FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS AND ADJACENT WATERS 403 



D. X, I, 27, weak spines flexible, third and fourth highest and 

 nearly 2 in body depth; A. II, 7, second spine little longer than eye, 

 not half high as rays; caudal cuneate, sharp pointed; pectoral equals 

 head without snout; ventral % of pectoral. 



Back silvery, shot with metallic green and red. Belly like burnished 

 silvery. Blue blotch on opercle. Pectorals yellow, other fins gray, 

 suffused with orange. Length, 280 mm. (Alcock.) 



India. 



JOHNIUS BIRTWISTLEI Fowler 



Johnius birtwistlei Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1931, p. 446, 

 text fig. (type locality: Clyde Terrace market, Singapore.) 



Depth 3?Uo 3%; head 3 to 3}^, width 1% to 1%. Snout S% to Sji in 

 head; eye 5% to 5%, 1% to 1% in snout, l^ to 1% in interorbital; maxil- 

 lary reaches opposite hind eye edge, expansion equals eye, length 2% 

 to 2% in head; teeth in jaws fine, villiform, in narrow bands in front 

 of each jaw; 4 outer canines in front of upper jaw outside villiform 

 band, well spaced and exposed when jaw closes; upper jaw also with 

 lateral outer row of teeth slightly larger than others, though much 

 lower than anterior canines; lower teeth narrowing to single row of 

 small outer ones and inner row of well enlarged or caninelike; inter- 

 orbital 4K to 4% in head, broadly convex. Gill rakers 4+ 10, lanceo- 

 late, half of eye, upper rudimentary. 



Scales along above lateral line to caudal base 58 to 60; tubular 

 scales in lateral fine to caudal base 49 or 50, tubes arborescent; 7 

 above, 9 or 10 below; 37 or 38 predorsal; 9 or 10 rows obhquely across 

 cheek to arch of preopercle ridge. Row of 4 pores across front of 

 snout and 4 at lower front face of mandible. Scales with 12 to 14 

 basal radiating striae; 38 to 41 apical denticles, with 8 or 9 transverse 

 series of basal elements; circali very fine and numerous. 



D. X, I, 25, I to X, I, 27, I, fourth spine 2}^ to 2% in head, fourth 

 ray 2% to 2%; A. II, 7, i, second spine 4}^ to 5, second ray 2% to 2%; 

 caudal 1% to 1%, ends in long median point behind; least depth of 

 caudal peduncle 3% to 3}^; pectoral Iji; ventral 1% to l%o- 



Back and upper surface pale brown, each row of scales on trunk 

 and tail with median and shghtly darker or gray streak. Under 

 surfaces of head and body white. Iris pale yellowish. Opercle rather 

 deep gray. Fins, except pale yellowish white ventrals, grayish 

 terminally. 



Singapore. Apparently most closely related to Johnius ophiceps, 

 though differing chiefly in its inferior mouth. 



A.N.S.P. No. 53467. Clyde Terrace Market, Singapore. April 2, 1931. Depart- 

 ment Fisheries, Singapore. W. Birtwistle. Length 202 mm. Type. 



A.N.S.P. Nos. 53468 and 53469. Clyde Terrace Market, Singapore. April 2, 

 1931. Department Fisheries, Singapore. W. Birtwistle. Paratypes. 



