FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS AND ADJACENT WATEKS 391 



190, 1916 (Tokyo). — Anonymous, lUustrat. Jap. Aquat. Plants Animal., vol. 



1, pi. 37, fig. 4, 1931. 

 Sciaena (Nibea) mitsukurii Schmidt, Trans. Pacific Comm. Acad. Sci. U. S. S. R., 



vol. 2, p. 71, 1931 (Tokyo, Fusan). 

 Nibea mitsukurii Jordan and Htjbbs, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 10, No. 2, June 



27, 1925, p. 243 (Toba, Shizuoka, Choski). 



Depth 3Ko to 3K; head 3% to d%, width 2. Snout 3% to 3% in head; 

 eye 6 to Qji, IK to 1% in snout, 1% to 1% in interorbital ; maxillary 

 reaches K in eye, expansion 1}^ to IK in eye, length 2% to 2^ in head; 

 mouth terminally inferior, with 6 pores at chin; narrow bands of 

 villiform teeth in jaws, outer upper row slightly enlarged though 

 hardly caninelike, lower with slightly enlarged single row of teeth pos- 

 teriorly; interorbital 3% to 3%, broadly convex; 4 or 5 distinct denticles 

 along preopercle edge around angle; preorbital depth from eye to 

 maxillary IK to 1% in eye. Gill rakers 8 or 9 + 16 or 17, lanceolate, 

 1% in gill filaments, which equals eye. 



Scales 47 to 50 in lateral line to caudal base and 15 to 17 over caudal; 

 8 above, 11 below, 23 or 24 predorsal to occiput and 16 to 21 more 

 forward to snout end; 12 principal rows of scales across cheek; soft 

 dorsal with single row of basal scales, anal also with low sheath; 

 caudal finely scaled basally. Scales with 19 to 21 basal radiating 

 striae; 42 or 43 small apical denticles, with to 2 transverse series 

 of basal elements; circuli moderate. 



D. X, I, 27, I or 28, i, third spine 1% in head, first ray 2% to 2%; 

 A. II, 7, I, second spine 2% to 2^5, first ray 1% to l%o; caudal VA to 1%, 

 cuneate; least depth of caudal peduncle 3%; pectoral 1% to 1%; ventral 

 1% to 1%. 



Back brown, under surfaces paler to whitish. Each row of scales 

 above level of pectoral on body with median dark-brown band, 

 equally wide as pale interspaces; arranged from occiput to hind part 

 of soft dorsal obliquely upward, those mostly below lateral Hne 

 horizontal, likewise posteriorly above lateral line. Iris whitish. Dor- 

 sals varied with white and brown, as several dark spots along each 

 ray or spine basally or subbasally with terminal part of fins more 

 uniformly dark. Upper inner pectoral axil dark brown to dusky. 

 Anal little darker in front and basally, fins otherwise all more or less 

 dull brownish. 



India, Cochin China, Manchuria, Japan. While not certain of the 

 identification of the Japanese with the Indian species, I feel it best to 

 follow Schlegel until Pseudotolithus mitsukurii Jordan and Snyder can 

 be established as a valid species. The alleged character of distinction 

 by Jordan and Thompson that "the anal spine is much larger" is 

 hardly satisfactory. Concerning Johnius mitsukurii and Johnius 

 alhijlora, Jordan and Thompson say: "In fact except for the differences 

 in the dark streaks along the rows of scales there is little difference 

 between the two species." 



