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



GOMPHOSUS VARIUS Lacepede 



Plate 100,B 



Gompkoaus varius LACEpfeoB, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 3, pp. 100, 104, 

 pi. 5, fig. 2, 1802 (type locality, Tahiti). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 21 stations, 85 specimens, 23 to 149 mm. in standard length. 



Eniwetok Atoll: 2 stations, 6 specimens, 41 to 113 mm. 



Rongelap Atoll: 8 stations, 25 specimens, 23 to 117 mm. 



Rongerik Atoll: 3 stations, 5 specimens, 42 to 91 mm. 



Kwajalein Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 38 mm. 



Guam. 1 lot, 2 specimens, 29 & 74 mm. 



Description. — Dorsal rays VIII, 13; anal 111,11 rarely 111,10; pec- 

 toral ii,14; pelvics 1,5; branched caudal fin rays 6 + 6; scales in lateral 

 line 19 or 20+1 + 5, with about 3 or 4 scales above lateral Hne to 

 base of last dorsal spine and 8 or 9 scales from anal origin to lateral 

 line; gill rakers about 23 to 25. 



Head 2.3 to 2.7, greatest depth 3.6 to 3.8, longest pectoral fin ray 

 4.9 to 5.3, snout tip to anus 1.6 to 1.7, snout to dorsal origin 2.2 to 

 2.5; all in standard length. Snout 1.7 in adults and 2.5 in young; 

 eye 4.2 to 8.5, postorbital length of head 2.3 to 3.0, interorbital space 

 5.0 to 7.5, longest pectoral fin ray 2.0 to 2.3, least depth of body 2.3 

 to 3.2 ; all in length of head. Distance between anterior and posterior 

 nasal openings 4 to 12 in snout. Eye 0.8 to 1.3 in interorbital space. 



Body a little compressed, snout excessively elongate, tubiform, 

 much shorter in young, becoming longer in adults, dorsal profile of 

 head and snout a little concave; interorbital space convex; anterior 

 nostril a short tube; upper jaw a little longer than lower; mouth 

 reaching about halfway to eye; teeth in a single series in both jaws, 

 anterior 2 or 3 pairs in both jaws enlarged, middle pair of upper 

 jaw larger than others and hooked, lower middle pair pointing ob- 

 liquely forward; gill membranes joined to isthmus; subopercle with 

 a free lower edge; posteriorly preopercle with a free vertical edge; 

 head naked; body scaled, these extending on base of caudal fin but 

 lacking on paired fins, basally a sheath of scales occurs on dorsal and 

 anteriorly on anal fins; lateral line follows dorsal contour wdth an 

 abrupt bend to midlengthwise axis opposite rear of base of dorsal 

 fin; pectoral fin reaches to opposite tenth or eleventh lateral line 

 scale; pelvics reach about % way to anus. 



Color in alcohol. — Adults, 45 mm. and longer have pale or white 

 background coloration anteriorly, becoming dark brown posteriorly; 

 each scale near its center with black spot (on specimens 130 mm. 

 and longer these spots become vertically elongate); posterior third 

 of caudal fin white; a streak through middle of eye sometimes broken 

 into two rows of oblong spots behind eye; black spot at upper base 



