blenniidae: blenniinae — schultz 379 



nostrils on each side about 3}i to 4 in eye; rear nostril over front edge 

 of eye; vertical line through dorsal fin origin passes about 2 pupU 

 diameters behind eye, or a little closer to eye than rear of head; 

 eighth or ninth pectoral ray from dorsal edge longest; gill opening 

 about equal to diameter of eye, the opening extendmg much farther 

 down in front of pectoral base than above it; last rays of both dorsal 

 and anal fins membranously attached to caudal peduncle but not 

 to caudal fin ; lateral line present, incomplete, with several pores close 

 to base of dorsal fin, and ending about opposite tips of pectoral rays; 

 caudal fin truncate or nearly so posteriorly. 



Color in alcohol. — Background coloration light brown usually with 

 8 or 9 vertical dark brown bars that continue on both dorsal and anal 

 fins, these dark bars separated by somewhat narrower pale inter- 

 spaces; middle of side with a lengthwise dark streak from behind eye, 

 prominent in one pale specimen on which the dark bars are obscure, 

 and on other specimens obsolete, except for the holotype of quadri- 

 maculatus, which has the dark bars intensified on the midsides to 

 form a broken dark streak; pectoral and pelvic fins pale; caudal 

 fin pale except dark brown coloration of body ends on central part of 

 base of caudal fin with a rounded posterior edge; in the non-barred 

 color phase the median fins are blackish. 



Ecology. — Four of the specimens listed from the northern Marshall 

 Islands were attracted to a light at night and caught at the surface in 

 a dipnet, whereas a single specimen, with a dark lateral streak, was 

 taken from the lagoon reef, around coral heads and beach rock, 

 where there was an abundance of loose sand. 



Remarks. — We have compared the 7 specimens from the Marshall 

 Islands with 5 from the Philippines and find them very similar in 

 color pattern, but the soft rays of both dorsal and anal fins average 

 about one ray less in the Philippine specimens than in the Marshall 

 Islands ones. Since there is some variability, we do not believe it 

 advisable to describe the Philippine specimens as a new subspecies 

 at this time on only a few specimens. 



Genus RUNULA Jordan and Bollman 



Runula Jordan and Bollman", Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 12, p. 171, 1890 (type 

 species, Runula azalea Jordan and Bollman, holotype, USNM 44299, Galapa- 

 gos). 



Atopoclinus Vaillant, Bull. Soc. Philomath. Paris, ser. 3, vol. 6, p. 73, 1890 (type 

 species, Atopoclinus ringens Vaillant). 



In a short paper I (Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., vol. 40, No. 8, 

 p. 266, 1950) pointed out that Runula was a genus distinct from 

 Aspidontus. The counts made on specimens in the U. S. National 

 Museum of the various species referable to these genera are recorded 



