FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE AND ADJACENT SEAS 199 



East Indies, China, Queensland. Few of our examples show any 

 traces of pale blue spots on the body as in Bleeker's figure. No 

 trace now evident of blue line back from corner of mouth. Dark 

 spot below last dorsal rays scarcely distinct. 



There is little in Cartier's imperfect account of Choerops unim- 

 aculatus to distinguish it. He mentions that on the hind part of the 

 back a blackish round blotch, extending from the twelfth dorsal 

 spine to the first dorsal ray. His 2 examples were 51 and 57 mm. 

 Also his name precludes the use of the same by De Vis in 1884 for a 

 Barrier Reef specimen. 



8324. Cataingan Port, Masbate. March 14, 1909. Length, 250 mm. 



22661. Cataingan Bay, Masbate. April 18, 1908. Length, 73 mm. [574.] 



5427. Cebu market. April 7, 1908. Length, 490 mm. 



8408. Cebu market. March 19, 1909. Length, 283 mm. 



1 example, Ragay River, Ragay Gulf. March 10, 1909. Length, 40 mm. 



5925. Zamboanga. May 25, 1908. Length, 270 mm. 



A 807. Zamboanga market. October 9, 1909. Length, 193 mm. 



5997. Zamboanga. May 26, 1908. Length, 270 mm. 



9390 to 9392. Zamboanga market. September 7, 1909. Length, 233 to 256 



mm. 

 A 812. Zamboanga market. October 11, 1909. Length, 315 mm. 

 13238. Macassar market, Macassar Island, Dutch East Indies. December 24, 



1909. Length, 192 mm. 

 6688. Hong Kong market, Hong Kong, China. August 13, 1908. 

 6849. Hong Kong market. October 22, 1909. Length, 288 mm. 

 19852 U.S.N.M. Philippines? Length, 52 mm. 

 51988 U.S.N.M. Negros. Dr. B. Dean. Length, 318 mm. 

 27703 A.N.S.P. Padang, Sumatra. Messrs. Harrison and Hiller. Length, 220 



mm. 



CHOERODON MELANOSTIGMA, new species 



Depth 23/^ to 2M; head 2% to 3, width V/s to 2. Snout 2% to 

 2M; eye 3 5^ to 4%, 1% to 2 in snout, 1 to 1% in interorbital; 

 maxillary ^ to J^ to eye, 3 to 33^ in head; canines |, outer lower 

 flaring outward each side; inner faces of jaws inside mouth smooth 

 and bony; interorbital convex, 3 1^ to 4 in head. Gill rakers 7 or 8 + 

 10 or 11, short, lanceolate. 



Scales in lateral line 26 or 27 + 2, each tube with small branchlets; 

 4 scales above lateral line, 9 below, 6 or 7 predorsal; 5 or 6 rows of 

 cheek scales. Scales with 18 to 25 basal radiating striae, 3 auxiliaries; 

 75 to 108 obsolete or imperfect apical striae; circuli fine. 



D. XII, 8, I, twelfth spine 2% to 3 in head, first ray 2}^ to 2%; 

 A. Ill, 9, I or III, 10, I, third spine 3 to 3%, first ray 2}i to 2%; 

 caudal 1% to 13^, slightly concave behind, little convex as expanded; 

 least depth of caudal peduncle 2>^ to 2%; pectoral 1 ^ to l}/i; ventral 

 IH to 1%. 



Pale brown generally. Pale gray line from below hind nostril to 

 eye, another along lower eye edge back to preopercle edge; small gray 

 spot close behind eye and another along upper hind eye edge. Deep 



