FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE AND ADJACENT SEAS 363 



Cheilinus guttatus Bleeker, Verh. Batav. Genootsch. (Labr. Cycl.), vol. 22, 



1849, p. 36. Batavia. 

 Cheilinus decaconthus Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Ned. Indie, vol. 2, 1851, p. 256. 



Neira, Banda. 

 Cheilinus tmdulatus (not Ruppell) Kendall and Radcliffe, Mem. Mus. 

 Comp. Zool., vol. 35, 1912, p. 141 (Mangareva). 



Depth 21^ to 2%; head 2% to 2%, width 2\i to 2%. Snout 

 2% to 33/^; eye 4i^ to 6%, IK to 2}4 in snout, 1 to 1^ in intor- 

 orbital; interorbital 3^ to 43^6 > convex. Gill rakers 6 + 6, strong, 

 short points. 



Scales in lateral line 15 + 5 to 7 + 2 to 3;2 scales above lateral line, 

 6 below, 7 predorsal. Scales with 11 basal radiating striae, apical 

 24 to 34, with very few marginals; circuli very fine. 



D. X, 9, I, tenth spine 2% to 3 in head, seventh ray IJ^ to 2j^; 

 A. Ill, 7, I, third spine 2^ to 33^, seventh ray 1% to 2}/^-, caudal 

 lyi to 13^, rounded convexly behind, tips of each upper and lower 

 rays exserted slightly; least depth of caudal peduncle 2,^ to 2%; 

 pectoral li;^ to 2; ventral 13^ to 1%. 



Brown, with 3 or 4 transverse obsolete brownish bands, variously 

 obscure. Head and trunk finely spotted or dotted with whitish, 

 most crowded on predorsal. Pale bars or lines obliquely about 

 cheek. Edge of opercular flap above dusky brown, with several 

 creamy specks. Dorsal deep brownish with several submarginal 

 longitudinal dark lines and dark reticulations, also fine white dots, 

 posteriorly soft fin pale. Caudal pale basally, medianly dusky and 

 greenish on outer portions, small pale dots over median area. Anals 

 deep brown, finely dotted with grayish or whitish. Pectoral uniform 

 pale brown. Ventral dusky brown, with fine whitish dots. Along 

 lateral line 3 dark scales, equally spaced. 



Mauritius to the East Indies and the Paumotus. Distinguished 

 from Cheilinus diagrammus chiefly by the small whitish dots or 

 spots, 1 to 4 on each scale and often forming longitudinal series. 

 The young are variably dark and with about 4 whitish bars across 

 lower surface of head. They always have last half of soft dorsal 

 uniformly pale or whitish. Often the young are olive, with greenish 

 tints on the fins and may be rather sparsely marked with small 

 white spots over most of the body. Such individuals are without 

 dark transverse bands, though with 2 dark median spots on the 

 lower section of the lateral line. One whitish line down from lower 

 front eye edge, while other examples of same size often with another 

 white line inclined little forward or over middle of mandible. The 

 young may also show 4 obscure transverse dusky bands on the 

 body, usually with median dark spot in each. In some adults 

 variation in the snout occurs, often short, though they otherwise 

 approach Cheilinus oxyrhynchus. Such examples have the head 



