256 



BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Depth 2% to 3tV; head 2% to 2Y 2 , width 2 to 2^. Snout 4^8 to 

 5 in head from snout tip; eye 4 to 5, 1 to 1}£ in snout, greater than 

 interorbital; maxillary reaches below hind eye edge in young and 

 nearly half an eye diameter beyond with age, expansion 1 3^ to 2 in 

 eye, length 2^ to 23/£ in head from snout tip; teeth pointed, conic, 

 in narrow bands above with outer row little enlarged and two rows 

 of mandibular teeth; canines as double pair in front of each jaw; 

 vomer and palatines with small teeth; interorbital 6% to 8, slightly 

 elevated; hind preopercle edge finely serrated above, serrae coarser 

 below; median opercular spine large, behind and near lower, upper- 

 most spine obsolete and anterior. Gill rakers 7+15, equal gill 

 filaments, or two-fifths of eye; four above and 5 below rudimentary. 



Scales 86 to 88 in lateral line to caudal base and 12 to 15 more on 

 latter; tubes 48 to 51 in lateral line to caudal base and 5 or 6 more 

 on latter; 12 or 13 scales above lateral line, 24 to 33 below, 48 to 60 



Figure 13.— Serranus megachir (Richardson), young 



predorsal, about 24 rows across cheek to preopercle angle; very small 

 scales on top of head and predorsal, not as auxiliary fine basal body 

 scales; fins all more or less covered with fine basal scales; maxillary 

 naked or upper half of expansion finely scaled. 



D. XI, 17, fifth spine 2% to 3^ in total head length, fifth ray 2 to 

 2Y 2 ; A. Ill, 8, third spine 2% to 3%, sixth ray 2 to 2%; caudal 1% 

 to \}/2, rounded; least depth of caudal peduncle 3^ to 3%; pectoral 

 ItV to IK; ventral 1% to 2. 



Pale brown covered with more or less large rich blackish brown 

 and rather large spots, nearly uniform in size, largely rounded except 

 on head. Often certain blotches may be conspicuously darker or 

 appear more emphasized than others. Young with fewer dark 

 blotches. Reticulated pale brown spaces separating spots on back 

 and sides becoming whitish on lower surface of body, often lines 

 narrow and leave dark blotches of back variously defined hexagonally 



