FISHES OF THE PHOENIX i\ND kSAMOAX ISLANDS 



19 



length of head ; the row of pores behind eyes consists of seven pores, 

 the middorsal one a little in advance of the others at each side; the 

 cross row of pores near midlength of head numbers five, and there 

 are eight pores from this row to the gill opening along the lateral line. 



Color brown above, pale below, with each pore on head and along 

 lateral line black-bordered; along the back are scattered numerous 

 black dots ; the dorsal fin is white without a black band along its basal 

 two-thirds; the anal and pectoral fins are white. 



ReTnai'ks. — This new species most closely resembles Brachysomophis 

 hejishmvi, both of which have the teeth on the upper jaw arranged in 

 a different way from that figured for any other species referred to the 

 genus Brachysomophis. B. swwropsis has a much smaller snout than 

 B. he/ishaivi, as it is contained ISi/o to I6V3 times in the head, instead 

 of 9% times; likewise the distance from the tip of the snout to the 

 cross row of pores behind the eye is contained 6.7 to 7.2 times in sau- 

 ropsis and only 4.45 times in henshawl; the pores extend a little farthei- 

 on the tail of henshawl than on sauropsls. In the former the basal 

 two-thirds of the dorsal fin is black, but in the latter the dorsal fin 

 is pale. In regard to length of snout B. saiiropsis is the same as for 

 B. erocodiUnus { — ho?'ridus), but figures of the head of the latter ai'e 

 much different from sauropsis in regard to shape of snout. See table 1. 



Named saui^opsis in reference to its lizardlike appearance around 

 the head, especially the snout. 



Table 1. — Proportions computed for two species of Brachysomophis 



Characters 



Total length in mm ._ 



Number of times in total length: 



Greatest depth. 



Head 



Snout to anus 



Tail 



Snout to origin of dorsal fin 



Number of times in head 



Greatest depth -_ 



Snout .- 



Mouth 



Least distance between lateral line pores at rear of head. . 



Length of pectoral fin 



Tipof lower jaw to free tip of tongue 



Snout to cross row of pores at middle of head 



Distance between cross rows of pores: behind eye and mid 



die of head 



D istance from tip of snout to cross row of pores behind eye . . 

 Distance from tip of tail to last pore of lateral line 



Interorbital space in snout 



Eye in snout 



