200 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Paracanthistius leopardinus Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Ind. N6erland., vol. 7, 



1873-76, p. 25 (Java). 

 Acanthistius leopardinus Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Ind. Neerland., vol. 7, 1873- 



76, pi.' (18) 296, fig. 3. 

 Plectropoma (maculatum) areolatum Ruppell, Atlas Reise nordl. Afrika, 



Fische (Alph. Verz. beschrieb. Fische), 1828, p. (143). Red Sea. 

 Plectropoma cyanostigma Bleeker, Natuur. Genesk. Arch. Nederland. Indie, 



vol. 2, 1845, p. 525. Batavia, Java. 



Depth 2,y s to 3M; head 2% to 3, width 2Ko to 2%. Snout 3 to 

 3^3 in head from snout tip; eye 5^ to 7%, 1^ to 2% in snout, lVg 

 to 1% in interorbital; maxillary reaches % in eye to hind eye edge 

 with age, expansion 1 to 1 V3, length 2 to 2}i in head from snout tip; 

 teeth in narrow bands in jaws, pair of canines in front of each and 2 

 or 3 in each mandibular ramus; narrow band of small teeth on vomer 

 and narrower one on each palatine; hind nostril twice size of front 

 nostril; interorbital 43^ to 53^, level; hind preopercle edge with few 

 minute serrae below and 3 or 4 strong antrorse spines along lower 

 edge; opercular spines 3, median closer to lower which most forward. 

 Gill rakers 6 + 10 or 11, lanceolate, little less than gill filaments or 

 half of eye; 4 above and 1 or 2 below rudimentary. 



Scales 108 to 11 5 in lateral line to caudal base with 13 to 15 more 

 on latter; tubes 73 to 81 in lateral line to caudal base and 7 to 14 

 more on latter; 20 or 21 scales above, 34 to 44 below, 40 to 52 pre- 

 dorsal to occiput; 23 to 25 rows across cheek to preopercle angle; 

 upper half of opercle scaly, with 10 transverse rows of scales; snout 

 and interorbital naked; fins with fine scales basally; body scales 

 without fine auxiliary basal scales. Scales with 5 to 17 basal radi- 

 ating striae (12 to 16 apical denticles in small examples) and circuli 

 moderate. 



D. VIII, 1, 9, 1, or 1, 10, 1, third spine 3}/% to 3% in total head length, 

 first branched ray 2% to 2%; A. Ill, 1, 7, 1, third spine 3% to 5K, 

 first branched ray 2% to 2%; caudal l 1 ^ to \%, emarginate behind; 

 least depth of caudal peduncle 2^ to 3 }/%,; pectoral \% to 2}4', ven- 

 tral iy 8 to 2y z . 



Brown, nearly uniform and variously light or dark. Body and fins 

 everywhere with numerous fine, slightly darker spots, often fading in 

 preservation. Though pectoral usually unspotted sometimes with 

 small blue spots. Ventral usually darker brown. 



Red Sea, Ceylon, East Indies, Philippines, Japan, Melanesia. Sev- 

 eral of our specimens (7362, 8688, and 8900) are varietal. They have 

 the pectorals with a distinct light colored margin and the broader inter- 

 orbital more flattened. 



18659. Alimango Bay, Burias Island. March 5, 1909. Length 237 mm. 

 8062. Anabayas Islands. March 2, 1909. Length 402 mm. 

 8919. Atulayan Island. June 18, 1909. Length 410 mm. 

 7786. Balabac. January 4, 1909. Length 351 mm. 



