118 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxvii. 



Iiitcrorl)ital decph' t-oncave, the median area l)et\veen supraocular 

 rido-es Hat and covered with small scales. Cranial ridges and spines 

 well developed. Nasal, preocular, postocular, tympanic, and parietal 

 spines present. Upper 2 preopercle spines the largest; all except the 

 lower one, whi(;h is inclined downward, are directed backward. Gill- 

 rakers one-fourth eye in length; 12 developed on anterior limb of arch. 



Pectoral very broad and rounded, composed of 17 rays, the lower 10 

 very much swollen and unbranched; its tip reaches past tips of ven- 

 trals to above front of anal. Dorsal spines rather low, a little lower 

 than soft rays, the fifth spine 2k in head, the last spine 8, next to last 

 3^. Second anal spine a little longer and nnich stronger than third, 

 twice as long as lirst. Caudal rounded. 



Scales everywhere coarsely ctenoid. Preorbital, maxillary, and 

 mandible naked. Small scales only on the base of soft tins. Peri- 

 toneum white. 



Black or dark brown, with or without areas of gray. Usuall}" a pale 

 area under spinous dorsal, which in the fresh state is with golden- 

 yellow reticulations and spots; a second light -yellowish area under 

 front of soft dorsal. Fins and lower parts of body sometimes pro- 

 fnsely covered with dark round spots. Spots on breast and base of 

 pectorals sometimes round and distinct, sometimes diffused, sometimes 

 running together, leaving this region dusky, or sometimes entirely 

 absent, leaving this region cream color. Entire body sometimes 

 uniform dark brown, lighter on breast and in front of pectoral, with- 

 out markings of any kind. 



This species is general!}' common in southern Japan, our specimens 

 being from Wakanoura, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Shhnonoseki. It is 

 related to Sefxistodes chrysonielas of the American coast. 



Our various specimens, though differing much in coloration in the 

 extremes, run together so that it is impossi])le to separate them. None 

 of them differ in anything except coloration. 



(TTfl'^f?, thick; KecpaXt}^ head.) 



21. SEBASTICHTHYS ELEGANS ( Steindachner and Ddderlein). 



Sebastes eZf^cms Steindachner and Doderleix, Fische Japans., Ill, 1S84, }>. 205; 



Tagawa, in the Inland Sea of Japan. 

 Sebastocles elegan.^ J ORBAN and Evekmann, Fish. N. and M. A., II, 1S9S, ]>. 1830 



(after Steindachner). 



Head 2^ in length; depth 2f ; eye 4^ in head; snout -If; maxillary 

 2i; interorbital width 6f ; dorsal Xlll. 12, often XIV, 12; anal lit, 

 7; pores of lateral line 30. 



Mouth rather lai-ge, the maxillary reaching nearly to below poste- 

 rior border of eye. Jaws equal. No knob at symph3''sis. Teeth in 

 moderate bands. Interorbital deeply concave, the supraorbital edges 

 raised. Near middle of interorbital are 2 curved longitudinal ridges, 



