FAMILY TETRAODONTIDAE — WOODS AND SCHULTZ 129 



3b. Background coloration pale, with few to many black spots or black 

 blotches. 

 4a. Head and body with scattered intensely black spots, most spots about 

 size of pupil, occasionally one nearly as large as eye; area close 

 around anal opening usually black; ground color of back usually 

 darker than lower sides and belly, but in very dark and very light 

 (yellow) specimens contrast is not great; outer caudal fin rays pale; 

 black ring around mouth complete; black ring around eye extending 

 onto snout to nasal tentacles; nasal tentacles black; dorsal fin 

 black on basal third, fin rays dark, membranes pale; anal fin 

 similarly colored; both fins rarely pale, translucent. 



A. nigropunctatus (Bloch and Schneider) 

 46. Head and body profusely covered with small black spots or blotches. 

 5a. Body and head, especially sides and dorsally, with numerous small 

 black spots, usually smaller than pupil; interspaces pale or in 

 form of white lines; dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins black 

 spotted. 

 6a. Anal fin unspotted, lower sides unspotted; region around anus 

 black; radiating pale streaks from eye; corner of mouth prob- 

 ably not blackish ; base of pectoral with large black spots ; no 

 large black spots at base of dorsal (color description based on 

 Bleeker, Atlas ichthyologique . . ., vol. 5, pi. 209, fig. 2, 



1865) A. stellatus (Bloch) 



66. .-Vnal and pectoral fins with scattered black spots; body unspotted 

 ventrally or with some scattered indistinct spots posteriorly; 

 no radiating pale streaks from eye; corner of mouth black; 

 bases of dorsal, pectoral, and axil of pectoral with large black 



spots (probably male) A. alboreticulatus (Tanaka) 



56. Numerous small black blotches, dorsally, are separated by reticulated 

 white lines; anal and pectoral fins profusely black spotted; body 

 black spotted ventrally and underside of head finely marbled; no 

 radiating pale streaks from eye; corner of mouth black; bases 

 of dorsal, pectoral, and axil of pectoral with black blotches sep- 

 arated by white lines (probably female) . 



A. alboreticulatus (Tanaka) 



AROTHRON MELEAGRIS (Lacepfede) 



Plate 143 



Tetrodon meleagris Lacep^de, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 1, p. 505, 



1798 (type locality, seas of Asia). 

 Tetraodon ophryos Jordan and Snyder, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 29, p. 356, 



fig. 3, 1905 (Tahiti). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 7 stations, 10 specimens, 112 to 180 mm. in standard length. 



Eniwetok Atoll: 1 specimen, 138 mm. 



Rongelap Atoll: 2 stations, 2 specimens, 156 and 166 mm. 



Rongerik Atoll: 1 specimen, 176 mm. 



Kwajalein Atoll: 1 specimen, 168 mm. 



Likiep Atoll: 1 lot, Univ. Washington, 1 specimen, 170 mm. 



Guam: 4 lots, 7 specimens, 128 to 188 mm. 



Description. — Dorsal rays i,10 or 11 ; anal i,ll ; pectoral rays i,16 or 

 17 (usually i,17); branched caudal rays 4+4; gill rakers on anterior 



