NO. 1484. JA PA NESE FL O UNDERS A NT) SOL ES—JORDA N & ST A RKS. 185 



even on both sides, 3^ in head; caudal broadl}' rounded, not angulated 

 at tips of outer rays. 



Body uniformly dark brown; dorsal with ('> or 7, and anal 5 or (>, large 

 black or dark-brown spots with ])londed edges, the largest covering 

 3 or 4 rays; these nearly round near the base of the fins and not reach- 

 ing the outer edge of the tin; usually 1 or 2 other spots irreo-u- 

 larly placed opposite the interspaces and nearer edge of fin; caudal 

 with 2 or 3 similar but smaller spots irregularly placed; blind side of 

 body posterior to pectoral irregularly s[)otted with dark brown, the 

 spots usually round, and as large, or sometimes larger than, the pupil, 

 these present in all of our larger specimens and absent in the smaller 

 ones up to 5 or 6 inches in length, except in one example, where they 

 show faintly; tip of caudal of blind side soiled with dusky brown. 



This species may be known from Vera»per moseri by having spots 

 on the vertical fins rather than well-defined regular streaks extendino- 

 to the edges of the fins and by the higher, more abrupt arch of the 

 lateral line. The ))lind side of F. inoi<eTh is sometimes irregularly 

 spotted, but never, in our specimens, so thickly or so conspicuously. 

 In both species the blind side is largely rusty red in life. 



The spots on the fins shown in Schlegel's plate '^' of Vi ranjjer varie- 

 gat%t>< are not nearly so large as in our specimens, hut they are simi- 

 larly placed. 



Of this common species we have specimens from Yokohama, Tokyo, 

 Onomichi, and Matsushima. Its range is almost exclusively southerly, 

 while VerasjM'v niosen is confined to northern Japan. 



{variegatus^ varied.) 



i6. VERASPER MOSERI Jordan and Gilbert. 



Verasper moseri Jorpan and Gilbert, Rept. Fur Seal Invest., Ill, 1898, pi. lxxxv, 

 (Shana Bay, Iturup Inland, Kuril Group. ) (Type, No. 48797. Coll. Albatross, 

 Capt. J. F. Moser. ) — Jordan and Evermann, Fish North Mid. Amer., 1898, 

 III, p. 2619 (Iturup).— Jordan and Snyder, Check-List, 1901, p. 121 

 (Iturup, Hakodate) ; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1901, p. 378 (Iturup, Hakodate).— 

 Schmidt, Faune Mer. Och. Jap., 1903, p. 19 (Ochotsk Sea). 



Habitat. — Northern Japan, south to Aomori. 



Head, 3i in length to base of caudal; depth, 2; D. 82; A. 58; 

 pectoral, 12; pores in lateral line, 81; depth of caudal peduncle 1 in 

 greatest depth of body; length of caudal peduncle, measured axiall}^ 

 1| in its depth. Head much depressed, with rather wide, flat interor- 

 ))ital space, its thickness at interorbital space equaling distance between 

 pupils of upper and lower eyes. Mouth small, very oblique, the gape 

 strongly arched, the broad maxillary reaching a vertical behind middle 

 of pupil, 2| in head; mandible nai-rowing toward tip, with very rudi- 

 mentary symphyseal knob. Teeth in upper jaw in two distinct series 



« Fauna Japonica, pi. xc. 



