FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS AND ADJACENT WATERS 67 



Depth 2% to 2K; head 2'ji to 3%, width 2 to 2%. Snout 2% to 2Kin 

 head from snout tip; eye 4% to 5, 1% to 2 in snout, 1% to 1% in interor- 

 bital; maxillary reaches opposite % to K in eye, expansion 1}^ to 2% in 

 eye, length 2% to 2% in head from snout tip; teeth small, short, as row 

 of submolars above and about 3 rows of smaller ones in mandible, also 

 front of each jaw with outer row of short conic canines, slightly more 

 prominent than other teeth; interorbital 2% to 4%, convex; preopercle 

 with very minute, obsolete denticles. Gill rakers 5 + 15, short 

 tubercleUke points, 1% in gill filaments. 



Scales 50 to 56 in lateral line along and above course to caudal 

 base and 5 or 6 more on latter; tubes 50 or 51 in lateral line to caudal 

 base and 5 to 9 more on latter; 10 to 12 above, 18 to 23 below, 17 to 

 20 predorsal to occiput, 8 to 11 on cheek to preopercle edge, flange 

 naked. Suprascapula with feeble denticles. Scales with 12 to 15 

 basal radiating striae; 46 to 112 apical denticles, weak, obsolete, with 

 6 transverse series of basal elements; circuli fine. 



D. X, o to II, 14, I to 16, I, fifth spine 3 to 4 in total head length, 

 sixth ray in adult 1%, fifth ray in young 2^ in total head and body 

 length to caudal base; A. Ill, o or i, 8, i to 10, i, third spine 3^8 to 4:% 

 in total head length, fourth ray 1% to 1^; least depth of caudal pe- 

 duncle 2% to 2}{; caudal 1 to Iji, emarginate; pectoral 1 to 1)^; ventral 

 1/3 to 1%. 



Back very pale brown, sides and below buft' to whitish. About 17 

 longitudinal gray bands, on back rather narrow and on sides much 

 wider; also variable in detail, often broken in places. With age 4 

 on cheek above maxillary. Iris brown. Fins all brown, uniform. 

 Broad buff-white band connects eyes. 



Pelew Islands, China, Philippines. The excellent figure by Giinther 

 agrees with my adult specimens in the extremely long dorsal and 

 anal filaments. These include the third, fourth, and fifth rays of 

 the dorsal and the third of the anal. The former and sometimes 

 the latter but little less than the total body length. In the smallest 

 examples the longest dorsal rays seldom extend beyond the tip of 

 the caudal and the anal and not beyond the caudal base. Great 

 variation is, however, manifest in the blue longitudinal lines, which 

 are not alike in any two individuals, or even alike on both sides of 

 the body. Moreover, there is sometimes no black saddle on the 

 upper surface of the caudal peduncle behind the soft dorsal, this 

 being replaced simply by a whitish blotch not larger than eye. The 

 markings along the median front of the head are also quite variable 

 in the young, frequently also only as a few scattered small blue 

 spots; often a single narrow blue band connects the eyes, but this is 

 very variable and may frequently be broken or irregular, even with age. 



