﻿512 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUAI vol. 102 



8ff. Dorsal with 14 soft rays ; a dark band as wide as pupil extending 

 back from eye to opercular edge ; no vertical dark bars on body ; 

 nasal cirrus about a third the diameter of eye in length ; mem- 

 brane from last dorsal ray covering first 3 or 4 small caudal 

 shorter than postorbital length of head by about one-third 

 the diameter of eye (Solomon Islands). 



Ecsenius pro-oculis, new species 

 8b. Dorsal with 13 soft rays ; dark band from eye extending beyond 

 opercular edge onto body to a vertical from middle of spinous 

 dorsal; 8 or 9 narrow, dark, vertical bars on body extend- 

 ing to base of dorsal, where 2 or 3 may be divided ; nasal 

 cirrus about half the diameter of eye in length ; membrane of 

 last dorsal ray not covering first few caudal rays; pectoral 

 shorter than head by less than half the diameter of eye ; pelvics 

 longer than postorbital length of head by nearly half the 

 diameter of eye (Marshall Islands). 



Ecsenius opsifrontalis, new species 



3b. Nasal cirrus always double, ventral one may be bifid or double; dorsal 



with 16 to 20 soft rays ; anal with 19 to 21 soft rays. 



9a. Head and anterior part of body evenly dark with no markings ; posterior 



part of body and adjacent vertical fins often abruptly pale (bright 



golden in life) with no markings. 



10a. Dorsal with 16 of 17 soft rays ; anal with 18 to 20 soft rays (eastern 



Indian Ocean; Christmas Island; Timor; New Herbrides Islands). 



Ecsenius bicolor (Day) 

 10&. Doi'sal wth 20 soft rays; anal with 21 soft rays (Formosa). 



Ecsenius namiyei (Jordan and Evermann) 



9b. Middle of side of body with 5 to 7 short but distinct white bars evenly 



spaced; a dark spot behind eye; middle caudal fin rays dusky to 



blackish ; body plain olive to light greenish brown, undersides pale 



olive Ecsenius hawaiiensis, new species 



ECSENIUS FRONTALIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



Balarias frontalis CrmEK and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons, 

 vol. 11, p. 328, 1836 (type locality, Massuah, Red Sea). — GtJNxHEK, Catalogue 

 of the fishes in the British Museum, vol. 3, p. 245, 1861 (In synonymy of 

 f8. fuscus). — Bamber, .Tourn. Linn. Soc, vol. 31, p. 484, pi. 46, fig. 1, 1915 

 (Suakim, Red Sea). 



SpecimeMS. — ^Three specimens, 37 to 49 mm. long, from Baie de 

 Djibouti, Gravier (in a jar with specimen of Enchelywrus) ., labeled as 

 Balarias fuscus)., P. M. 04.318; 1 specimen, 52 mm. long, collected by 

 Crossland in Red Sea, B. M. 1915.10.25.9. 



Description. — Dorsal rays XII,19; anal 11,20; pectoral 15; pelvic 

 1,3. 



Nasal cirrus single and simple, on level with upper level of pupil, 

 lanceolate, nearly as long as eye diameter ; snout vertical or somewhat 

 projecting; one or two tiny canines below on either side; depth 4.8 

 to 5.4, head 3.6 to 4.4. both in standard length ; dorsal spines and rays 



