FISHES OF THE PHHiIPPINE AND ADJACENT SEAS 209 



Cossyphus maldat Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 13, 1839, p. 114. 



Mauritius. — Guichenot, Notes I. Reunion, vol. 2, 1862, p. 28. 

 Lepidaplois loxozonus Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 35, 1909, p. 94. 



Okinawa, Riu Kiu; vol. 42, 1912, p. 506 (name). 

 Lepidaplois trotteri Fowler and Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 63, 1923, 



p. 20. Paumotu Islands. 



Depth 2}4 to 2%; head 2^, width 2}^ to 2^. Snout 2^ to 

 2K; eye 5^4 to 5M, 2 to 2}/q in snout, 1% to 1^ in interorbital ; 

 maxillary reaches % to eye, 2% to 2% in head; canines f anteriorly, 

 and also small upper posterior one, each concealed in lips; broad bony 

 dental plate inside each row of jaw teeth, which uniserial, small, very 

 obtuse and short; interorbital 3M to 33^ in head, convex. Gill 

 rakers 5 + 11, lanceolate, short, robust. 



Scales in lateral line 30 to 33 + 2 or 3; 6 scales above lateral line, 

 11 below, 15 to 18 predorsal. Scales with 14 to 17 basal radiating 

 striae; apical and marginal radiating striae 13 to 16, though of mar- 

 ginals 2 to 4 closer to basal striae; circuli very fine. 



D. XII, 10, I, twelfth spine 3>^ to 4 in head, eighth ray 2^^ to 2>^; 

 A. Ill, 12, I, third spine 3^, tenth ray 2% to 2%; caudal 1]4 to 1M> 

 truncate, each end exserted little; least depth of caudal peduncle 

 23/g to 23^; pectoral 1% to 1^; ventral 1^ to 13^. 



Brown generally, under surface paler. Along each row of scales 

 darker median band, continued forward on head a little darker and 

 so 3 reach hind eye edge. First 2 or 3 membranes of spinous dorsal 

 black. Base of soft dorsal black, streaked down and backward aU 

 along lower edge of caudal peduncle and lower edge of caudal fin. 

 Lower marginal half of anal or more, black. Ventral black. Fins 

 otherwise pale or unicolor. 



Mauritius, Natal, Philippines, Kiu Kiu, Paumotu. This species 

 is very close to Lepidaplois hilunulatus, differing only in the black 

 posterior blotch being extended downward and backward along the 

 entire lower caudal edge. It is, however, very variable, as all the 

 various synonyms here united will show. 



Slight variation is noticeable in the specimens below. The black 

 anal border not completely extending to the tip of the last anal ray 

 in some cases. Also some with whole lower edge of breast and beUy 

 dusky. 



The earliest name for the species appears to be Labrus liirsutus 

 Lac^p^de. Sparus forsteri Schneider ^^ has also been associated, but 

 is apparently a Sympliorus. 



7286. Paluan Bay, Mindoro. December 11, 1908. Length, 230 mm. 

 6351. Port Jamelo. July 13, 1908. Length, 234 mm. 

 6918. Santo Domingo, Batan. November 7, 1908. Length, 285 mm. 

 74580 U.S.N.M. Nafa, Okinawa, Rui Kiu. Albatross collection. Typelpf 

 Lepidaplois loxozonus. Length, 315 mm. 



»• Syst. Ichth. Bloch, 1801, p. 282. Tongatabu. 



