FAMILY BALISTIDAE — WOODS 101 



before eye below nostril; pelvic spine not moveable; each scale of head 

 and body with elongate, slender, median, retrorse spine and a smaller 

 spine on each side (juvenile character) ; dorsal and anal fins high, 

 rounded; ground color light brown, head with darker brown dots and 

 body with dark brown interrupted lines in irregular lengthwise rows; 

 a ring of small dots around orbit; opercle with dots or short lines; soft 

 dorsal and anal fins uniform brown or with dark brown membranes, 

 lighter colored rays and distal margin pale ; caudal fin membranes blackish, 

 upper and lower rays lighter and distal margin pale; dorsal rays Ill-ii, 24 

 or 25; anal i,22 or 23; pectoral i,13 or 14; scale rows 39 to 42; gill rakers 



on first arch 26 Canthidermis senticosus (Richardson) 



16. Scales just behind gill opening above pectoral base enlarged and platelike, 

 except in Balistoides viridescens. 

 2a. Short deep groove before eye below nostril. 



3a. Teeth uneven, notched; third dorsal spine well developed. 



4a. Dorsal and anal fins low and rounded, not angulate or elevated 



anteriorly. 



oa. Profile straight; 7 to 10 rows of small spines on caudal peduncle; 



caudal fin truncate or slightly emarginate; first dorsal spine 



laterally compressed, no lateral flange along outer margin. 



6a. Tubercles not developed on scales of sides of body anterior to 



origin of soft dorsal fin. 



7a. A patch of large rectangular scales on cheek, larger than those 



of body, 6 scale rows deep and 8 to 10 scales per row; 



tubercles on scales of sides extending forward to about 



the soft dorsal origin; head and body light greyish brown 



with scattered small, indistinct, irregular patches of 



darker greenish brown; faint straight yellowish line 



extending from rictus to vertical from eye, similarly 



colored line across throat just behind chin connecting 



two side lines (bridlelike); Hps pale greyish; soft dorsal 



fin light olive brown; anal fin pale yellowish white; caudal 



fin with upper and lower edges and distal margin dark 



brown, middle part of fin pale greenish; dorsal rays 



III-ii,26; anal ii,24; pectoral i,13; scale rows 52; gill 



rakers on first arch 33 SufHamen capistratus (Shaw) 



7b. All scales on cheek smaller than those of body; tubercles on 

 sides of body not extending farther forward than posterior 

 half of soft dorsal; head and body dark brown; Ups pale; 

 two pale cross bands on chin, one just behind lips, narrow 

 and distinct, the second broader, diffuse, on under side 

 of chin; soft dorsal and anal fins pale, transluscent; caudal 

 fin with upper and lower rays white, broad crescent-shaped 

 band along distal margin, middle part of fin dark brown; 

 dorsal rays III-ii,24 or 25; anal ii,22 or 23; i^ectoral 

 i,12; scale rows 45 to 47; gill rakes on first arch 25 to 



27 SufHamen chrysoptera (Bloch and Schneider) 



6b. Tubercles developed on sides of body forward to below origin of 

 second dorsal spine; cheek scales not enlarged, smaller than 

 scales of body ; head and body pale yellowish white ; a straight 

 narrow white line extending from corner of mouth past lower 

 edge of pectoral base, usually reaching anal fin origin but 

 sometimes fading before reaching this point; greyish wedge- 



