FISHES OP THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 247 



of the same fish. Variation is noticeable in the narrow pale longi- 

 tudinal lines on the back often quite narrow, always less in width than 

 those on the flanks medially. Also the tail often with black spots 

 forming transverse blackish bands sometimes to the number of 4 or 

 5. Again in many examples the white longitudinal bands on the 

 body may be broad, in others narrow. So that the intervening black- 

 ish ones vary from 5 to 8 with the lower one or two often variously 

 absent. Sometimes the dark basal pectoral bar is present as in 

 Bleeker's figure of Plectorhynchus sehae, again it may be but a small 



Figure 19. — Plectorhixchds diaqrammus (Linnaeus). Variation of coloe 



markings 



blackish spot at the origin of the fin. The caudal spots in most of 

 my examples are far more numerous than Bleeker shows. 



Lesson's figure of Diagramma lessonii is crude. It shows a rather 

 broad median dark brown band from above the maxillary expansion, 

 axial and back to caudal basally where very narrow and ending little 

 below center of base. A second very narrow brown line extends from 

 the maxillary expansion back above anal base nearly to lower edge 

 of caudal peduncle. The 3 upper dark bands all begin at the maxil- 

 lary, uppermost marginal along profile broadest, the other two inter- 

 rupted by the eye. Spinous dorsal uniform brown. Soft dorsal with 

 3 or 4 transverse rows of irregular dark spots; same on caudal, but 

 larger ; anal with four rows of dark spots. Pectoral uniformly pale, 

 red spot before origin. Ventrals dusky basally. Length 203 mm., 

 reaches 305, though Cuvier gives 327. 



