FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 245 



Serranus borbonicus Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. Uranie, Zool., Dec. 18, 1824, 



p. 312, pi. 57, fig. 2. Bourbon Island. 

 Serranus borbonius Guichenot, Notes He Reunion, vol. 2, 1862, p. 23. 

 Perca flavopurpurea Bennett, Fishes of Ceylon, 1828-30, pi. 19. Ceylon. 

 Serranus hoedlii Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Nederland. Indie, vol. 8, 1855, p. 406. 



Amboina. — Gunther. Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1859, p. 139 (copied); 



Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, vol. l,pt. 1, 1873, p. 9, pi. 8, fig. A (Kingsmills). 

 Epinephelus hoedti Bleeker, Atlas Ichth. Ind. Neerland., vol. 7, 1873-76, p. 



45, pi. (5) 283, fig. 2 (Celebes; Amboina). — Jordan and Evermann, Proc. 



U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 25, 1902, p. 342 (Formosa). 

 Epinephelus hoedtii Ogilby, Mem. Queensland Mus., vol. 1, 1912, p. 50 



(Moreton Bay). 

 Serranus punctatissimus Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1S59, p. 144. 



China. 

 Epinephelus flavocoeruleus var. melanometopon Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Dierk., 



vol. 4, 1874, p. 96 (Bourbon Island); Rech. Faun. Madagascar, Pollen, 



pt. 4, 1877, p. 17 (Borbonia). 

 Epinephelus flavocoeruleum var. xanthometopon Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Dierk., 



vol. 4, 1874, p. 97 (on Holocentrus flavocoeruleus Lacepede). 

 Homalogrystes luctuosiis De Vis, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, vol. 7, 



1882, p. 369. Brisbane, Queensland. 



Depth iy 2 to 2%; head 2% to 2^, width 2% to 2%. Snout V/ % 

 to 4 in head from snout tip; eye 5% to 6, 134 to 2 in snout, \y% 

 to 13^ in interorbital; maxilliary reaches Yi to % in eye, expansion 

 l}i to 13^, length 2}U to 2}/% in head from snout tip; teeth in narrow- 

 bands in jaws, biserial along sides of mandible; pair of canines in 

 front of each jaw; narrow band of fine teeth on vomer and each pal- 

 atine; interorbital 5K to 5%, convex; hind preopercle edge denticulate, 

 with 3 or 4 enlarged serrae at angle; opercular spines 3, median nearer 

 lower, upper most advanced. Gill rakers 10 + 18, lanceolate, equal 

 gill filaments or \% in eye. 



Scales 120 to 125 in lateral line to caudal base and 13 to 15 more 

 on latter; tubes 70 to 72 in lateral line to caudal base and 5 more on 

 latter; 22 to 25 scales above lateral line, 42 or 43 below, 60 to 66 pre- 

 dorsal, 30 to 33 rows on cheek; body scales with numerous small basal 

 auxiliary scales; fine scales over most of fins basally ; upper two-thirds 

 of maxillary scaly. Scales with 3 to 5 basal radiating striae; 10 to 16 

 apical denticles, with 3 to 10 transverse series; circuli fine. 



D. IX, 16, 1, third spine 2% to 3 in total head length, first branched 

 ray 2% to 3; A. Ill, 8, 1, third spine 3% to 4, fourth ray 2\i to 2\i; 

 caudal 1% to 1%, slightly emarginate behind; least depth of caudal 

 peduncle 33^ to 3%; pectoral 1% to V/%; ventral 1%. 



Pale grayish or lavender brown. Head and body finely and closely 

 dotted all over with deeper or dusky brown, dots very close set and 

 exceedingly numerous, not present on lower surface of head, chest, 

 breast and belly. Iris yellowish. Fins all more or less dotted with 

 darker, only pectoral paler terminally and ventral darker, terminally. 

 Dorsals, anals and caudal with submarginal dusky shades and edges 

 narrowly whitish on rayed fins. 



