1<>() PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxiii 



Habitat. — Coral islands of the tropical Pacific, north to Yakushiina, 

 southern Japan. 



Head 2.75 in length; depth 2.75; 63^6 5.75 in head; snout 3; maxil- 

 Uuy 2.4; mandible 2.1; preorbital 4.8; interorbital 5.75; D. X, 11; 

 A. Ill, 6; scales 6-40-8; Br. 5. 



Body short and stout, moderately compressed; head heavy, longer 

 than deep; snout bluntly conic; mouth large, slightly oblique, the 

 jaws subequal; maxillary rather long, reaching middle of pupil; 

 patches of villiform teeth on vomer and palatines; tongue naked; jaws 

 with bands of villiform teeth, 2 or more enlarged canines in front of 

 upper jaw and about 4 somewhat longer canines on each side of lower 

 jaw; dorsal profile moderately arched, the curves strongest between 

 nape and origin of dorsal; eye moderate, high, the supraorbital rim 

 projecting strongly above the profile; interorbital concave; nostrils 

 moderate, nearly circular, close together, the anterior with a bushj- 

 filament about as long as diameter of pupil; origin of dorsal over base 

 of pectoral, its distance from snout equaling its base; dorsal spines 

 rather strong, fourth or fifth longest, about equaling snout; dorsal 

 rays about equal to length of spines a little greater than longest spine; 

 caudal truncate or slightly rounded when expanded; anal spines stout; 

 second and third about equal in length, a little shorter than snout; 

 anal rays moderately long, longest ray 2 in head; the 7 lowermost 

 rays of pectoral thick and free at the posterior ends, the sixth from 

 bottom longest, 1.8 in head or, measured from base of fin, 1.4 in 

 head; scales large, smooth, arranged somewhat irregularly; nape, 

 opercle, and breast with large scales; cheeks with very small scales, 

 rest of head naked; preopercle finely serrate; opercle ending in a soft 

 flap, projecting beyond a fiat obscure spine; gill-membranes broadly 

 connected across the isthmus. 



Color in life, body marbled and blotched with bluish olivaceous, 

 brownish and white, with numerous red spots of varying sizes, the 

 white appearing as 5 ill-defined vertical bars; head bluish white with 

 irregular lines of j^ellowish or orange brown, these palest on cheek; 

 lower jaw pale bl.ue with cross-markings of darker blue; base of 

 pectoral pale with yellowish-brown blotches; posterior portion of back 

 with 4 large reddish-brown blotches, the first under the last 2 dorsal 

 spines, the second under sixth and seventh dorsal rays, the third under 

 last dorsal rays, fourth on upper edge of caudal peduncle; spinous 

 dorsal pale-yellowish blue, crossed by 3 series of large orange-red 

 spots on the membranes, the uppermost series least complete; tips of 

 membrane of spinous dorsal whitish, above black blotches; soft dorsal 

 pinkish with a series of redder spots along the base; caudal pale 

 pinkish, crossed by about 4 series of bright blood-red blotches; anal 

 pale rosy, whitish at base, with 3 series blood-red blotches; an olive 



