170 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 202 Vol. 2 



KEY TO THE GENERA OF THE LABRICHTHYIFORM FISHES 



la. Anal spines III, the first normally developed. 



2a. Posterior edge of preopercle not free, head fully scaled except front of 

 snout, area in front of eye, and underside of mouth; both lips broad, 

 fleshy, plicate externally and internally; lips without lobes; two 

 pairs of canines in upper jaw, a single pair of enlarged canines on 

 lower jaw, fitting between middle pair of upper jaw when mouth is 



closed Labrichthys Bleeker 



2b. Preopercle with a free posterior edge; head scaled behind and a little 

 below eye, otherwise naked; lower lip at each corner with a forward 

 projecting fleshy lobe; the pair of canines in upper jaw fits between 

 the widely spaced and enlarged pair of canines at front of lower jaw 



when mouth is closed Labroides Bleeker 



lb. Anal spines II, the typical first spine represented by a deeply embedded small 

 knob in front of base of homologous second spine of other genera; both 

 lips broad, fleshy, plicate; head scaled behind eye and a little below it, 

 otherwise naked; a single pair of greatly enlarged canines in upper jaw 

 fits between a smaller pair near tip of lower jaw when mouth is closed. 



Diproctacanthus *' Bleeker 



Genus LABRICHTHYS Bleeker 



Labrichthys Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 6, p. 331, 1854 (type 

 species, Labrichthys cyanotaenia Bleeker). 



This genus may be recognized by the following characters: Branched 

 caudal fin rays 6+6; gill rakers minute, probably about a dozen on 

 first arch ; pores in lateral line 25 to 27 to base of caudal fin, with 3 

 or 4 scales above lateral line and 10 or 11 below it; dorsal rays IX,11 ; 

 anal 111,11 ; pectoral ii,ll to 13, usually ii,12; body compressed, upper 

 and lower lips fleshy, broad and thick, plicate internally and exter- 

 nally, more or less forming a "tube" when mouth is closed; dorsal 

 profile of head convex, interorbital space convex; nostrils minute, 

 anterior pair with raised rims, a little tubular; jaws of equal length; 

 two pairs of canines in upper jaw, a pair near symphysis and another 

 pair more laterally located; the single pair of enlarged canines in lower 

 jaw are close together and fit between the middle pair of upper jaw 

 when mouth is closed; a few small conical teeth in a single row at 

 front of lower jaw on each side and an enlarged lateral canine tooth 

 in front of corner of mouth of upper jaw; no free edge to preopercle, 

 entire side of the head scaled, as is interorbital region to a little in 

 front of a line connecting anterior nostrils; tip of snout preorbital, 

 and underside of mouth naked; bases of all fins scaled. 



The genus Labrichthys has been confused with the genus Pseudola- 

 brus. Fowler (Mem. Bishop Mus., vol. 10, p. 356) refers L. fuentesi 

 Regan to the synonymy of Pseudolahrus inscriptus (Richardson) . 



« DipToctacanthus Bleeker, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 415, 1861 (type species, Labroides xanfhurus 

 Bleeker). 



Labropsm Schmidt, Trans. Pacific Comm. Acad. Sci. U. S. S. R., vol. 1, p. 76, flgs. 3. 4, 1930, (type species, 

 LabTopsia manabei Schmidt). 



