﻿FISHES, GENUS ECSENIUS — CHAPMAN AND SCHULTZ 513 



of same height, with no trace of notch, the fin ascending gradually 

 to greatest height in middle of soft dorsal; last ray with its tip free 

 from membrane binding it to caudal peduncle, the membrane not 

 covering first small caudal rays; caudal truncate, upper and lower 

 two rays extended out from level of fin ; anal with tip of last ray free 

 from membrane; pectoral extending back to anal insertion; pelvics 

 are equal to two-thirds the postorbital length of head. 



Coloration. — Male: Color of head, body and vertical fins a rich 

 uniform brown with no marldngs and the abdomen only a little more 

 pale than the rest of body; peritoneum black; anterior top edge of 

 spinous dorsal white ; caudal somewhat dusky in the two larger males ; 

 pectorals pale and clear. Female : As male, except caudal clear. 



Remarkfi. — The four specimens listed are without doubt the Sdlat'ias 

 frontalh of Cuvior and Valenciennes. Except for the lack of mark- 

 ings, the higher pectoral count, and the single nasal cirrus this species 

 resembles E. hicolor, and it should be considered the Red Sea cognate 

 of that species. 



ECSENIUS GRAVIERI (Pellegrin) 



Salarias grameri Pellegkin, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, vol. 12, p. 93, 1906 

 (type locality, Djibouti). 



Specimen. — One male, 53 mm. long, collected by Gravier in Baie de 

 Djibouti, the type of the species. P. M. 04-319. 



Description. — Dorsal rays XII,18; anal 11,20; pectoral 15; pelvic 

 1,3. 



Nasal cirrus single and simple, no longer than diameter of pupil; 

 snout vertical or forehead somewhat projecting; one or two tiny 

 canines on either side below; depth 4.8, head 3.5, both in standard 

 length ; all dorsal spines except first excised, the first few to a third 

 their depth; shallow notch between the spinous and soft dorsal, the 

 last spine short and hidden in basal membranes; only tips of soft 

 dorsal free; all caudal rays excised at tips, but upper and lower two 

 principal rays extended by a length equal to two-thirds the length of 

 the middle rays; dorsal and anal attached to caudal peduncle, the 

 membranes reaching to, but not over, first small rays of caudal. 



Coloration. — Male : Except for a few scattered black specks on the 

 upper part of the caudal peduncle the body and head are pale tan 

 with no markings; peritoneum black; a jet black band running along 

 base of both dorsals, as wide as eye diameter; outer part of fin per- 

 fectly clear and unmarked; a few scattered black specks on base of 

 caudal ; top and bottom of caudal jet black to end of long rays ; rest of 

 fin hyaline ; anal and paired fins colorless. Female : None available. 



Remarks. — This species is closely related to E. frontalis (from the 

 same locality) , but the character of the dorsal and the striking color 

 pattern seem to set it oil clearly. This can scarcely be an older male 



