NO. 1361. SCORP.ENOID FISHES OF JAPAN— JORDAN AND STARKS. 157 



iiiteroiljital space 2^, Head veiy large, as wide as deep and imuh 

 widen- than body, covered with coarsely sculptured bones, rough, 

 ])lunt spines and ridges. Mouth very ol)lique, more nearly vertical 

 than horizontal, iho bliuitly rounded lower jaw^ shutting into it and 

 scared}' i)rojecting, a knob developed at S3'mph3-sis. Teeth in narrow 

 })and8 on jaws and vomer; slightly wider in front, wider in front on 

 premaxillaries than on mandible. Top of head between eyes nearly'- 

 flat, anteriorly at each side are rough, square projections between 

 which is a square opening for the reception of the processes from the 

 premaxilhiries; across interorbital space just behind middle of eyes is 

 a rough transverse ridge separating a square, deep pit behind it from 

 the premaxillary process pit; a similar transverse ridge is at occiput at 

 the posterior end of quadrate pit; at the sides the ridges are depressed 

 slightly below the level of the occipital and interorbital ridges. The 



Fir;. 16.— Erosa erosa. 



parietids end in a triangular rough process, wliile more lateral and 

 posterior is a larger but similar process (probablj^ on post-temporal). 

 Behind eye is a very rough broken ridge on a level with lateral line. 

 Su])eror})ital rim veiy rough. Preorbital with 3 blunt spines along 

 anterior edge. Suborbitals widen posteriorly into a rough, bony 

 buckler nearly covering cheek, at the center of which is a prominent 

 blunt spine. Preorbital ridge with 3 spines; preorl)ital edge with 5 

 rather long blunt spines, the upper ones the hirgest, growing smaller 

 below; In a line with them is a similar sj)ine on outer angle of articu- 

 lar. Opercle with 2 spines at the ends of ridges. 



Distance of dorsal from tip of snout contained 2f times in entire 

 length without caudal. The last dorsal spine the highest, 3i in head; 

 the anterior spin(\s only a little lower; no notch between dorsals; the 

 rays higher than the spines, 2f in head. Pectoral with 10 rays, all 

 branched, its tip reaching to front of anal, its fourth ray from the top 



