﻿GOATFISH 
  GENUS 
  UPENEUS 
  — 
  LACHNER 
  501 
  

  

  between 
  color 
  of 
  peritoneum 
  and 
  number 
  of 
  gillrakers 
  (table 
  1) 
  for 
  

   the 
  Indo-Pacific 
  species 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  hold 
  when 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  species, 
  

   U. 
  'parvus, 
  is 
  included. 
  Indo-Pacific 
  species 
  with 
  the 
  peritoneum 
  

   light 
  colored 
  have 
  fewer 
  gillrakers 
  than 
  those 
  with 
  dark 
  peritoneal 
  

   linings. 
  

  

  The 
  COLOR 
  OF 
  THE 
  PERITONEUM 
  is 
  a 
  clcar-cut 
  character 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  and 
  specimens. 
  However, 
  certain 
  species 
  show 
  some 
  varia- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  iiitermediacy 
  and 
  these 
  may 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  evaluate, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  to 
  one 
  inexperienced 
  with 
  this 
  character. 
  Species 
  with 
  light 
  or 
  

   transparent 
  to 
  silvery 
  peritoneal 
  linings 
  may 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  scattered, 
  

   dark, 
  pepperlike 
  spots. 
  Species 
  with 
  peritoneum 
  colored 
  light 
  brown 
  

   to 
  blackish 
  may 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  have 
  a 
  silvery 
  cast 
  over 
  a 
  brownish 
  

   backgroimd. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  so 
  in 
  asymmetricus 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  

   small 
  specimens 
  of 
  bensasi. 
  

  

  A 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  rows 
  of 
  vertical 
  scales 
  in 
  253 
  

   specimens 
  and 
  scales 
  below 
  the 
  lateral 
  line 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  table 
  2. 
  The 
  

   low 
  intraspecific 
  variability 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  scale 
  rows 
  is 
  evident 
  in 
  

   that 
  the 
  range 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  five 
  for 
  any 
  species. 
  The 
  scales 
  ai'e 
  

   somewhat 
  deciduous 
  and 
  the 
  count 
  cannot 
  always 
  be 
  made. 
  Many 
  

   large 
  or 
  poorly 
  preserved 
  specimens 
  lack 
  some 
  or 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  scales. 
  

   The 
  number 
  of 
  scale 
  rows 
  has 
  been 
  widely 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  literature 
  as 
  a 
  

   diagnostic 
  character 
  but 
  interspecific 
  differences 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  com- 
  

   pared. 
  The 
  discrepancies 
  between 
  my 
  data 
  and 
  that 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  

   literature 
  may 
  in 
  part 
  be 
  associated 
  with 
  different 
  methods 
  of 
  making 
  

   this 
  count. 
  Others 
  are 
  not 
  explainable. 
  

  

  Life 
  colors 
  are 
  useful 
  in 
  the 
  identification 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  but 
  fade 
  in 
  

   preservation. 
  However, 
  certain 
  brown 
  to 
  black 
  stripes, 
  bars, 
  spots, 
  

   and 
  blotches 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  fins 
  persist 
  in 
  preservation 
  in 
  varying 
  

   intensities. 
  These 
  color 
  marks 
  are 
  extremely 
  valuable 
  in 
  distin- 
  

   guishing 
  certain 
  species, 
  especially 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oblique 
  bars 
  on 
  the 
  

   upper 
  lobe, 
  lower 
  lobe, 
  or 
  both 
  lobes 
  of 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin. 
  In 
  some 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  bars 
  increases 
  with 
  growth, 
  whereas 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  

   remains 
  constant. 
  The 
  variation 
  and 
  relationship 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   bars 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  size 
  of 
  body 
  for 
  three 
  species 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  table 
  3. 
  

   Failure 
  to 
  understand 
  this 
  character 
  by 
  various 
  authors 
  has 
  caused 
  

   considerable 
  confusion 
  in 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  species 
  (Fowler, 
  1918a, 
  

   p. 
  37, 
  fig. 
  15). 
  

  

  Average 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  barbel 
  show 
  differences 
  

   among 
  the 
  species, 
  but 
  great 
  overlaps 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  ranges 
  (table 
  1). 
  

   In 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  species 
  (sulphureus) 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   length 
  of 
  barbel 
  with 
  increase 
  in 
  length 
  of 
  body 
  (see 
  tables 
  6, 
  8, 
  9, 
  11). 
  

  

  Other 
  characters 
  such 
  as 
  depth 
  of 
  body, 
  length 
  of 
  head, 
  length 
  of 
  

   snout, 
  and 
  size 
  of 
  eye 
  were 
  investigated. 
  Although 
  small 
  average 
  

   differences 
  were 
  apparent 
  among 
  the 
  species, 
  they 
  were 
  too 
  insignif- 
  

  

  