NO. 1541. FISHES FROM RIU KIU ISLANDS— JORDAN AND STARKS. 497 



all other res])ects it agrees very well with Giinther's description. In 

 GircUa zonata, the opercle is said to be naked, with scales on its npjier 

 margin only, the usnal condition in the genus GireUa. 



Mr. C. Tate Regan, at our request, has examined the type of Girella 

 zonata in the British Museum, as also two young examples of the same 

 species from Porto Grande, vSt. A'lncent, collected by the Travailleur 

 and Talisman. 



These agree with Dr. Giinther's account, having scales, comparable 

 to those on the cheeks, on the upper part of the opercle only. The 

 rest of the opercle is covered by smooth skin, in which minute rudi- 

 mentary scales can be detected. 



Givella zonata is therefore a species distinct from Girelki mezina, 

 and its habitat is in the eastern Atlantic. 



The Japanese species may be distinguished by the following:^ 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



a. Opercles naked, except for a band of scales al)ove; no white cross band; lob^s of 



caudal acute. 



b. Dorsal species XV; scales about 8-52 to 53-17; color not very dark, a dark spot 



at the base of each scale along side of body; edge of opercle pale . .punctata. 



bb. Dorsal species XIV; scales about 10-62-18, besides smaller ones; color very 



dark; no distinct spots at base of scales; edge of opercle dusky leonina. 



aa. Opercles fully scaled; scales about 8-50-17; dorsal species XIV; body rather 

 deep; color brown, with a darker spot at base of each scale; a conspicuous 

 cross bar of yellowish white on middle of body extending nearly to vent; lobes 

 of caudal bluntish mezina. 



Fig. ,3.— Girella mezina. 



Girella^ mezina is here described from a specimen 150 mm. in 

 length taken at Naha, and presented by the Imperial University. 

 It is numbered 9985, Stanford University. Mejina or Mejinadai 

 is the vernacular name of Girella punctata in Japan. 



