FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 289 



to 2)4 in head from snout tip; teeth in narrow bands in jaws in young, 

 triserial in front of mandible but becoming biserial laterally, though 

 in young largely biserial; pair of small canines in front of each jaw; 

 band of fine teeth on vomer and each palatine; hind nostril becomes 

 twice size of front nostril with age, though always much less than 

 pupil; interorbital 4% to 6% i n nea d from snout tip, level; hind pre- 

 opercle edge denticulate; median opercular spine nearer lower, which 

 anterior and most advanced. Gill rakers 10 + 15, lanceolate, equal 

 gill filaments or 1% in eye; 8 above and 5 below rudimentary. 



Scales 84 to 108 in lateral line to caudal base and 11 to 15 on latter; 

 tubes 57 to 60 in lateral line to caudal base and 4 or 5 more on 

 latter; 17 to 19 scales above lateral line, 28 or 29 below, 66 to 70 

 predorsal, 36 to 38 rows across cheek; body scales with numerous, 

 fine, basal, auxiliary scales, and fins all finely scaled basally; upper 

 half of maxillary expansion finely scaled. Scales with 5 or 6 basal 

 radiating striae; 10 to 25 apical denticles with 11 or 12 transverse 

 series; circuli fine. 



D. XI, 15, i or 16, i, fourth spine 3 to 3% in total head length, 

 first ray 2% to 3K; A. Ill, 8, i, second spine 3% to 6%, fourth ray 

 2Vg to 2%; caudal 1% to \%, convex behind; least depth of caudal 

 peduncle 3% to 3%; pectoral 1% to 2; ventral 2#o to 2%. 



Brown, little paler on belly and lower surfaces. Back with six 

 obscure darker band-like blotches. Body, head, and fins with well- 

 spaced blackish spots, variably distributed, but always smaller on 

 fins. Spots more sparse in young, increase with age. 



Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to the East Indies, 

 Philippines, China, Queensland, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii. 

 According to Boulenger reaches 1270 mm. We have retained ForskaPs 

 name Perca tauvina for the form usually with fine dark spots on the 

 fins, numerous and greatly smaller than in Serranus malabaricus. 



8080. Burias Island. March 5, 1909. Length 425 mm. 



22871. Davao, Mindanao. May 16, 1908. Length 128 mm. 



6953. Iloilo market. May 31, 1908. Length 211 mm. 



6299, 20649. Manila market. June 13, 1908. Length 149 to 315 mm. 



6304, 10625 to 10627. Manila market. June 17, 1908. Length 114 to 384 mm. 



12409, 12411. Manila market. June 25, 1908. Length 118 to 173 mm. 



SERRANUS MALABARICUS (Schneider) 



Holocentrus malabaricus Schneider, Syst. Ichth. Bloch, 1801, p. 319, pi. 63. 



Tranquebar. 

 Serranus malabaricus Day, Fishes of India, pt. 1, 1875, p. 19, pi. 4, fig. 2. — 



Pearson, Rep. Marine Biol. Ceylon, 1912-13, pt. 4, p. E13 (Cheval Paar 



Group, North Cheval Paar, between Muttuvaratu and Talavilla). 

 Epinephelus malabaricus Sauvage, Hist. Nat. Madagascar, Poiss., 1891, p. 



67.— Jordan and Seale, Bull. Bur. Fisher., vol. 26, 1906 (1907), p. 19 



(Cavite). 

 Holocentrus pantherinus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 4, 1802, pp. 345 



389; vol. 3, 1802, pi. 27, fig. 3. No locality (on Commerson). 



