FAMILY TRICHONOTIDAE — SCITULTZ 281 



membranous operculum is somewhat elongate, covering the base of 

 the pectoral fin; the suboperculum and interoperculum have a notch 

 that fits around the anterior base of pelvic fins; gill membranes free 

 from isthmus, joined to it far forward; lateral line along midaxis ante- 

 riorly but follows a more ventral course posteriorly and meets its fellow 

 at ventral side at base of caudal fin ; body with scales posteriorly, naked 

 anteriorly except for 3 predorsal rows of scales along back and scales 

 along lateral line; sometimes the predorsal scales end before occiput; 

 the slender maxillary slips into a groove under the dorsally placed 

 eyes; the slender pointed lower jaw has a series of cirri along their 

 edges; teeth of both jaws in a narrow villiform band, and similar teeth 

 on palatines; probably no teeth on vomer; no cirri on operculum; eyes 

 large, v/ith the pupils placed anteriorly and directed forward; inter- 

 orbital space concave, narrow; posterior nasal opening a pore at front 

 margin of orbit, anterior nostril tubular; tongue narrow, free pointed, 

 not bilobed; anus close in front of anal origin. 



Color in alcohol. — Pale yellowish white, sometimes with about 16 

 short brownish saddles on back, or all pigment may be lacking except 

 the black eyes; snout blackish occasionally; head somewhat silvery. 



Color when alive. — Translucent. 



Ecology. — These sand divers live buried in the loose coral sand on 

 the bottoms between coral heads where the wave action is severe. 



Remarks. — The range of Chalixodytes tauensis is herewith extended 

 from the Samoan Islands to the Marshall Islands. No significant 

 variations in counts were detected between the two widely separated 

 regions (table 107). 



Suborder Blenniina 



Family CLINIDAE: Scaled Blennies 



Subfamily Tripterygiinae 



By Leonard P. Schultz 



This subfamily consists of small scaled blennies, some species of 

 which are abundant in those parts of the reefs where wave action is 

 strong. Species of the Marshall and Marianas Islands in general may 

 be recognized by their having 3 dorsal fins or at least the spiny dorsal 

 having a deep notch between the two parts. 



Because I could find no revision of the 49 or more species named for 

 this relationship, and because much confusion existed m regard to the 

 valid genera, I published a revisional key (Journ. Washington Acad. 

 Sci. vol. 40, No. 8, pp. 267-268, 1950) m which I defined 5 genera, 

 whereas Mukerji (Rec. Indian Mus., vol. 37, pp. 273-4, 1935) recog- 

 nized only the genus Tripterygion. He lacked American and Mediter- 

 ranean species for comparison and this may have handicapped his 



