FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 89 



Deep sooty brownish generally. Lateral line usually paler brown, 

 or bounded each side with obscure deeper brownish band diffusely. 

 Belly slightly paler than back, with brassy tinge, though more or less 

 sooty. Iris more or less yellowish, sometimes bright straw yellow, 

 again dusky. Usually some silvery, brassy or purplish tints on 

 opercle. Head without any verj^ sharply defined markings: usually 

 diffuse dusky to blackish line obliquely from lower eye edge across 

 cheek to preopercle angle. Vertical fins all more or less dusky to 

 blackish, variably pale basally on soft dorsal and anal, each of which 

 may have black basal ocellus though its border rather dark. Pecto- 

 ral brown, blackish basally. Ventral neutral black, innermost or 

 shorter rays often paler. 



Reported only from the East Indies, and our specimens all from 

 the Philippines. It is quite variable in color with preservation, 

 possibly the greatly contrasted specimens accentuated by preserva- 

 tion. Often some specimens show pale blotches on the vertical fins. 



One example. Cebu market. August 28, 1909. Length 100 mm. (1825). 



23166. Cebu Market. September 5, 1909. Length 69 mm. 



87 and 4070. Endeavor Strait, Palawan. December 23, 1908. Length 80 to 

 95 mm. 



6958. Iloilo market. May 31, 1908. Length 110 mm. 



23703, 23704. Jolo. March 6-7, 1908. Length 108 to 114 mm. (431, 432). 



23247. Mantacao Island, west coast of Bohol. April 8, 1908. Length 110 mm. 



11229. Mantaquin Bay, Palawan. April 2, 1909. Length 106 mm. 



19869. Nabatas Point, Samar. July 24, 1909. Length 103 mm. 



23222, 23223. Opol, Mindanao. August 4, 1909. Length 121 mm. 



10652. Polloc, Mindanao. May 22, 1908. Length 103 mm. 



23231. Port Ciego, Balabac Island. January 3, 1909. Length 102 mm. 



16536. Port Matalvi, Luzon. November 22, 1909. Length 102 mm. 



14605. Port Palapag. June 3, 1909. Length 106 mm. 



21353. Quinalasag Island, Masamat Bay. June 12, 1909. Length 103 mm. 



Three examples. Reef opposite Cebu. April 7, 1908. Length 18 to 65 mm. 

 (511). Slaty, lateral line slightly paler. Black blotch smaller than eye at sec- 

 ond dorsal base and much smaller one at anal base. Pectoral pale yellowish. 

 Other fins body color. 



One example. Simaluc, Bisibisi Island. September 23, 1909. Length 42 mm. 



24004. Sitanki Reef. September 24, 1909. Length 82 mm. 



14212. Taganak Island, Jolo Sea. January 7, 1909. Length 124 mm. 



Four examples. Tataan, Simaluc Island. February 18, 1908. Length 24 to 

 35 mm. 



23293. Tataan. February 19, 1908. Length 83 mm. 



23235. Tataan. February 20, 1908. Length 24 mm. (166). Greenish brown, 

 with underlaid opalescent pink on lower half. Chin and snout with greenish 

 yellow shades. Iris dark. Fins slaty, with round black spot % size of eye on 

 soft dorsal base and similar spot size of pupil on anal. Pectoral dusky straw, 

 pinkish at tip. 



23895. Pendek Island, Buton Strait. December 15, 1909. Length 99 mm. 



23850, 23851, 23921. Togian Bay, Togian Island, Gulf of Tomini, Celebes. 

 November 19, 1909. Length 73 to 99 mm. 



14341. Great Tobea Island, Buton Strait. December 14, 1909. Length 106 mm. 



24101. Great Tobea Island. December 15, 1909. Length 70 mm. 



