none of our numerous specimens 

 arc there an}" scales remaining in this region. Scales on body cadu- 

 cous, about 90 in a median row between occiput and dorsal. Pectoral 

 short and broad, the lower rays growing rapidly shorter, its length 

 twice diameter of eye. Ventrals inserted midway lietween base of 

 caudal and middle of eye. Front of anal half the diameter of eye in 

 advance of dorsal. Dorsal and anal finlets connected to body I)}' an 

 extremely thin delicate mem])rane which is usually broken and not 

 evident, Init through our large series it has been found with each 

 finlet ])ut the last. 



Color in spirits abruptly silvery on lower half of body, above which 

 is usually a bluish silvery lateral band nearly as wide as eye. Back 



