54 BULLETIN 100, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Lethrinus masena Pohl, Cat. Miis. Godeffroy, No. 9, p. 29, 1884 (South Seas). 

 Lethrinus bungus (Ehrenberg) Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poles., vol. 6, p. 279, 



1830 (type locality: Indian Ocean; Suez; Massuah). 

 Lethrinus abbreviatus (Ehrenberg) Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 6, 



p. 312, 1830 (type locality: Red Sea) .—Peters, Arch. Naturg., 1855, p. 243 



(Mozambique). 

 Lethrinus erythropterus Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 6, p. 313, 1830 



(type locality : Ulea) . 

 '(Lethrinus erylhrophlhalmus Kittlitz, Denkwerk. Reis. Mikrones., vol. 2, p. 87, 



1858 (type locality: Senjawins Island, in Lat. 6° N., long. 20H° W.) 



Depth 2)i to 2K; head 2% to 3, width 1% to 2%. Snout 1% to 2 in 

 head; eye 3 to 4^, 1% to 2)im snout, Httle greater than interorbital 

 in young to l)i, with age; maxillary reaches slightly beyond front 

 nostril though not quite opposite hind one, length 2]^ to 2% in head; 

 lips moderately wide, coriaceous; band of villiform teeth in each jaw, 

 with outer row enlarged, largely conic, as 4 canines in front of each 

 and last 3 each side broadly molar, often with slight median depres- 

 sion; interorbital 3 to V/n in head, broadly convex; naked region of 

 head very finely striate, forming more or less vertically on cheek. 

 Gill rakers 4 or 5 + 5, short, broad tubercles, about )i of gill filaments, 

 which 2K in eye. 



Scales 43 or 44 in lateral line to caudal base and 1 to 3 more on 

 latter; 6 above, 14 to 16 below, 7 to 9 predorsal; caudal and pectoral 

 bases finely scaled. Scales with 14 to 20 basal radiating striae, with 

 2 to 5 auxiliaries; 106 to 183 apical denticles, with 4 to 10 transverse 

 series of basal elements; circuli fine. 



D. X, 9, I, fourth spine 2% to 3% in head, fourth ray 2}^ to 2^; 

 A. Ill, 8, I, third spine 2% by 3}^, fourth ray 2% to 2%; caudal 1% to 

 V/z, well emarginate; least depth of caudal peduncle 2% to 2%; pectoral 

 1 to iKo; ventral 1% to 1%. 



Body pale brown, but slightly lighter below, otherwise uniform. 

 Head contrasted dull chocolate-brown, little paler on under surface. 

 Iris dull yellowish. Fins all pale like general body color. Pectoral 

 base sometimes brownish. 



Ked Sea, Arabia, Mauritius, Rodriguez, Sej'-chelles, Philippines, 

 Micronesia, Polynesia. Known chiefly by its coloration. In pre- 

 served specimens the head is usually chocolate-brown and well con- 

 trasted with the remaining general pale coloration. Further, as shown 

 in Giintlier's figure, the hind preopercle edge and hind opercle edge 

 are usually deep or dark brown. I find the eye very variable, often 

 quite large in young examples. In many from Oceania the scales 

 above the lateral line often varied 5 or 6 to the spinous dorsal, though 

 5 is the more frequent. I have also thought Lethrinus erythropterus 

 Valenciennes a synonym as the brief notice of its coloration suggests 

 this. My largest example was 462 mm long. 



Lethrinus mahsena is often with difficulty distinguished from 

 Lethrinus hypselopterus, as preserved examples frequently have the 



