FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 41 



Apogon nubilus Garman, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 39, 1903, p. 229. 



Suva, Fiji. 

 Apogon gardineri Regan, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, ser. 12, vol. 12, 1907, 



p. 227. Cargados Carajos, Indian Ocean, 30 fathoms. 



Depth 2% to 2%; head 2}/ 8 to 2}4, width 2 to 2%. Snout 4>£ to 

 4^2 in head from snout tip; eye 2}/% to 2%, greater than snout or 

 interorbital; maxillary % to ^ in eye, expansion 2% to 23^, length 

 \ z /i to V/i) teeth villiform, minute, in bands in jaws, on vomer and 

 palatines; interorbital 33^ to 3%, level; preopercle ridge entire, edge 

 minutely serrate. Gill rakers 6 + 20, lanceolate, several more as rudi- 

 ments above and below; length greater than gill filaments or 2 in eye. 



Scales 22 or 23 in lateral line to caudal base and 5 or 6 more on 

 latter; 2 above, 6 below, 3 predorsal, 2 rows of cheek scales; muzzle, 

 including interorbital, maxillary and suborbital, naked. Scales with 

 14 to 23 basal radiating striae; 85 to 133 apical denticles with 1 or 2 

 transverse series of basal elements; circuli fine. 



D. VII-I, 9, i, fourth spine 2 to 2% m total head length, first ray 

 1% to \y 2 ', A. II, 8, i, second spine 2Y 2 to 2%, first ray \% to 1%) 

 caudal l}i to 1}4, slightly emarginate behind with lobes rounded; 

 least depth of caudal peduncle 2}4 to 2%; pectoral 1% to 1^; 

 ventral \% to 2. 



Back brown, sides and below greatly paler, often with bright or 

 brassy reflections. Iris pale to gray or neutral gray. Rather obscure 

 brown streak from lower eye down obliquely to angle of preopercle 

 ridge. Usually a more or less distinct and contrasted dusky brown 

 saddle on upper surface of caudal peduncle. Sides usually with 

 traces of vertical, parallel, obscure vertical lines or bars. Spinous 

 dorsal grayish with terminal portion largely anteriorly broadly dark. 

 Soft dorsal pale or grayish with front and upper edges dusky. 

 Caudal gray, darker marginally especially above and below. Other 

 fins pale. 



Red Sea, East Africa, India, East Indies, Philippines, Riu Kiu, 

 Micronesia, Polynesia. This species is quite variable as has already 

 been discussed by Fowler (1918). Preserved examples often show a 

 diffuse dark blotch below the soft dorsal. A number of our specimens 

 have the upper edge of second dorsal and caudal, also lower edge of 

 anal and caudal, narrowly whitish. Though Jordan and Seale say 

 "Bleeker is certainly wrong in regarding savayensis as the same as 

 Amia bandanensis," we do not think so. The color, due to alcohol, 

 is so greatly variable that we feel little hesitation in arranging the 

 large series of specimens below under this species. The description 

 of Apogon gardineri Regan also seems to represent Amia bandanensis. 

 Though no dark oblique streak is mentioned on the cheek, as this 

 often fades or is very faint at times, it may have faded out. Regan 

 describes it with "faint traces of three dark vertical bars, the first 



