FAMILY BALISTIDAE — WOODS 109 



width 2.95; all in length of head. Angle of snout profile with axis of 

 body 31 degrees; snout profile straight, profile convex from inter- 

 orbital to origin of first dorsal. 



Preocular groove short, deep; orbital rims not prominent; inter- 

 orbital smoothly rounded; 5 plates behind gill opening, not larger 

 than body scales; scales of cheeks smaller than those of body; space 

 just behind lips naked, consisting of rugose skin or short fine pointed 

 fleshy tabs of skin; caudal peduncle armed with 3 to 5 rows of short 

 heavy antrorse spines, upper and lower rows with 1 or 2 spines per 

 row, 3 middle rows with 5 to 10 spines per row; tubercles present on 

 scales on middle of sides of body forward to insertion of soft dorsal 

 fin; soft dorsal and anal fins low, outlines convex, anterior portion not 

 elevated, caudal fin very broad and rounded. 



Color in alcohol. — Lips pale yellowish, narrow brown band encircling 

 mouth just behind lips and a thin yellow line encircling mouth just 

 posterior to brown band; chin, upper part of cheeks, and snout dark 

 brown; interorbital blackish; a broad yellow band running from below 

 eye anteriorly across profile of snout to preorbital groove on other side; 

 lower part of cheek with yellowish white spots larger than eye, the 

 smallest about the size of eye; interspaces between these spots dark 

 brown, dark brown color sometimes not completely encircling spots; 

 broad saddle on back around spiny dorsal, extending from inter- 

 orbital area to soft dorsal fin and ventrally to just below level of lower 

 rim of orbit, its ground color yellowish orange, with numerous small 

 close-set dark brown spots of varying sizes, some smaller than pupil, 

 some as large as two scales; rest of body ground color dark brown, 

 lower sides and belly with large round white spots ; caudal peduncle 

 yellowish white over sides, dorsal part, and around upper caudal base, 

 brown along ventral side, spines of caudal peduncle blackish; spiny 

 dorsal membrane very dark brown, its border blackish; soft dorsal 

 and anal fins uniform yellowish, pectoral fin pale yellowish; caudal fin 

 with broad dark brown basal band, upper and lower rays dark brown, 

 middle portion of fin yellowish, then a broad submarginal brown band, 

 distal narrow margin of fin white. 



BALISTOIDES VIRIDESCENS (Bloch and Schneider) 



Plate 139 



Balistes viridescens Bloch and Schneider, Systema ichthyologiae . . ., p. 477, 

 1801 (based on "le Baliste verdatre" of Laceplde, Histoire naturelle des 

 poissons, vol. 1, pp. 335, 378, pi. 16, fig. 3, 1799; type locality, Mauritius). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Eniwetok Atoll: lagoon off southeast end of Eniwetok Island, Bowditch An- 

 chorage, hook and line, May 20 to June 6, S-46-154, Welsh and Schaefer, 2 

 specimens, 415 and 435 mm. 



