400 BULLETIN 100, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Scales in lateral line 17 or 18 + 3 to 5 + 2; 1 or 2 scales above 

 lateral line, 6 below, 3 or 4 predorsal; 2 rows on cheek, none on 

 preopercle flange. Scales with 37 to 44 basal radiating striae, 

 apical 24 to 41; circuli very fine. 



D. IX, 10, I, ninth spine 2 5^ to 33^ in head, first ray 23^^ to 3}4; 

 A. Ill, 9, I, third spine 3)4 to 4, first ray 3 to 3^^; caudal IH to 1^, 

 truncate or little emarginate, slightly convex as expanded; least 

 depth of caudal peduncle 2^4 to 2^; pectoral l}4 to 13^; ventral 

 IH to 2^. 



Body largely brown, with greenish yellow to olive tinge, scarcely 

 paler below. Edges of lips often narrowly yellowish, and yellowish 

 streak from rictus to eye; two or three short yellow or gray post- 

 ocular streaks, variousl}'' extended though often not greater than 

 extent of an eye diameter. Iris yellowish. Teeth whitish to greenish, 

 usually latter color. Fins brown. Bases of dorsals brownish, espe- 

 cially of rayed fin, and edge narrowly greenish; often soft dorsal 

 medianly, with dark longitudinal band. Anal with grayish base, 

 outer half dull greenish. Caudal brown. Pectoral greenish. Ven- 

 tral gray white. 



East Africa, Red Sea, Mauritius, Madagascar, East Indies, India, 

 China, Melanesia, and Micronesia to the Paumotus. Extremely 

 variable in color, from pale gray or pink to green or dark brown. 

 We have followed the synonymy of Day, accepting Scarus sordidus 

 of Forsk§,l as the oldest name. Some of our dark medium-sized 

 examples are even sufficient to approach Pseudoscarus rhodur- 

 opterus Bleeker, but the five dark broad transverse bands are obscure 

 and ill-defined. Likewise Scarus gymnognathus Bleeker is also only 

 slightly different in color, and may really be synonymous. Several of 

 our examples also represent Callyodon howersi as two yellow bands 

 more or less connect the interorbital, though sometimes only one 

 complete. The soft dorsal has a median green longitudinal band 

 and the greenish anal has a gray subbasal longitudinal pale band. 



8123 and 8131. Alibijiban Island, Ragay Gulf, Luzon. March 6, 1909. Length, 

 210 to 270 mm. Both are var. bowersi (8123, canines, upper, 1 — 0; lower, 

 — 0.) Teeth pale green; general color, viridian; lips dull orange, changing to 

 peach bloom at corners of mouth; dash or two of peach behind lower corner; 

 green band on snout above upper lip, behind purplish, continuing into bright 

 band in front of eye; passes through eye and breaks into two parts behind, 

 lower continuing brokenly to point of opercle; back yellowish green, becoming 

 viridian under dorsal, scales with bright pink bar at base; lower parts blue, 

 with purplish shade; chin bright blue; interopercle with i>each overshade; 

 area of dusky yellow in middle of body between caudal peduncle and mid 

 portion of body. Front and margin of dorsal bluish green, nearly equal to 

 diameter of eye, body of fin below orange with purplish shades, green blotches 

 at bases of rays and in middle of membranes, beginning with the posterior 

 spines, last ray green. Caudal bright blue, with few dashes of dull purplish 

 in base of lower part of rays. Anal mainly green, narrow purplish bar at 



