224 BULLETIN ISO, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



a lengthwise black streak more or less fusing with darker 

 color of posterior margin of caudal fin ; number of scales in 

 a transverse series 16 ; dorsal rays VI — I, 11 ; anal I, 10 ; 

 pectoral 18 or 19; third ray of dorsal elongate on ndults at 



least Sicyopterus taeniurus** (Giintfaer) 



96. Scale rows 35 or 36; before dorsal 12 to 15 scales; scales in a 

 transverse row from origin of dorsal to anal fin 9; cheeks, 

 opercle, and breast naked ; upper lip with a shallow notch in 

 midline but no papilla associated with it; no lateral notches 

 in lips ; lower jaw with three pairs of canines inside labial 

 . >• fold containing teeth ; upper labial fold with setif orm teeth, 



their tips tricuspid, middle cusp long, outer cusps very short, 

 only at base of middle cusp; dorsal rays VI-1, 9; anal I, 10; 

 pectoral rays about 14 ; midsides of body with about 12 brown 

 blotches more or less joined together and continuing in front 

 of pectoral as a band to tip of snout ; above brown spots a pale 

 streak continuing to eye and below them under side of body 

 pale ; along back a darker streak (pronounced in young and 

 more diffuse on adults) and passing through iuterorbital space 

 along edge of eye, then meeting its fellow at front of snout; 

 a pale area separating blackish band on top of snout, band 

 passing below level of eye to snout; median fins barred. 



Stiphodon elegans (Steindachner) 

 86. No V-shaped notch at tip of lower jaw and no labial fold inside of 

 lips containing teeth ; no pit in anterior base of pelvics in basal 

 membrane. 

 10a. Upper pectoral rays divided, free, hairlike or "silky," as con- 

 trasted with lower rays joined by membrane to each other ; 

 gill membranes broadly joined to isthmus; upper and lower 

 jaws of about equal length ; caudal fin rounded, not lanceolate ; 

 bi'east scaly; no fleshy flaps on shoulder girdle under gill 

 cover. 

 llo. Tongue strongly bilobed; outer teeth of both jaws somewhat 

 enlarged and caninelike; inside of outer teeth is a band of 

 villiform teeth with a few enlarged along inner edge. 

 12a. Free edge of basal membrane of pelvic fins definitely tri- 

 lobed (two lateral points and a middle projection) ; five 

 or six of upper rays of pectoral fin branched and silky ; 

 scale rows from upper edge of gill opening to base of 

 caudal fin 34 to 36; 13 scales in a transverse series and 



^ An examiuation of the labial teeth in the upper jaw of Sicyopterus stimpsoni Gill re- 

 veals that they differ in structure from those of S. tacniurua. S. stimpsoni has bilobed 

 teeth ; the outer two cusps are enlarged and the usual inner one lacking. 



I have examined a very largo series of S. tnuae Jordan and Scale collected by the Wilkes 

 Exploring Expedition In Tahiti and another large series consisting of several hundred speci- 

 mens collected by J. Morgan Clements in Tahiti. Although most of these lack canine teeth 

 on the lower jaw, a few have one or two canines very feebly developed ; the notches in the 

 upper lip are also feebly developed in tauae, and all the specimens of tatiae In the National 

 Museum are young, under 35 mm. in standard length. Thus it appears that the notches 

 develop in the lips at about 30 to 35 mm. and the canines in the lower jaw at sizes greater 

 than 30 to 35 mm. Therefore I refer 8. tauae to the synonymy of taeniurus. The scale 

 rows on the sides of both species number about 54 to 56. 



Mr. Clements states that these small fishes appear in enormous numbers during the first 

 half of November and early December of each year and go into the mouths of the rivers. At 

 first they are practically transparent, but in a few days, especially after they have returned 

 to the sea, they become darker. They are caught with nets and are a great delicacy. 



