FAMILY BALISTIDAE — WOODS HI 



PSEUDOBALISTES FUSCUS (Bloch and Schneider) 



Plate 141, A 



Balistes fuscus Bloch and Schneider, Systema ichthyologiae . . ., p. 471, 1801 

 (based on "le Baliste grande" of Lacepfede, Histoire naturelle des poissons, 

 vol. 1, p. 378, 1798; type locality, not given), 



SPECIMEN STUDIED 



Rongelap Atoll: Rongelap Island, lagoon side, spear at 10 to 20 feet, July 21, 

 S-46-389, Brock, 1 specimen, 174.5 mm. 



Description. — ^Dorsal fin rays III-ii,24; anal rays ii,20; pectoral 

 rays i,13; branched caudal rays 5+5; gill rakers on first arch 34; scale 

 rows 45; teeth in upper jaw 8, lower jaw 8. 



Depth of body 1.7; length of head 2.7; both in standard length. Snout 

 1.3; diameter of eye 4.6; least depth of caudal peduncle 3.55; length 

 of pectoral fin 2.0; length of longest dorsal fin ray 1.4; length of 

 longest anal fin ray 1.5; length of upper caudal ray 1.5; of middle 

 caudal ray 1.0; of lower caudal ray 1.1; interorbital width 3.6; all in 

 length of head. Angle of snout profile with axis of body 40 degrees, 

 snout profile convex. 



Preocular groove present; interobital rounded; enlarged plates 

 behind gill opening; area around mouth naked, 4 rows of scales on 

 cheeks reduced to small tubercles, anterior part of cheeks and space 

 between tubercles naked; caudal peduncle not armed, its scales not 

 modified; soft dorsal and anal fins elevated anteriorly, caudal fin 

 rounded in middle, its upper and lower rays elongated. 



Color in alcohol. — Ground color of head pale yellowish brown, scales 

 grey, interorbital area with short wavy transverse lines, indistinct short 

 lines, some broken into spots radiating from eye; short irregular wavy 

 lines on nape; irregular vertical disconnected lines on opercle, some 

 curving onto breast, indistinct on ventral portion; body and vertical 

 fins with a fine regular brown network outhning scales, center of each 

 scale with small round yellowish white spot ; spiny dorsal fin membrane 

 dark brown, darker along distal margin ; soft dorsal with yellow spots 

 joined together at base to form narrow lengthwise light band; median 

 portion of fin reticulated, spots fading distally, first 6 rays dark to 

 tips, posterior to tips of rays white forming a narrow white marginal 

 band; anal fin similarly colored except submarginal light and dark 

 bands present with margin white; pectoral fin uniformly grey on base, 

 basal two-thirds of rays light grey, distal third white; caudal fin 

 spotted over basal thi-ee-fourths, upper and lower rays uniform brown- 

 ish grey to tips, middle rays with broad white margin and narrow 

 black submarginal band. 



