FAMILY TETRAODONTIDAE — WOODS AND SCHULTZ 135 



mostly elongate curved, about 2 to 3 times as long as broad. Spots 

 broader than interspaces giving back appearance of black spots on a 

 light background; lower velum and lower lip from rictus halfway to 

 center black, rest of lower lip and upper lip pale; opercular opening 

 from upper edge of pectoral around dorsal and anterior parts of 

 opercular flap black; pale across base of pectoral but further back on 

 pectoral base 3 or 4 round black spots about size of pupil; pectoral 

 axil with 2 large irregular black blotches; area around anal opening 

 pale, just inside opening two black spots that might be visible if belly 

 were distended; lower sides dark gray with fairly distinct Une of 

 demarkation from dirty white color of belly; tiny spines all over back; 

 sides and belly whitish; dorsal, anal, and caudal with numerous 

 round brown spots almost to tip, larger than those of body, spots of 

 dorsal and anal arranged in rows, about 10 rows on dorsal, 5 on anal, 

 spots of caudal all over fin basally but confined to rays distally, 

 membranes white; pectoral faintly spotted, rays dark, membranes pale. 



The 480 mm, male specimen: Head, back, and sides profusely 

 covered with dark brown to black spots, mostly round or oval but 

 some angidar, separated by light brown interspaces narrower than 

 diameter of spots on back, equal to or wider than diameter of spots on 

 sides and below; belly and ventral parts of head and caudal peduncle 

 dirty brown, without spots; spots smallest around cheeks and top 

 of snout, largest around bases of pectoral fins (4 to 6 spots on anterior 

 part, 3 to 4 large spots almost as large as eye on axU) and large 

 around base of dorsal fm ; dorsal fin spotted nearly to margin, spots 

 on rays only, in about 10 or more rows across fin; caudal fin spotted 

 nearly to margin, mostly on rays in an irregular fashion; anal spots 

 sparser, on rays only, in roughly 6 or 7 rows across fin; lips light brown 

 except on lower corner of mouth from rictus to halfway to center 

 with black, the color spilling over ventrally onto chin; opercular 

 opening light colored inside; membrane pale on posterior edge. 



The 620 mm. male specimen: Head, back, and sides profusely 

 covered with dark brown to black angular oblong spots separated by 

 narrow white to brownish reticulate lines, much narrower than 

 diameter of spots ; belly and ventral area of head lighter, with scattered 

 patches of spots on light background; spots smaller around mouth and 

 on cheeks, largest around bases of dorsal and pectoral fins, especially 

 large in axil of pectoral which contains about 4 large angular spots, 

 larger than eye across base of the fin; fins all spotted, especially on 

 rays and to a less extent on membranes of pectorals, dorsal, and anal, 

 these spots usually larger than those on body and not arranged in 

 definite rows across fin; lips pale, except lower lip from rictus about 

 halfway to center black; opercular membrane dark brown; light 

 vertical bar about as long as opercular opening and just anterior to 



