THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 343 



teeth in jaws strong, separate or coalesced at base, never forming a 

 continuous plate, anterior teeth usually caninelike, none on vomer or 

 palatines; lower pharyngeal bones united, with conical or blunt teeth; 

 nostrils with 2 openings on each side; gills Sji, slit behind last one 

 small or obsolete; gill membranes somewhat connected, sometimes 

 joined to isthmus; lateral line continuous or interrupted, sometimes 

 abruptly bent downward; dorsal fin continuous, with 3 to 20 slender 

 spines; anal more or less similar to soft part of dorsal, with 2 to 6 

 spines; ventral inserted below pectoral, with 1 spine and 5 soft rays. 



KEY TO THE GENERA 



a. Dorsal with 12 spines; lateral line without abrupt curve. 



b. Scales large, about 30 to 35 in a longitudinal series and 4 or 5 rows between 



lateral line and first dorsal spine Bodianus (p. 343) 



bb. Scales smaller, about 50 to 60 in a longitudinal series, and 8 or 9 rows be- 

 tween lateral line and first dorsal spine Pimelometopon (p. 346) 



aa. Dorsal with 9 spines; lateral line abruptly curved downward under posterior 

 rays of dorsal. 



c. A strong canine tooth present in posterior part of upper jaw, near angle of 



mouth Halichores (p. 347) 



cc. Canine tooth in posterior part of upper jaw missing Pseudojulis (p. 349) 



Genus BODIANUS Bloch, 1790 



Body rather robust; back moderately elevated; head rather pointed; 

 mouth large, nearly or quite terminal; each jaw anteriorly with 2 to 

 4 enlarged caninelike or somewhat incisorlike teeth; upper jaw poste- 

 riorly with a rather strong canine; other teeth smaller, more or less 

 coalesced at base; lateral line complete, without abrupt curve; scales 

 large, about 30 to 35 in a longitudinal series and 4 or 5 rows between 

 the lateral line and first dorsal spine; dorsal with about 12 rather low 

 spines; anal with 3 rather strong spines, its soft part similar to that 

 of dorsal, with some of the middle rays produced in adults; ventrals 

 inserted below base of pectorals. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



a. Body moderately elongate, its depth 2.75 to 3.0 in length; 12 or 13 gill rakers 

 on lower limb of first arch; enlarged teeth in anterior part of each jaw 

 little, if at all, compressed, caninelike; color light brown; side with a dark 

 longitudinal band in females, missing in large males, .diplotaenia (p. 343) 

 aa. Body rather deeper, its depth 2.4 to 2.7 in length; 9 or 10 gill rakers on lower 

 limb of first arch; enlarged teeth in anterior part of each jaw compressed, 

 incisorlike; color dark brown to nearly black; no dark band on side. 



eclancheri (p. 345) 



BODIANUSjDIPLOTAENIA (Gill) 



Gallo 



Harpe diplotaenia Gill, 1862, p. 140, Cape San Lucas, Baja California (original 



description). 

 Bodianus diplotaenia Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, p. 124, Lobos de Afuera, 



Peru (synonymy; description; range). — Meek and Hildebrand, 1928, p. 712, 



Panama Bay (synonymy; description; range). 



