NO. 1714. JAPANESE SEA BASS.— JORDAN AND RICHARDSON. 431 



4. Genus NIPHON Cuvier and Valenciennes. 



Niphon Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 2, 1828, p. 131 {spi- 

 nosus). 



Body elongate, compressed; mouth laii'ge, protractile; maxillary 

 without supplemental bone; villiform teeth in jaws and on vomer and 

 palatines; tongue smooth; no canines; preopercle serrated behind, 

 with a very strong backward pointing spine at the angle; a few short 

 spines on lower border; opercle with three strong spines; gill rakers 

 long and slender; seven branchiostegals ; scales very small, ctenoid; 

 head scaly; maxillary bare, except for a narrow median patch of 

 scales; lateral line complete, the tube straight, extending the length 

 of the scale; two dorsals, connected at the base, anterior with 11 

 strong spines; anal III, 7; caudal emarginate; ventral below base of 

 pectorals, close together, with a strong spine; pectorals rounded, the 

 upper rays longest. "Posterior processes of premaxillaries not 

 extending to frontals, parietal and supraoccipital bones not extending 

 to between postfrontal processes; no parietal crests; supraoccipital 

 crest feeble, not extending to anterior extremity of the bone; verte- 

 brse 31 (14 + 17)." (Boulenger.) 



Coasts of Japan to Philippines; one species. Size large. 



{Nip-lion or Nippon, the name of the Eastern Kingdom, corrupted 

 by early travelers into Japon or Japan.) 



4. NIPHON SPINOSUS Cuvier and Valenciennes. 



ARA (bass), ARA-ARA (rough oi violent). 



Nij)hon spinosus Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 2, 1828, 

 p. 131, pi. 19 (Sea of Japan). — Temminck and Schlegel, Faun. Japon., 

 Pise, 1842, p. 1, pi. 1 (Nagasaki). — Gunther, Cat. Fishes, vol. 1, 1859, p. 80 

 (Japan). — Steindachner and Doderlein, Denkschr. Akad. Wien., vol. 47, 

 1883, p. 228 (Tokyo).— Boulenger, Cat. Fishes, vol. 1, 1895, p. 124 (Yoko- 

 hama).— Nystrom, Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., vol. 13, pt. 4, No. 4, 1887, 

 p. 5 (Nagasaki). — Richardson, Ichthyol. Chin., 1846, p. 222 (Japan). — 

 Namiye, Class. Cat., 1881, p. 92 (Tokyo).— Ishikawa, Prel. Cat., 1897, p. 57 

 (Tokyo; Hizen; Boshu). — Jordan and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 vol. 23, 1901, p. 353 (Tokyo); p. 750 (Yokohama).— Smith and Pope, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 31, 1906, p. 468 (Eochi). 



Head 2.8; depth 3.5; depth caudal peduncle 4.1 in head; eye 6.4; 

 dorsal XII— I, 10; anal III, 7; scales 24-163-56; nose 2.75 in head; 

 maxillary 2.25, nearly to middle of eye, width of its extremity five- 

 sixths of eye; interorbital space 4.4 in head, nearly flat, with two 

 slightly raised central ridges. Back moderately elevated, highest 

 under third dorsal sjiine; profile straight; muzzle long, sharp, lower 

 jaw strongly projecting. Villiform teeth in jaws and on vomer and 

 palatines; nostrils unequal, the posterior much larger, elongated; a 

 single strong sharp backwardly directed spine at the angle of the pre- 



