36 U-S. NATIONAL MUSEU]VI BULLETEST 202 Vol. 2 



limb of luteus, and merely listed crassilahris, quoting the account of 

 Cuvier and Valenciennes (1831, p. 523), since they had no specimens. 

 Our specimens of crassilahris have 28 and 29 rakers (table 59) on the 

 lower limb. From my study of the variability of gill rakers in various 

 species of Parupeneus, the differences of counts of 20 and 28 to 29 for 

 the lower limb are so great as to warrant the statement that our speci- 

 mens certainly cannot be compared with those reported on by Weber 

 and de Beaufort. Fowler (1933, p. 313) listed luteus but had no 

 specimens from the area studied, and his single specimen of crassilahris 

 was that specimen cited above from Johnston Island. 



Day's illustration of luteus (Fishes of India, p. 125, pi. 31, fig. 2, 

 1878) resembles our specimens of crassilahris in general body form 

 but the dark margins of the fins, characteristic of our specimens, was 

 not shown. Bleeker's figure of luteus (Atlas ichthyologique . . ., 

 vol. 9, pi. (4) 394, fig. 1, 1877) shows numerous light spots on the 

 body, arranged in about 8 horizontal rows; these spots are not present 

 on our specimens of crassilahris. 



Fowler (Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Monogr. 2, pp. 124, 201, and 

 285, 1938) lists the distribution of crassilahris as Johnston, Jarvis, 

 Christmas, and Apataki Islands. It has not been reported from the 

 Hawaiian Islands. 



A specimen, USNM 71651, 130 mm. in standard length, taken by 

 the Bureau of Fisheries off Japan, might represent P. luteus: Its head 

 and body are brownish and the fins dusk}''; the scales have a dark 

 brown spot located near the center and slightly smaller than the pupil; 

 and these spots, which form about 8 to 9 horizontal lines on the side 

 of the body, are more evident on the caudal peduncle. Otherwise, 

 this specimen resembles the darker specimens of P. cyclostomus in our 

 collection. The following counts and measurements were also taken: 

 Vertical scale rows 28; scales around caudal peduncle 14; dorsal rays 

 VIII-i,8; anal rays I,i,6; pectoral rays ii,14; head length 3.0, length of 

 caudal peduncle 4.0, both in standard length; eye 6.0; length of upper 

 jaw 2.9, length of snout 1.7, interorbital width 4.3, length of barbel 

 1.1, all in length of head. Gill rakers 1,5 + 1+18,5, totaling 30. 



Genus MULLOIDICHTHYS Whitley 



Mulloidichthys Whitley, Rec. Australian Mus., vol. 17, No. 3, p. 122, 1929 (type 



species, Mullus flavolineatus Lacepfede). {Mulloidichthys Whitley, proposed 



to replace Mulloides Bleeker.) 

 Mulloides (not Richardson, Rep. Fifteenth Meet. British Assoc. Adv. Sci., p. 16, 



1846) Bleeker, Verh. Bataviaasch Gen. vol. 22, p. 6, 1849 (type, Mullus 



flavolineatus Lacepfede) . 



The characters that best define the genus are associated with the 

 teeth: dentition incomplete; teeth in the jaws in villiform bands, 

 widest anteriorly, where they are in several irregular rows, and 



