FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 209 



D. IX, 15, i, fourth spine 3}/g in total head length, seventh ray 3; 

 A. Ill, 9, i, second spine 2 7 /i, sixth ray 2^; caudal \%, convex; least 

 depth of caudal pedunle 3}^; pectoral 1%; ventral 2. 



Orange, many scales on body above pale dusky. Head and front 

 of back with small, round, golden spots. Iris deep golden orange. 

 Brown spot on soft dorsal edge at thirteenth ray equals pupil. Anal 

 and ventral with narrow dusky edges. Caudal with narrow whitish 

 line close to and concurrent with fin edge. Pectoral deep golden 

 orange. 



Southern Arabia, Portuguese East Africa, Seychelles, Mascarene 

 Islands, East Indies, Philippines, Melanesia, Polynesia. A handsome 

 species which we chiefly define by its color, which light red or orange, 

 sometimes or not with scattered blue dots on the head and front of 

 the back though it never shows the bluish network on the head as in 

 Cephalopliolis sonnerati which is also a much larger species. Fowler 

 reported an example of CephalopJiolis aurantius from Dalogoa Bay, 

 333 mm. long which shows 123 scales in lateral line to the caudal 

 base. We still believe it to be that species though Barnard has 

 placed it with C. sonnerati, pointing out that "his description differs 

 from that of Boulenger, mainly in the scale counts, though it should 

 be noted that Fowler's scale counts, especially that of the scales in a 

 transverse direction, are often considerably greater than those of 

 Boulenger and other authors." These counts are, however, proba- 

 bly not greater than counts which may be made from the materials of 

 "Boulenger and other authors" provided they are counted above the 

 lateral line to the origin of the spinous dorsal and below the lateral 

 line to the origin of the spinous anal, as this is the way they are 

 made in the present work. In this case the matter is simply a 

 method of counting, and one which we have found most satisfactory. 

 The count of the scales in the lateral line is another matter, and 

 though it is true they are greatly in excess of any given for the spe- 

 cies, the specimen is also apparently the largest hitherto reported 

 and therefore count placed on record to show the greatest number 

 observed. The pores in the lateral line are 73 to the caudal base 

 and are a corresponding increase. The species is subject to still 

 greater range in variation than Boulenger or Barnard give. We also 

 believe Bodianus indelebilis Fowler a synonym, as it shows scales 

 72+ ; tubes 40, scales above 15, 29 below, and- its color orange with 

 head and back in front with small round golden spots. CephalopJi- 

 olis obtusauris Evermann and Seale is another synonym, based on 

 a slightly larger uniform example. Our description from the type of 

 Bodianus indelebilis, a small example obtained at Padang and now 

 in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 



