78 BULLETIN 150, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Synopsis. — Dorsal 37-40; anal 31-34; pectoral 37-39; pyloric 

 coeca 19-31. Posterior nostril apparently always with a fingerlike 

 projection in front. Disk 2.2-2.4 in head. Gill slit extending down 

 in front of from 10 to 15 pectoral rays. Dorsal fin notched or the 

 anterior rays nearly equal in length. Dorsal fin connected to the 

 basal two-fifths of the caudal. No prickles. Coloration variable. 

 A medium-sized species, reaching a length of 198 mm. 



Remarks. — The posterior nostril in this species apparently always 

 has a fingerlike projection in front. The jaws are equal or nearly so; 

 usually a few of the upper teeth are exposed when the jaws are closed. 

 In the young the maxUlary extends to beneath the middle of the pupU 

 or beyond. Sometimes rudimentary pores, appearing as dark spots 

 with white centers, extend backward from the suprabranchial pores. 



Numbers of specimens from East Sound differ from the typical 

 specimen of this species in the length of the lower pectoral lobe and 

 the coloration. These specimens may represent an undescribed 

 species though we can not at present decide this point. For the 

 purposes of comparing these specimens with the typical specimens 

 No. 4009, S. U. Z. M., we present the following: 



In the East Sound specimens the lower lobe of the pectoral reaches 

 the vent or beyond; in nearly all the specimens, No. 4009, S. U. Z. M., 

 it does not reach the vent. These two groups of specimens differ also 

 in the coloration. Of the specimens, No. 4009, one resembles the 

 type in coloration; the remainder are plain olive brown or with 

 narrow longitudinal white lines on head and body; the peritoneum 

 silvery, undotted. The East Sound specimens present "Four different 

 types of coloration: (1) Nearly plain dark bro\vn with obscure dusky 

 mottlings, the pectoral fin crossbarred with black and white; chin 

 speckled, margin of median fins nearly black. (2) The entire upper 

 parts, including the dorsal fin, marked ^^ith paralled wavy light 

 streaks with darker margins, the intervals between the streaks dusky 

 olive, pectoral more obscurely barred. (3) Entire upper parts dark 

 olive, thickly covered with small white dots less than the diameter of 

 the pupU. (4) Lighter olive, marked with few whitish or silvery 

 white narrow streaks Qr bars, which are black margined. One series 

 of these cross the dorsal fin, another the anal, both continued a variable 

 distance on the body, sometimes meeting. Other streaks and spots 

 occupying the top and sides of the head and may be symmetrically 

 disposed on the two sides of the same individual, although not agree- 

 ing in different specimens." Caudal faintly or broadly barred, peri- 

 toneum silvery, dotted. 



In this species the dorsal fin is notched in fully half the specimens. 

 In specimens No. 60200, U.S.N.M., consisting of young individuals 

 20 to 28 mm. in length, the dorsal notch is some times evident. Some 

 of these specimens, in which the notch was not evident, were dissected 



