FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 149 

 AMBASSIS KOPSO Bleeker 



Ambassis kopsii Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Nederland. Indie, vol. 15, 1858, p. 

 253. Singapore. — Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1859, p. 224 

 (copied). — Peters, Monatsb. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1868, p. 255 (Pulo 

 brani, Singapore). — Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1927, p. 

 275 (Philippines). 



Ambassis kopsi Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Ind. Neerland., vol. 8, 1876-77, p. 

 134, pi. (66) 344, fig. 1 (Singapore and Banka). — Jordan and Seale, 

 Bull. Bur. Fisher., vol. 26, 1906 (1907), p. 18 (Cavite).— Jordan and 

 Richardson, Bull. Bur. Fisher., vol. 27, 1907 (1908), p. 255 (Iloilo).— 

 Seale, Philippine Journ. Sci., vol. 5, No. 4, 1910, p. 274 (Sandakan, 

 Borneo). 



Ambassis ambassis (not Lacepede) Fowler, Copeia, No. 58, June 18, 1918, 

 p. 63 (Philippine material). 



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

 to 4% in head from snout tip; eye 2% to 2%, much greater than 

 snout or interorbital; maxillary reaches about ^ in eye, expansion 

 2 x /i to 2% in eye, length 2^ to 2 l /% in head from snout tip; teeth 

 fine, villiform, in narrow bands in jaws, on vomer and palatines; 

 interorbital 4 to 4}^, very slightly convex; 1 to 3 postero-supraorbital 

 serrae; lower preorbital edge with 7 or 8 serrae and ridge with smaller 

 and less conspicuous serrae; preopercle ridge and edge below serrate, 

 hind edge also serrate but not vertical ridge and spine at angle of 

 ridge broad, triangular, well developed. Gill rakers 7 + 17 or 18, finely 

 lanceolate, J^ of eye; gill filaments % of gill rakers. 



Scales 25 or 26 in lateral line to caudal base and 3 or 4 more on 

 latter; 2 or 3 scales above, 7 below, 9 or 10 predorsal form median 

 keel nearly to middle of interorbital, 2 rows on cheek; caudal with 

 small scales basally; dorsals and anals with basal scaly sheaths. 

 Scales with 4 or 5 basal radiating striae; circuli fine, especially 

 apically. 



D. VII, I, 10, i, second spine 1% to 2 in total head length, first ray 

 V/s to 2K; A. Ill, 8, i, third spine 1% to 2K; caudal \ l / b to l}4, 

 deeply emarginate; least depth of caudal peduncle 2% to 2%; 

 pectoral 1% to V/i', ventral 1% to 1%. 



Back and above pale brown, below lighter or whitish, upper surfaces 

 dusted with minute dusky dots. Silvery white axial lateral band 

 from head to caudal base. Iris white, with dark shade above. Fins 

 all 'largely pale brownish, except black blotch terminally on mem- 

 branes of spinous dorsal between second to fifth erect spines. 



East Indies and Philippines. A well marked species with large 

 scales and a contrasted terminal blotch of black on apex of spinous 

 dorsal. 



Five examples. Basut River, Canimo Pass, east coast Luzon. June 15, 1909. 



Length 32 to 64 mm. 

 Fourteen examples. Buena Vista, Guimaras Island, Iloilo Strait. January 14, 



1909. Length 50 to 75 mm. 



