100 BULLETIN" 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



eye in young to front eye edge with age, expansion 1^ to 2 in eye, 

 length 2% to 2% in head; lips moderate; bands of villiform teeth 

 in jaws, with outer row enlarged slightly, front pair above little 

 canine-like, also 4 each side below; villiform teeth on vomer, 

 palatines and tongue; interorbital 4% to 6, slightly convex; hind 

 preopercle edge finely denticulate, with emargination below, but 

 no subopercular knob. Gill rakers 6 + 11 or 12, equal gill filaments, 

 1% in eye. 



Scales 40 to 47 in lateral line to caudal base and 6 to 8 more on 

 latter; 7 to 8 scales above lateral line, 14 or 15 below, 12 to 15 pre- 

 dorsal to occiput, 8 or 9 rows of scales on cheek. Scales with 19 

 to 25 basal radiating striae; apical denticles 73 to 118, with 8 to 

 20 transverse series of basal elements; circuli very fine. 



D. X, 13, I or 14, I, fourth spine 2% to 3% in head, seventh ray 

 21/4 to 2% ; A. Ill, 8, i or 9, i, third spine 31/8 to 4, third ray 1% to 

 2% ; caudal ll^ to 1%, slightly emarginate behind, truncate as ex- 

 panded; least depth of caudal peduncle 2% to 2%; pectoral 1% to 

 11/3 ; ventral 1% to 1%. 



Back brown, below paler. Each scale on back with slightly 

 darker basal spot than general body color though above lateral 

 line rows of scales anteriorly parallel with its course, posteriorly 

 little inclined upward; below lateral line each row of scales hori- 

 zontal with pale brassy or yellowish stripes, made up of spot of 

 this color on each scale. Vertical fins deep brown like back, also 

 ventrals, though pectorals usually paler. 



Red Sea, Arabia, Sokotra, Zanzibar, South Africa, Natal, Madaga- 

 scar, India, Ceylon, Andamans, Pinang, Singapore, East Indies, 

 Philippines, Cochin China, Riu Kiu, North Australia, Queensland, 

 Melanesia, Micronesia Polynesia. My examples show no traces of 

 the one or two horizontal blue lines on the cheek below the eye as 

 in Bleeker's figure of the adult. In small ones the blue line is often 

 distinct. Very small or young examples often show six to eight ill- 

 defined vertical whitish lines or narrow bands resembling Day's 

 figure. 



Mesoprion taeniops Valenciennes is noticed: Without a lateral 

 spot ; reddish brown, with four or five silvery lines below ; blue hori- 

 zontal streak across suborbitals; unpaired and ventral fins blackish, 

 anal more colored ; pectoral grayish ; length 178 nun. 



The nominal Lutianus roseus Day is evidently a synonym. Speci- 

 mens like this form have the scales above the lateral line largely 

 parallel with its course, often in varying degree. In many the scales 

 are parallel until below the last dorsal spines or first dorsal rays. 

 The scale rows may also vary in their inclination. 



Mesoprion ohscurus Macleay is noticed as follows : Head and depth 

 equal, 1/3 of total. Upper head profile straight. Eye equals snout. 



