FAMILY LABRIDAE — 9CHULTZ 137 



EPIBULUS INSIDIATOR (Pallas) 



FiGUKE 95 



Sparus insidiator Pallas, Spicilegia zoologica, vol. 8, p. 41, pi. 5, fig. 1, 1770 

 (type locality, Java). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 

 Bikini Atoll: 3 stations, 3 specimens, 123 to 200 mm. in standard length. 

 Eniwetok Atoll: 1 station, 2 specimens, 92 to 108 mm. 

 Rongerik Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 110 mm. 

 Rongelap Atoll: 4 stations, 11 specimens, 21 to 215 mm. 



Description. — Dorsal rays usually IX, 10 occasionally X,9; anal rays 

 111,8; pectoral ii,10; pelvics 1,5; branched caudal fin rays 6 + 5; dorsal 

 lateral line with 14 pores (rarely 15) and peduncular lateral line with 

 8 or 9 pores; vertical scale rows 21, with 2 scales above lateral line to 

 base of last dorsal spine and 6 from lateral line to anal origin; gill 

 rakers on first gill arch 5 + 12; 3 rows of scales on cheek. 



Head 2.4; greatest depth 2.1 to 2.2; longest pectoral ray 4.7 to 4.8; 

 snout tip to anus 1.5 to 1.6; snout to dorsal origin 2.2 to 2.3; all in 

 standard length. Snout 2.7 to 3.2; eye 4.5 to 6.2; postorbital length 

 of head 2.0; interorbital space (bony) 5.6 to 6.0; longest pectoral fin 

 ray 1.8 to 2.0; least depth of body 2.4 to 2.5; all in length of head. 

 Distance between anterior and posterior nasal openings 6 or 7 in snout; 

 eye 0.9 to 1.5 in interorbital space. 



Body strongly compressed ; snout short ; dorsal profile of head con- 

 cave in front of eyes, convex at occiput; interorbital space strongly 

 convex; nostrils minute, anterior one in a minute tube; upper jaw 

 rather long, the maxillary reaching to a vertical line through pupil, 

 dentary excessively elongate, reaching posteriorly past gill membranes 

 on underside of head; jaws greatly protractile, capable of being thrust 

 far forward; teeth, short, conical, in a single row in both jaws, the 

 anterior pair in both jaws enlarged canines curving forward; some- 

 times 2 pairs are enlarged in upper jaw; gill membranes joined across 

 isthmus to form a broad free fold; head scaled, except snout, preorbital, 

 and jaws; body scaled, bases of median fins in a scaly sheath; paired 

 fins naked; lateral line interrupted, dorsal lateral line follows dorsal 

 contour of body and ends near rear part of base of soft dorsal fin, 

 then begins again two scale rows below on midlengthwise axis of body; 

 pectoral fin reaches to opposite seventh lateral line scale and the sec- 

 ond branched ray from dorsal edge is longest ; pelvics reach to or past 

 anus in young, and in adults the outer rays are greatly elongated, 

 reaching at least to base of first soft anal ray; in large adults the soft 

 rays of dorsal and anal fins are greatly elongate, reaching to opposite 

 rear tips of shortest caudal fin rays; outer rays of caudal fin on large 

 adults elongated and filamentous; rear margin of caudal fin of young 

 truncate, that of large adults lunate. 



