FISHES OF THE PHH,IPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 251 



toral base. Lower side and surface of head and body, immaculate. 

 Iris light brown. Spinous dorsal with blackish on most of mem- 

 branes, or at least marginally. Soft dorsal with black border and 

 2 or 3 series of large blackish blotches. Caudal with narrow black 

 border behind and 4 or 5 irregular rows of dark blotches or spots. 

 Anal with margin or apex narrowly dusky and fin marked with sev- 

 eral rows of large dark spots. Paired fins pale brown, immaculate. 



Mauritius, East Indies, Queensland, North Australia, Philippines. 

 A very handsome species, known by its more or less inclined black 

 bands on the back, more complete and horizontal in the young but 

 broken as bars and even as spots with age. The lower surface of 

 the body from about level with the pectoral and middle of the 

 caudal peduncle immaculate white. 



My smaller examples more closely resemble Bleeker's figures. The 

 dark lateral bands are more longitudinal or horizontal, number 8 

 in comparison with 19 of large examples, also not broken into spots 

 on the axillary region. The spinous dorsal is pale, like the general 

 body color, upper margin together with that of the soft dorsal black, 

 also median line of black spots on spinous fin and 2 or 3 rows of 

 black spots on soft dorsal. Caudal like that of large examples and 

 bands all intact on the head, not broken into spots. Dark blotch 

 present at pectoral origin. In still smaller examples the lower bands 

 are more perfected. Variation in the large examples is quite no- 

 ticeable, the dark bars sometimes variously interrupted and the axial 

 lateral spots variously numerous. Diagrammm mmttivittata Mac- 

 leay is evidently a synonym, likewise Plectorhynchu8 faulayi. The 

 latter is based on an example 300 mm. long and noted with : Depth 

 2%; head 3. Snout 2^4 in head; eye 3%; interorbital 4^3. Scales 

 72, in lateral line 54 or 55, 11 above, 25 below. D. XIV, 17; A. Ill, 

 7. Coppery. Dark horizontal bands on head, largely broken as 

 spots on cheek. Six dark lateral bands on body, inclined to dorsal 

 bases, 4 anterior from head with uppermost to occiput. 



8087, 19268. Alimango Bay, Burias Island. March 5, 1909. Length 226 to 



417 mm. 

 8032. Capulaan Bay, Pagbilao. February 24, 1909. Length 249 mm. 

 A475. Isabela, Basilan Island. September 11, 1909. Length 225 mm. 

 4800. Jolo market. February 8, 1908. Length 300 mm. 

 7914. Limbones Cove, Luzon. February 8, 1909. Length 343 mm. Dorsal fin 



more yellow, wide area very narrow ; pale areas of side less blue than shown 



and dark areas more coppery brown-red ; at base of pectoral vermilion and 



fin not dark. 

 7229. Masinloc Bay, Zambales. November 22, 1908. Length 447 mm. 

 7938. Pagapas Bay. February 29, 1909. Length 263 mm. 

 7758, 7759. Port Ciego, North Balabac Strait. January 3, 1909. Length 247 



to 488 mm. 



