NO. 1714. JAPANESE SEA BASS.— JORDAN AND RICHARDSON. 443 



a little less than length of head, 3^ to 4 times in total length to base 

 of caudal. Snout 1^ (young) to 3 times (adult) diameter of eye, 

 which is 5 to 7^ times in length of head; interorbital width 4| to 6^ 

 times in length of head; lower jaw projecting; maxillary extending 

 to below center or posterior border of eye, the width of its distal 

 extremity at least two-thirds diameter of eye; preopercle rounded, 

 with 3 or 4 strong antrorse spines on its lower border (less dis- 

 tinct in old specimens); opercle with 3 spines, median nearer 

 lower than upper; cheeks and opercles covered with small scales. 

 Gill-rakers moderately long, 9 or 10 (and some rudiments) on lower 

 part of anterior arch. Dorsal spines rather slender, increasing in 

 length to the third or fourth, which is nearly one-third length of head 

 and shorter than longest (anterior) soft rays. Pectoral one-half to 

 three-fifths length of head, as long as or slightly longer than ventrals. 

 First anal spine rudimentary, often indistinct, third longest, bound 

 to first soft ray. Caudal truncate or feebly emarginate, sometimes 

 slightly produced at the angles. Coloration very variable; several 

 varieties are distinguished, which, however, completely pass into 

 one another. 



This species is abundant in the tropical Pacific. Our descrip- 

 tion is taken from Boulenger, as there is one record from Japan, 

 that from Nagasaki of Temminck and Schlegel, but no specimens 

 have been taken there since. This specimen is said to have been 

 brown with numerous small blue spots. It corresponds to variety B 

 of Boulenger = Holocentrus leopardus Lacepede = PlectropoTna leojiar- 

 dinum Cuvier and Valenciennes. We have the same form from 

 Samoa. It is apparently only a variant with smaller spots. 



imaculatus, spotted.) 



lO. Genus EPINEPHELUS Bloch. 



Epinephelus Bloch, Ichthyologia, vol. 7, 1793, p. 14 (marginalis) . 



Cynichthys Swainson, Nat. Hist. Classn. Fishes, vol. 2, 1839, p. 201 {Jlavopur- 



puratus). 

 Cema Bonaparte, Icon. Fauna Italica, vol. 3., 1841 (gigas-guaza). 

 Hyporthodus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. PhUa., 1861, p. 98 {Jlavicauda-niveatus). 

 Schistorus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, p. 237 {mystadnus). 

 Labropcrca Gill, Proc. Acad Nat. Sci. Phila., 1863, p. 80 (labriformis). 

 Merus Poey, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y.,. vol. 10, 1871, p. 39 (gigas). 

 Priacanthichthys Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, p. 193 (maderaspatensis) . 

 Cema Doderlein, Revista delle Specia del genera Epiniphelus o Cerna, 1873 



(gigas). 

 Homalogrystes Alleyne and Macleay, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, vol. 1, 



1876, p. 268, pi. 6, fig. 3 {giintheri). 

 Hyposerranus Klunziger, Fische des Rothen Meeres, 1884, p. 3 {niorrhua). 



Body stout, compressed, covered with small, ctenoid scales, which 

 are often somewhat embedded in the skin; scales of the lateral line 

 triangular, cycloid; soft parts of the vertical fins generally more or 



