284 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



depressed; infraorbital spine 31/2 in eye; preopercle denticulate 

 behind. Gill rakers 5 + 4, low, broad tubercles, greatly less than 

 gill filaments, which i/^ of eye. 



Scales 40 or 41 in lateral line to caudal base and 3 or 4 more on 

 latter; 4 scales above lateral line, 10 to 11 below, 24 or 25 predorsal 

 forward opposite front pupil edge, 4 rows on cheek to preopercle 

 ridge. Scales with 9 or 10 basal radiating striae and 1 to 6 in- 

 complete auxiliaries; apical denticles 113 to 137, with 5 or 6 trans- 

 verse series of basal elements ; circuli very fine. 



D. X, 9, I, third spine 21^ to 21/0 in head, first ray 214 to 21/2; 

 A. Ill, 7, I, second spine 2 to 214, first ray 2 to 2^jj', caudal 1 to 

 1%, forked; least depth of caudal peduncle 2%; pectoral ll^ to 

 11/5 ; ventral 11/5 to li^. 



Back olive brown to median axis of body, lower half of body white. 

 Head dark brown above. White median line on predorsal to front 

 of interorbital. White line begins over eye each side of median 

 line, extends back to sixth dorsal ray base. Second white line from 

 above nostrils to eye and broadens behind eye, continued to upper 

 part of caudal peduncle anteriorly. Several well spaced, pale obso- 

 lete cross shades connect pale lateral bands. Lower border of dark 

 color of back offset by whitish streak medially along side to caudal 

 base. Iris whitish. Fins all more or less pale warm brown. Lower 

 pectoral edge, front of anal, front and bases of ventrals, whitish. 



India, Andamans, East Indies, Philippines, Riu Kiu, Melanesia, 

 Micronesia, Polynesia, Hawaii. The color pattern of this species is 

 quite variable in minor details. Two small ones greatly resemble 

 Bleeker's figure of Scolopsis tleekeri as there are 3 blackish longi- 

 tudinal bands above the median axis of the body. The intervening 

 white bands are complete and there is no infraorbital dusky streak 

 to the pectoral axil nor is there a dark spot at the pectoral origin. 

 Likewise, except for the small dark spot at the front of the spinous 

 dorsal the fin is otherwise uniformly pale. These features will 

 readily distinguish the young of the two species. 



9286. Basot Island, Pocket Bay. June 11, 1909. Length 167 mm. 



16769, 16784. Busin Harbor, Burias Island. March 7, 1909. Length 158 to 



177 mm. 

 7107. Busin Harbor. March 8, 1909. Length 164 mm. 



17831, 17832. Butauanan Island, Luzon. June 12, 1909. Length 170 to 175 mm. 

 16663. Canimo Island near Daet. June 15, 1909. Length 160 mm. 

 11692, 11695, 12091. Capunuypugan Point, Generale Island. May 10, 1908. 



Length 177 to 195 mm. 

 17833. Cataingan Bay, Masbate. April 18, 1908. Length 161 mm. 

 5092. Cebu market. April 5, 1908. Length 72 mm. 

 19979. Cebu market. September 3, 1909. Length 74 mm. 



10420, 10421. East side Verde Island. July 22, 1908. Length 175 to 193 mm. 

 9599. Hermana Mayor Island, Luzon. May 8, 1909. Length 174 mm. 



