NO. 1787. SCI^NOID FISHES OF JAPAN— JORDAN AND THOMPSON. 257 



Pectorals pointed, rather long, 4 in body, H in head, sixth and sev- 

 enth rays longest. Ventrals 2^ in depth, 1^ in pectorals; caudal 

 evenly rounded, about two-thirds length of head. 



Lateral line without angle over base of anal, curving down from 

 anterior end somewhat more strongly than line of back, then becom- 

 ing gradually parallel to axis of body above anal, thence running on 

 middle of caudal peduncle to tip of caudal, its tubes prominent, 

 large, their branches small, usually one on each side, with many 

 subbranches. 



Scales present everywhere on body save lips and tip of snout; soft 

 dorsal and anal with small delicate scales from bases to tips; caudal 

 scales on basal third and on membranes to tip. Rows on body 

 oblique, that from scapular flap ending at eighth ray of soft dorsal. 

 Scales ctenoid on body, cycloid on head. 



Pores on snout five, one median, a pair on either side opening on 

 free edge of skin, the outermost in a slight emargination of the edge, 

 lobes not present. Pores indistinct on lower jaw, a central one 

 opposite symphysis and a pair just behind. 



Air bladder pointed posteriorly, with 25 or more lateral arborescent 

 appendages. 



Color uniformly dark above and on sides to level of middle rays of 

 pectoral, where it is sharply divided from clear silvery ventral sur- 

 face; lower edge of pigmented surface in perfectly straight line to 

 caudal, leaving lower third of caudal peduncle also clear and colorless. 

 Lines of deeper color running along base of dorsal, along edge of pre- 

 maxillaries, on upper and lower borders of orbits and narrowly along 

 edges of dorsals. Dorsal surface of head and snout darker, cheeks 

 silvery; a dark blotch, indistinctly limited on opercle, and one just 

 above axil of pectoral at bases of its upper rays. A dark indefinite 

 blotch behind last rays of dorsal, on upper surface of caudal peduncle. 

 Caudal somewhat dark, other fins clear and colorless save for slight 

 stippling of black on pectorals. Gill cavities black, mouth colorless, 

 peritoneum dark, sometimes nearly black. 



The following is a list of measurements of the type specimen, in 

 hundredths of body length: Length 240 mm. to last vertebra; head 

 30; depth 27; distance from anus to last vertebra 34; anus to ventrals 

 35; eye5i; snout?; maxillary 14; interorbital space 10; third dorsal 

 spine 14; longest dorsal ray 10; pectoral 25; second anal spine 4; 

 base of spiny dorsal 19, of soft dorsal 43, of anal 11. 



The type here figured is Cat. No. 67330, U.S.N.M. A cotype is 

 in Stanford University. 



It differs from the type of the subgenus Argyrosomus, and from all 

 the Japanese and most of the Chinese Sciaenidae in the scaly soft 

 dorsal fin. It may be made the type of a new subgenus Othonias, 

 distinguished from Argyrosomus by this character. 



Proc.N.M.vol.39— 10— 19 



