118 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Arabia, Zanzibar, Mozambique, Natal, Mauritius, Reunion, Cocos 

 Keeling, India, Ceylon, Andamans, East Indies, Philippines, For- 

 mosa, Riu Kiu, Japan, Queensland, New South Wales, Micronesia, 

 Melanesia, Polynesia. 



A rather uniformly colored species with large eye, blunt snout, and 

 the dark soft dorsal and caudal contrasted by narrow white edges. 

 Often in the young the caudal may be much darker. With age the 

 body becomes more elongate, with a strong pair of upper front 

 canines and a lower small pair, also 2 or 3 lower lateral canines. 

 Though the original account by Quoy and Gaimard is based on a 

 small specimen, it appears to be the young of the present wide 

 ranging species. 



Diacope immfiaculata Cuvier is said to have : D. X, 13 ; A. Ill, 9. 

 Green, more brown on back, yellowish below, whitish on throat. 

 Brown longitudinal lines on flanks, oblique on back. Resembles 

 Diacope calveti^ but that is less deep and less red. Length 100 or 

 128 mm. 



Mesoprion invmaculatus Cuvier is noticed: D. X, 13; A. Ill, 8. 

 Brown or olivaceous, paler to yellowish or golden below. Blackish 

 lines descend obliquely to lateral line and on flanks lines horizontal. 

 Angle of [prejopercle with but slight emargination. Length 178 

 or 204 mm. 



Diacope xanthopus Cuvier, is said to have: D. X, 14; A. III. 9. 

 Back reddish, below yellowish. Dorsal and caudal purple, some- 

 what blackish; dorsal border black and caudal not entirely with 

 white border. Anal and ventral saffron yellow. Pectoral olive. 

 Length 183 mm. 



Diacope axillaris Valenciennes is based on a drawing by Kittlitz : 

 D. X, 15; A. Ill, 9. Body carmine red, with oblique streaks form- 

 ing rows of rosy dots. Fins red, deeper colored than bod5\ bordered 

 black with white edge. Spinous dorsal orange. Yellow spot at 

 pectoral base, fin orange. Ventral yellow. Length 178 mm. Valen- 

 ciennes also notices another example obtained by Quoy and Gaimard 

 at Vanicolo. Reddish brown, back deeper, rows of white spots form- 

 ing oblique streaks on back above lateral line, but not below. 

 Ventral yellow. Length 205 mm. 



Mesoprion caudalis Valenciennes is described with slightly rounded 

 caudal fin and is based on an example 152 mm. Possibly it may have 

 been intended for the present species. 



8143, 8145, 12992, 16604, 16605, 17748. Alibijaban Island, Ragay Gulf, Luzon. 



March 6, 1909. Length 218 to 253 mm. 

 6505. Balikias Bay, Luzon. July 17, 1908. Length 242 mm. 

 20286. Below mouth Mindanao River, Cotabato, Mindanao. May 20, 1908. 



Length 47 mm. 

 7472, 7473. Bolalo Bay, Palawan. December 21, 1908. Length 240 to 262 mm. 

 20364, 20365. Bolinao Bay, Luzon. May 10, 1909. Length 208 to 210 mm. 



