56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TTATIONAL MUSEUM vol.85 



scales forward to occiput or about opposite occipital spines, or about 

 18 forward until opposite hind pupil edge ; 3 postoculars ; scales on 

 head all large, none on muzzle, front of interorbital, maxillary and 

 branchiostegal region. Scales on breast, chest, prepectoral region, 

 pectoral base and belly all much smaller than other body scales; 

 scales on caudal base moderately small. Lateral line axial, high at 

 first, complete; tubes simple, long, each well exposed. Scales with 

 15 to 18 basal radiating striae; 60 to 71 short, slender, apical den- 

 ticles, with 1 or 2 transverse series of basal elements ; circuli fine, 



D. XIT, 9, I, third spine 2if, to 2% in total head length, fifth ray 

 2l^ to 2% ; A. Ill, 5, i, second spine 23/5 to 2%, second ray 2% to 

 2%; caudal 11/2 to 1%, hind edge convex; least depth of caudal 

 peduncle 4:% to 51/2; pectoral 1% to 1%, rays 11, 7 or 8, xi; ventral 

 rays I, 5, fin 2 in total head length. 



Brown, mottled with darker and paler obscurely on back and sides. 

 Iris grayish. Fins all pale or light, with dark basal blotch on spinous 

 dorsal at bases of second and third membranes, and at base of sixth 

 membrane. Few faint blotches on spinous dorsal. 



Tijpe.—V.S.^M. no. 98883. (1637.) D. 5266. Matoco Point, S. 

 22° E., 7 miles (lat. 13°44'36" N., long. 120°59'15" E.), Verde Island 

 Passage and Batangas Bay, Philippines. In 100 fathoms. June 8, 

 1908. Length 152 mm. Also a series of paratypes from Philippine 

 seas, in 100 to 161 fathoms. 



Remarks. — Known by its combination of characters, especially its 

 small scales on the breast and prepectoral region, large scales on head 

 and its large eye. Though in some respects suggestive of Scorpaena 

 hucephcdus Alcock, it differs in the gi-eatly larger scales on the head. 

 That species is shown with very small postorbital and cranial scales. 



{ampliLS, la,rgG + squama, scale + ce^s, head.) 



SCORPAENA MEGALEPIS, new species 

 FlGtTBE 22 



Depth 2% to 33/5; head 2 to 2i/8, width 1% to 2%. Snout 34^ to 

 414 in head from snout tip; eye 3i/^ to 4l^, greater than snout in 

 young to subequal with age, greatly exceeds interorbital; maxillary 

 reaches % to % in eye, expansion li/o to 2, lenglh 2 in head from 

 snout tip; teeth villiform, in moderately wide bands in jaws and 

 narrow band on vomer and palatines; interorbital 81/0 to 8%, concave. 

 Gill rakers 5 + 12, of which 3 or 4 above and below as rudimentary 

 tubercles; lanceolate, equal gill filaments or 3 in eye. 



Pair of nasal spines ; pair of antero-supraorbital spines and 3 pairs 

 of postero-supraorbital spines, followed by a pair of occipitals and a 

 pair of nuchals; occipital depression slight; 3 postocular spines, 

 first small and finally small suprascapular spine; small and incon- 



