FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 819 

 Subgenus Mearnsella Seale and Bean 



NEMATABRAMIS ALESTES (Seale and Bean) 



Mearnsella alestes Seale and Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 33, p. 231, fig. 2, 

 1907 (type locality: Zamboanga). 



Nematairamis alestes Herre, Proc. Pan Pacific Sci. Congr., Australia, vol. 2. 1923, 

 p. 1568, 1924 (Zamboanga, Mindanao; Puerta Princesa and Taytay, Pala- 

 wan, Busuanga) ; Philippine Journ. Sci., vol. 24, p. 260, 1924 (Basilan 

 Island; Burakan River; Busay River; Balactasan River); Fishes Herre 

 Philippine Exped. 1931, p. 20, 1934 (Karig Malan River and Halsey Harbor, 

 Culion). — RoxAs and Martin, Dept. Agr. Comn. Manila, Tech. Bull. 6, p. 43, 

 1937 (reference). 



Nematabramis verecundus Herre, Proc. Pan Pacific Sci. Congr., Australia, vol. 2, 

 1923, p. 1568, 1923-24 [type locality : Titunod River, noi'th coast of Mindanao 

 (no description)]; Philippine Journ., Sci., vol. 24, p. 259 (type), p. 705, 

 1924 (reference). — Roxas and Martin, Dept. Agr. Comm. Manila, Tech. Bull. 

 6, p. 43, 1937 (reference). 



Depth 3 to 31/2 ; head 33^ to 4, width ly^ to 2-%. Snout 31/5 to 32/5 

 in head from snout tip ; eye 3i/^ to 4, equals snout in young to I14 iii 

 snout with age, 1% to 1% in interorbital ; maxillary reaches eye or 

 14 in eye, length 214 to 2% in head from snout tip; barbel 1% to 

 1%; jaws sometimes nearly equal, lower usually protruding; inter- 

 orbital 2l^ to 2%, broad, convex; broad suborbitals cover cheek. 

 Gill rakers 3 + 6 to 8 short weak points, about % of gill filaments, 

 which % of eye. Pharyngeal teeth 4, 5 - 5, 4, hooked, with grinding 

 surfaces. 



Scales 36 or 37 in lateral line to caudal base and 2 more on latter ; 

 34 or 35 scales in median lateral series to caudal base and 2 more on 

 latter; 7 above, 1 or 2 below, 22 or 23 predorsal, 12 around caudal 

 peduncle. Scales with 16 to 19 convergent apical striae, 1 or none 

 basally; circuli fine, all basal. 



D. II, 8, 1, first branched ray li^ to li/o in total head length ; A. ni, 

 12, I, first branched ray II/5 to 11^4 ; least depth of caudal peduncle 

 2 to 21/8 ; ventral 1% to 14^ ; caudal 2% to 31/3 in rest of body, deeply 

 forked, slender lobes pointed ; pectoral 3 to 3%. 



Brownish, under surfaces paler to whitish and sides with more or 

 less brilliant silvery white reflections. Iris silvery white. Barbels 

 pale. Vertical fins all grayish terminally. Paired fins pale. Black- 

 ish vertical short bar on fourth or fifth scales behind shoulder. 

 Leaden underlaid band, ill defined, along side of body posteriorly 

 appearing at its terminus a little expanded and slightly darker. 



Philippines. 



9 examples. Caiholo River, Ulugan Bay, Palawan. December 29, 1908. 

 Length, 74-100 mm. Only narrow pale gray streak along caudal peduncle 

 and above anal axially. 



