FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE AND ADJACENT SEAS 301 



LEPTOJULIS PARDALIS Kner 



LeptojuUs pardalis Kner, Sitz. Akad. Wiss. Wien, vol. 56, 1867, p. 728, 



pi. 3, fig. 2 (9 in text). Viti Islands, Fiji. — Jordan and Seale, Bull. 



Bur. Fisher., vol. 25, 1905 (1906), p. 298, pi. 45, fig. 3 (Apia, Samoa). 

 Platyglossus pardalis Gunther, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, vol. 8 (16) 1909, 



p. 273 (type of Platyglossus nigromaculatus) . 

 Platyglossus nigromacidatus Gunthek, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1871, p. 666, 



pi. 65, fig. B. Savay, Samoa. 

 Halichoeres nigropunctatus Seale, Occas. Pap. Bishop Mus., vol. 1, No. 3, 



1900, p. 89. Agafia, Guam. 



Depth 2^ to 3; head 3, width 2\i to 2%. Snout 3 to 33^; 

 eye 4^ to 6, 1^ to 2 in snout, 13^6 to 1% in interorbital; maxillary 

 reaches about ^ to eye, 3^ to 5 in head; single posterior canine, 

 variously double, each side above and directed forward; interorbital 

 4 to 4^. Gill rakers 5 + 10, lanceolate, short, robust. 



Scales in lateral line 22, 4 or 5 + 2; 3 scales above lateral line, 9 

 below, 3 predorsal. Scales with 38 to 46 basal and marginal radiat- 

 ing striae; apical 38 to 40, feeble and imperfect; circuli very fine. 



D. ^VIII or IX, 11,1, eighth or ninth spine 2% to 3% in head, first 

 ray 21^ to 23^; A. Ill, 11, i, third spine 3% to 3^, third ray 2^/^ to 

 2}/^; caudal 134 to 1^, truncate, convex when expanded; least depth 

 of caudal peduncle 2 to 23^; pectoral 1% to 1%) ventral 1^ to 1%. 



Pale brownish generally. Head and trunk with large blackish 

 brown blotches, none much larger than eye, more or less following 

 rows of scales and largest on lower sides of trunk and tail. On head 

 dark blotches often form vermiculations and fading out on frontal 

 and under regions of head leave whitish blotches. Black ocellus at 

 isthmus. Iris whitish. Fins all pale. Dorsals and anals with outer 

 series of pale blotches and basal waved dusky longitudinal band. 

 Caudal with 6 transverse deep lines, fewer and less distinct terminally 

 in young. Pectoral pale or whitish. Ventral whitish, with 5 trans- 

 verse dark bands. 



Polynesia and Micronesia. Now known from the East Indian 

 region, our specimens listed below. The species is especially hand- 

 some with the closely spotted or blotched color pattern. 



9913. Inamucan Bay, Mindanao. August 8, 1909. Length, 99 mm. [1800.] 

 Dark blotches not large, leaving olive greenish ground bright; back mainly 

 without dark blotches, few tawny blotches showing metallic in some reflections 

 near base of dorsal; in two groups of four each, first under spinous dorsal, second 

 under soft dorsal and on peduncle; the stripes on head small. Spinous dorsal 

 crossed by irregular oblique bars, upward and forward, each covering two 

 membranes, somewhat broken forward, last four or five quite distinct; base of 

 soft dorsal with series of green spots, limited by arching dark brown lines which 

 form basal bar; extreme margin hyaline, reddish orange inframarginal bar with 

 extension downward in each membrane not reaching basal bar, except in 

 irregular instances; dorsal rays crossed by six brown bars, dark basally, becom- 

 ing nearly scarlet on edges of lobes and tip of fin. Anal marked similarly to 

 dorsal, less regularly. Ventrals with two reddish-brown bars, not dark. 

 Pectoral hyaline, raj's slightly dusky. 



