FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS AND ADJACENT WATERS 129 



row of teeth, though these not large as canines ; interorbital moderately 

 high ; preopercle edge entire or creniilate. 



Scales 50 in lateral line; 5 or 6 above, 16 below, predorsal extend 

 forward above nostrils, of which anterior quite small and crowded; 11 

 rows on cheek, of which 5 on preopercle flange. 



D. XII, 10 or 11, third and fourth spines subequal or 2% in head, 

 first ray d}i; A. Ill, 8 or 9, second and third spines subequal, second 

 2%, first ray equals third spine; caudal iKo, forked, lobes pointed; 

 least depth of caudal peduncle 2}^; ventral 1%; pectoral 3 in combined 

 head and body to caudal base. 



Rose-red, belly silvery. Many scales of upper half of body with 

 blue dots, whereby longitudinal rows form. Fins pale. Length, 400 

 mm. (Klunzinger.) 



Red Sea. Quite like the example from South Africa, not now avail- 

 able, which I identified as Dentex rupestris Valenciennes, which may 

 be the present species. 



Genus GYMNOCRANIUS Klunzinger 



Gymnocranius Klunzinger, Verh. zool. bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 20, p. 764, 1870. 

 [Type, Dentex rivulatus (not Bennett) RtJppELL =Z)en<ex robinsoni Gil- 

 christ and Thompson, monotypic] 



Paradentex Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Ind. Neerland., vol. 7, pi. 30, fig. 3, 1873-1876. 

 (Type, Dentex microdon Bleeker, monotypic.) 



Body deep, compressed. Eye large. Mouth small, jaws subequal. 

 Teeth in several series, with outer row enlarged anteriorly, some 

 caninelike. Branchiostegals 6. Scales large, about 50 in lateral 

 line. Cheek with more than 3 rows of scales, preopercle flange naked. 

 Head naked, except scaly opercle, subopercle, parietal region and 

 lower cheek. Dorsal spines 10, rays 9 to 11, usually third to fifth 

 spines largest. Anal spines 3, rays 10 or 11, third spine longest. 



Marine shore fishes of moderate size, valued as food. Distin- 

 guished from Dentex chiefly by their weaker canines, the scaleless 

 preopercle flange and the absence of scales from the front and top of 

 the head. Although Bleeker admitted four species from the Nether- 

 lands Indies, they seem to me to fall into but three. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES 



a}. Paradentex. No waved blue lines across snout. 

 6'. No broad yellowish preocular band. 



c'. Dark band down over cheek from eye, at least in young; no white nuchal 

 collar, 

 di. Body with 5 to 8 transverse darker streaks, variable to obsolete. 



griseus. 

 d^. Body without transverse dark bands, general color uniform greenish. 



microdon. 



c*. No dark vertical band below eye across cheek; broad white nuchal collar, 



branches to eye and preopercle edge bitorquatus. 



