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  GOATFISH 
  GENUS 
  UPENEUS 
  — 
  LACHNER 
  507 
  

  

  caudal 
  peduncle 
  16; 
  scales 
  ctenoid 
  with 
  4 
  to 
  7 
  radii; 
  lateral 
  line 
  

   complete; 
  first 
  elongate 
  spine 
  of 
  first 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  flexible; 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  

   of 
  barbel, 
  less 
  than 
  one-third 
  its 
  total 
  length, 
  rigid 
  at 
  base. 
  

  

  Questionable 
  species 
  

  

  I 
  place 
  two 
  nominal 
  species 
  in 
  a 
  doubtful 
  status, 
  Upeneoides 
  sun- 
  

   daicus 
  Bleeker 
  (1855, 
  p. 
  411; 
  1877, 
  pi. 
  (4) 
  394, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  and 
  Upeneus 
  

   taeniopterus 
  Cuvier 
  and 
  Valenciennes 
  (1829, 
  p. 
  451, 
  type 
  locality 
  

   Trinquemale, 
  Ceylon). 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  highly 
  possible 
  that 
  U. 
  sundaicus 
  Bleeker 
  may 
  be 
  represented 
  

   by 
  either 
  U. 
  tragula 
  or 
  luzonius. 
  Bleeker's 
  specimens 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  

   the 
  East 
  Indies 
  where 
  both 
  tragula 
  and 
  luzonius 
  occur. 
  Weber 
  and 
  

   de 
  Beaufort 
  (1931, 
  pp. 
  370-371) 
  saw 
  one 
  of 
  Bleeker's 
  specimens 
  but 
  

   their 
  account, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  part, 
  was 
  extracted 
  from 
  Bleeker. 
  The 
  

   account 
  of 
  sundaicus 
  by 
  Herre 
  and 
  Montalban 
  (1928, 
  p. 
  98) 
  was 
  

   "compiled 
  from 
  Bleeker, 
  and 
  Evermann 
  and 
  Scale" 
  (1907, 
  p. 
  88). 
  

   Fowler's 
  account 
  (1933, 
  p. 
  323) 
  was 
  also 
  compiled 
  from 
  Bleeker. 
  

   Examination 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  reported 
  by 
  Evermann 
  and 
  Seale 
  as 
  

   sundaicus 
  (orig. 
  No. 
  3201, 
  USNM 
  56138) 
  revealed 
  a 
  large, 
  very 
  poorly 
  

   preserved 
  specimen 
  of 
  luzonius. 
  U. 
  luzonius 
  usually 
  has 
  weakly 
  

   developed 
  bars 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  caudal 
  lobe 
  while 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  

   may 
  be 
  completely 
  obscure. 
  Three 
  dark 
  saddles 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  are 
  

   often 
  completely 
  faded. 
  Such 
  specimens, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  large 
  faded 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  tragula, 
  could 
  easily 
  have 
  been 
  involved 
  in 
  Bleeker's 
  

   illustration. 
  Yet, 
  there 
  still 
  is 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  

   species 
  unknown 
  to 
  us. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  method 
  of 
  solving 
  this 
  problem 
  

   at 
  present. 
  Intensive 
  collecting 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  Indies 
  Islands, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   study, 
  is 
  necessary. 
  The 
  characters 
  listed 
  for 
  sundaicus 
  by 
  Bleeker 
  

   and 
  Weber 
  and 
  de 
  Beaufort 
  (dorsal 
  spines 
  VIII, 
  the 
  first 
  spine 
  minute, 
  

   "gillrakers 
  13 
  + 
  3," 
  barbels 
  reaching 
  "hindborder 
  of 
  preoperculum") 
  

   clearly 
  relate 
  it 
  with 
  tragula 
  and 
  luzonius. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  vertical 
  

   scale 
  rows 
  that 
  they 
  report, 
  33 
  to 
  35, 
  is 
  higher 
  than 
  in 
  these 
  species, 
  

   but 
  this 
  m.ay 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  methods 
  of 
  counting. 
  Only 
  the 
  

   bars 
  on 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin 
  illustrated 
  by 
  Bleeker 
  are 
  unique 
  but 
  these 
  

   may 
  be 
  highly 
  diagrammatic. 
  Therefore, 
  sundaicus 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  syno- 
  

   nym 
  of 
  tragula, 
  may 
  replace 
  luzonius, 
  or 
  may 
  represent 
  a 
  distinct 
  

   species. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  questionable 
  form, 
  Upeneus 
  taeniopterus, 
  known 
  only 
  

   by 
  the 
  type 
  specimen, 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  having 
  seven 
  dorsal 
  spines, 
  

   each 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  with 
  thi-ee 
  bars, 
  each 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin 
  with 
  six 
  

   oblique 
  bars, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  triangular 
  reddish 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin. 
  

   Day 
  (1876, 
  p. 
  122) 
  reported 
  on 
  the 
  faded 
  type 
  and 
  Fowler 
  (1928, 
  p. 
  

   227; 
  1933, 
  p. 
  327) 
  repeated 
  Day. 
  Steindachner 
  (1901, 
  p. 
  487) 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  two 
  specimens 
  from 
  Honolulu, 
  but 
  he 
  probably 
  had 
  U. 
  arge, 
  

   the 
  only 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands 
  to 
  date. 
  

  

  