NO. 1714. JAPANESE 8EA BASS.— ^JORDAN AND RICHARDSON. 445 



hK Body and vertical fins brown, with round bright red spots (pale in 

 spirits); a single large blackish blotch under last dorsal spines; 



dorsal XI, 15 or 16; scales 16-103-40 akaara, 14. 



K^. Body and vertical fins brown, with round dark spots; a large black- 

 ish blotch at base of last dorsal spines, one or two along base of 

 soft dorsal, and one on top of caudal peduncle; dorsal XI, 16 or 



17; scales 13-98-40 fario, 15. 



g^. Body with stripes, rows of spots, or crossbars. 



iK Sides with oblique longitudinal stripes or rows of spots. 

 f. Rays of soft dorsal 12 or 13; color brown, on each side three 

 narrow black longitudinal stripes (rows of spots in young), 

 originating behind eye; upper stripe ending under back of 

 spinous dorsal, middle one under middle of soft dorsal, lower 

 stripe ending on base of caudal peduncle, slightly above its 

 middle; soft dorsal and caudal spotted with black; scales 10 

 to 12-100 to 115-35 to 42 (after Boulenger) .latifasciatm, 16. 

 f. Rays of soft dorsal 14 or 15. 



kK Brown, each side with three rows of round black spots, be- 

 ginning behind eye, first row ending under middle of dorsal; 

 median row (of larger spots) ending on base of caudal, 

 lower row coursing lower portion of side toward caudal 

 peduncle to a point over middle of back of anal; a row of 

 about 10 small round black spots on back along base of 

 dorsal; membranes of soft dorsal, caudal, and anal with 

 many small round black spots; dorsal XI, 14 or 15; scales 



13-108 to 119-44 epistictus, 17. 



F. Body with a large dark blotch on occiput, and with several 



obliquish bands downward and forward from mid-dorsal 



line to opercle; sides of head with 3 or 4 dark streaks; fins 



unspotted; dorsal, XI, 14; scales 17 -lOS-AS. .morrhua, 18. 



i2. Sides with transverse or obliquish crossbars (may be broken up 



more or less in E. moara) . 



IK Body reddish brown, crossed by 6 broad obliquish bars of 



darker, the bars usually broken up more or less, so as to 



produce the effect of a marbled pattern; dorsal XI, 14 



or 15; scales 12-10-5-40 mmra, 19. 



P. Body gray with yellow spots on head and body, and with 

 fins broadly edged with yellow; preserved specimens 

 showing on each side 5 obliquely transverse bars of 

 dark color; dorsal XI, 15 or 16; scales 18-94-38; point of 

 opercular flap nearer lateral line than base of pectoral. 



awoara, 20. 

 e2. Posterior nostrils conspicuously larger than anterior; inferior margin of 

 preopercle with one or two downwardly directed points, set at some 

 distance from the teeth of the angle; interorbital bridge more elevated 

 than in other Japanese species of Epinephelus, sides with 7 or 8 vertical 

 cross bands, the last one (on caudal peduncle) very dark above; a dark 

 mustache-like streak under back of maxillary; dorsal XI, 14 or 15; 

 scales 18-110-44. Pyloric cseca in increased number (Schistorus Gill). 



septemfasciatus, 21. 



&2. Teeth in sides of mandibles in 3 rows; color red (straw in spirits), each side with 

 4 or 5 indistinct dark red vertical bands, and with 2 longitudinal rows of elongate 

 whitish or silvery blotches (each blotch within the corresponding transverse 

 band); each of the membranes of spinous dorsal tipped with a conspicuous 

 triangular patch of black; dorsal XI, 15 or 16; scales U-10S-3S.tsirimenara, 22. 



