FAMILY CANTHIGASTERIDAE — WOODS 127 



Back keeled in all specimens; belly of 50 and 65 mm. specimens with 

 median fleshy ridge; interorbital concave; small spines present over 

 entire head and body except naked areas aromid bases of fins, between 

 hind margin of eye and axil of pectoral, and sometimes postero ventral 

 portion of caudal pedmicle; posterior margin of caudal fin convex; 

 first unbranched pectoral ray less than half length of second; anal fin 

 orighi posterior to insertion of last dorsal ray. 



Color in alcohol. — Gromid color of top of head, back, and upper side 

 light brown or greyish brown, with faint pale spots smaller than pupil; 

 a darker brown blotch at base of dorsal fin outlined by broken blue 

 oblong spots; top of caudal peduncle with two indistinct dark bars 

 (sometimes broken) meeting on middorsal surface of caudal peduncle, 

 points of l)ars directed posteriorly; lower cheeks, lower sides, and 

 belly pale yellowish to white; line of demarkation between dark back 

 and pale belly wavy color along this line darker; cheeks and sides of 

 breast with closely set minute white dots; eye with 6 to 8 radiating 

 blue or brown lines, some extending forward on snout curving 

 downward posterior to mouth forming 2 or 3 vertical lines (these 

 sometimes very indistinct); on largest specimen (65 mm.) a narrow 

 blue mid-ventral line extending from chhi to vent; pectoral, dorsal and 

 anal fin colorless; caudal fin rays yellowish, membranes hyaline. 



Remarks. — The four type specimens, 36 to 36.5 mm., of G. constella- 

 tus Kendall and Goldsborough (cotypes, USNM 65767) from the 

 Paumotu Islands, Fakareva Atoll, although small, possess the same 

 color pattern as the two larger specimens here listed and we believe 

 them to be the same species. 



CANTHIGASTER Sp. 



Petraodon manillensis, Kendall and Goldsborough, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 

 vol. 26, no. 7, p. 335, 1911 (in part). 



SPECIMEN STUDIED 



Arno Atoll: Marshall Islands, Jan. 25-27, 1900, Field No. 09061, Albatross, 

 1 specimen, 14.5 mm. (USNM 66048). 



Description. — Dorsal rays i,8; anal i,7; pectoral rays ii,16; branched 

 caudal rays 3-f-4. 



Depth of body 2.05; width at pectorals 2.8; length of head 1.95; 

 length of middle caudal fin rays 2.7; all in standard length. Snout 

 2.2; diameter of eye 3.05; least depth of caudal peduncle 3.8; length 

 of pectoral fin 2.7; postorbital part of head (upper edge of gill opening 

 to margin of eye) 3.8; interorbital width 5.05; all in length of head. 

 Snout concave. 



Back rounded anteriorly, slightly keeled just anterior to dorsal fin, 

 belly shrunken into many small lengthwise ridges; small scattered 

 spines present on head and body. 



