192 BULLETIN 100, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



c*. Pale wedge extends up from abdomen to highest curve of lateral line; 

 caudal peduncle pale above and below; pectoral base dark. 



anchorage, 

 c*. Median lateral yellowish band from head to caudal base. 



zamboangae. 

 c*. Pale line from snout through eye; dorsals and anals edged whitish. 



margaritiferus. 

 6'. Usually small black blotch at last dorsal spines and first dorsal rays; 



pale blotch below soft dorsal schoenleinii. 



&'. Large blackish blotch extends obliquely forward from soft dorsal 



base melanostigma . 



o*. Macrochoerodon, new subgenus. Long ventrals reach well beyond front 

 of anal; body rather slender oligacanthus. 



Subgenus Choerodon Bleeker 



Ventrals moderate, not reaching anal. Body rather robust, not 

 slender. 



This group includes the majority of species in the genus, many in 

 the waters of tropical Australia. 



CHOERODON AZURIO (Jordan and Snyder) 



Choerops azurio Jordan and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 23, 1901, 

 p. 747 (on Schlegel). — Jordan and Evermann, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.^ 

 vol. 25, 1902, p. 353 (Keerun, Formosa). — Jordan and Snyder, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 24, 1902, p. 614 (Tokio, Misaki, Wakanoura, Kobe, 

 Hakata, Nagasaki, Formosa). — Franz, Abhandl. K. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 

 vol. 4, Suppl. Band 1, 1910, p. 52 (Yokohama, Fukura, Aburatsubo, 

 Japan) . 



Choir odon azurio Jordan and Richardson, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 14, 

 No. 4, 1909, 194 (Formosa record). 



Choerodon azurio Jordan and Hubbs, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 70, 1925, 

 p. 249 (Osaka and Tokyo). 



Labrus japonicus (not Houttuyn) Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 13, 

 1837, p. 72. Japan. — Schlegel, Fauna Jap., Poiss., pts. 7-9, 1845, p. 163, 

 pi. 85 (Nagasaki). 



Choerops japonicus Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 4, 1862, p. 96 

 (China).— Martens, Preuss. Exp. Ost Asien, 1876, p. 397 (Yokohama). — 

 Elera, Cat. Fauna Filip., vol. 1, 1895, p. 549 (Luzon, Cavite, Santa Cruz). — 

 Ishikawa and Matsuura, Prelim. Cat. Fish. Mus. Tokyo, 1897, p. 30 

 (Japan) . 



Depth 2^; head 3, width 2. Snout 2%; eye 4, IH in snout, 

 13^ in interorbital; maxillary reaches eye, 3H in head; interorbital 

 3K, broadly convex; hind preopercle edge finely though obsoletely 

 serrate. Gill rakers 9 + 8, lanceolate, short. 



Scales in lateral line, 26+ 2; 4 scales above lateral line, 7 below, 

 6 predorsal; 5 rows across cheek. Scales with 16 to 18 basal radiat- 

 ing striae, apical 60 to 62, obsolete and feeble; circuli fine. 



D. XIII, 7, I, tenth spine 2^4 in head, first ray 2^; A. Ill, 10, i, 

 third spine 3, first ray 2%; caudal 1%, truncate, concave behind as 

 expanded; least depth of caudal peduncle, 2}4', pectoral IH; ven- 

 tral 1 ^. 



