FAMILY MULLIDAE — LACHNER 23 



to 3.3. Interorbital width in eye 0.7 to 1.1. Gill rakers, 8 to 10 + 1+28 

 to 31, total 37 to 42 in 25 specimens from the Marshall Islands; longest 

 raker about 1.2 to 1.3 times longer than longest filament. 



Teeth of the upper and lower jaws uniserial, blunt, stout, and 

 spaced a moderate distance apart; those in the upper jaw number 

 about 20 to 24, in the lower jaw, 18 to 23; no teeth on vomer and 

 palatines; scales on caudal fin, absent on dorsal and anal fins; barbels 

 extend beyond eye, reaching posteriormost (upper) portion of margin 

 of preopercle; second dorsal spine about 1.4 in length of third dorsal 

 spine, pungent, the tip not flexible; peritoneum transparent; lateral 

 line complete; scales ctenoid, with 5 to 7 radii in anterior field; last 

 ray of dorsal fin greatly elongate, about 1.5 to 2.0 times longer than 

 other rays of fin, last ray of anal fin about 1.3 times longer than 

 other rays of fin. 



Color in alcohol. — Head and body light tan to dusk}-; barbels tan; a 

 diffuse dark brown stripe from snout to eye, often completely faded, 

 ends just posterior to eye in the form of a dark brown spot or blotch; 

 the characteristic color pattern of this species is the presence of 4 to 

 5 dark brown to black dorsal saddles on the body, each extending 

 from the middorsal area below the lateral line to the ventrolateral 

 portion of the body; the two anterior saddles are often greatly faded 

 and almost obscure; the first saddle (anteriormost) , is located just 

 before the spinous dorsal fin and is about 1 to 1.5 times wider than 

 eye; the second saddle is wide, about 1.5 to 2.0 times diameter of 

 eye, and passes through middle of spinous dorsal fin ; the third saddle 

 is narrow, slightly less than diameter of eye, and passes between 

 spinous and soft dorsal fins; the fourth saddle, darker and more 

 conspicuous than those anterior to it, passes through the anterior 

 portion (first 5 rays) of the soft dorsal fin and is slightly wider than 

 diameter of eye; the fifth saddle (posteriormost) passes over caudal 

 peduncle just before base of caudal fin, its width is about 1.3 times 

 greater than eye and it, too, is dark and conspicuous; a white saddle, 

 located between the fourth and fifth dark saddles, is present on 

 caudal peduncle; this white mark is variable in size, extending usually 

 to the lateral line, but in some specimens extends below the lateral 

 line to ventral portion of peduncle; pectoral fin transparent; spinous 

 dorsal with margin of first spine dusky, remainder transparent; soft 

 dorsal with a black bar just above and parallel to base, but extending 

 to tip of membrane of last ray, remainder of fin transparent; margin 

 of outer ray of pelvic fin slightly dusky, remainder of fin transparent ; 

 anal fin with 3 narrow light tan stripes on outer half and parallel to 

 base, remainder of fin transparent; outer margins of caudal fin edged 

 with black, remainder of fin slightly dusky to transparent. 



422142 — 60 3 



