NO. I3r,i. SCORP^NOID FISHES OF JAPAN— .TORT). \ N A NT) STARK'S. 1 8U 



Lower jjiw projoctino-; .S3'^mph3'^seal knol) moderate. Moutli lar^e; 

 niaxilliuv projcctiiio' to below posterior rim of ()r])it. Eve iiiitcli 

 shorter than snout. Teeth in very narrow hands. Interor})ital space 

 rather wide and convex, the bones of top of liead very cavernous. 

 Nasal spines very tiny: preocnhir spines small, ])ut sharp, scarcely ris- 

 ing- above surface of superocular rim, l)ut slightly projecting laterally; 

 parietal spines prtH'eded l)}^ very low, scarcely evident ridg-es; a low 

 ridge running backward from upper third of eye and ending in a 

 small spine above i)reopercle ridge. 



Opercle with two ridges originating at a conmion point near i)reo- 

 percle ridge, dixerging. and ending in 2 sharp spines near edge of 

 opercle. Preopercle with 5 long spines, the next to the upper one 

 the largest, its length from preopercle ridge tive-sixths of diameter of 

 Q\e; the next ])elow and the upper one subequal, the uppiM" one on a 

 level with suborbital ridge, the lowest one pointing downward. Pre- 

 orbital with ?> large sharp spines; the posterior one the largest and 

 pointing somewhat backward, the anterior one pointing almost directl}'^ 

 forward, and the middle one slightl}" forward. A slit behind last gill 

 arch, half the diameter of the eje in length. Gill-rakers rather short 

 and slender, widely spaced, the longest one-third eye; 10 of them on 

 anterior liml) of arch. 



Scal(\s til in and cycloid. Head naked everywhere, except on opercle 

 and ch(M>ks. wh(n-(^ the scales are inconspicuous. Fins naked. 



Pectoral reaching to above base of tirst soft ray of anal, outline of 

 ))cct()ral rounded, its lower rays swollen, but only the lower three or 

 four simple; it has 21 rays. Ventrals reaching three-fifths of the dis- 

 tiuice from their base to front of anal. Fourth dorsal spine four- 

 fifths length of longest dorsal ra3's, 3^ in head; the eleventh 9 in head. 

 Caudal truncate, or ver}' slightly rounded. If. in head. Peritoneum 

 white. 



Alcoholic specimen showing scarcel.v n-n}^ coloi-; a little l)rown pig- 

 ment on back, a few dots in front of pectoral and ch(M>ks, a dark shade 

 on opercle, caus(>d b^^ dusky lining of oper<'les sliowing through; fins 

 colorless. The}' were doubtless red in life. 



ller(» descril)ed from a specimen 22 cm. in length. The picture of 

 this species given by Steindachner and Doderlein, Kentniss dcr Fische 

 .bipans (IV), Plate I, agrees ver}^ well with our specimen. 



This species is known to us from several specimens in the Imperial 

 Inivei-sity Museum, one of which Avas presented to the Leland Stan- 

 ford Junior University Museum, taken in deej) water off Mlsaki. It 

 was dredged by the U. S. Fisji Conunission steamer A/lnih-o.^.s at 

 Station ;>T20, off Omai Point, Totomi, in VA fathoms. 



{((]l>('.\c(')is, whitish.) 



