﻿510 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  io3 
  

  

  (25) 
  ; 
  scale 
  rows 
  above 
  lateral 
  line 
  3 
  (7) 
  ; 
  scale 
  rows 
  below 
  lateral 
  line 
  

   6.1: 
  6 
  to 
  7 
  (15); 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  gillrakers 
  25.0: 
  23 
  to 
  27 
  (38); 
  length 
  

   of 
  longest 
  raker 
  in 
  longest 
  filament 
  about 
  1.1 
  to 
  1.3 
  (6). 
  

  

  Peritoneum 
  brown 
  to 
  blackish; 
  preorbital 
  scales 
  present; 
  barbels 
  

   long, 
  extending 
  beyond 
  preopercular 
  margin, 
  barbel 
  length 
  in 
  percent 
  

   of 
  head 
  length 
  64 
  to 
  84 
  (35) 
  ; 
  first 
  dorsal 
  spine 
  longest. 
  

  

  Color 
  in 
  alcohol. 
  — 
  Head 
  and 
  body 
  uniform 
  tan 
  to 
  brown 
  above 
  and 
  

   light 
  tan 
  below; 
  some 
  dusky 
  pigmentation 
  on 
  outer 
  portion 
  of 
  soft 
  

   dorsal 
  fin 
  in 
  larger 
  specimens 
  and 
  two 
  faint, 
  dusky, 
  horizontal 
  bars 
  

   sometimes 
  seen 
  in 
  smaller 
  ones, 
  40 
  to 
  60 
  mm. 
  in 
  length; 
  lower 
  lobe 
  of 
  

   caudal 
  fin 
  dusky, 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  rays 
  transparent 
  to 
  light 
  tan, 
  the 
  

   smaller 
  specimens 
  have 
  a 
  lengthwise 
  dusky 
  streak 
  through 
  middle 
  

   portion 
  of 
  lobe; 
  3 
  faint 
  oblique 
  brownish 
  to 
  dusky 
  bars 
  on 
  upper 
  lobe 
  

   in 
  larger 
  specimens 
  and 
  2 
  bars 
  in 
  smaller 
  ones 
  about 
  40 
  mm. 
  in 
  length; 
  

   remainder 
  of 
  fins 
  transparent 
  to 
  uniform 
  light 
  tan. 
  

  

  Geographical 
  distribution. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  from 
  the 
  

   East 
  African 
  coast 
  eastward 
  through 
  the 
  East 
  Indies 
  and 
  Philippines, 
  

   and 
  northward 
  to 
  Formosa, 
  east 
  China, 
  Ryukyu 
  Islands, 
  and 
  southern 
  

   Japan. 
  It 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  reported 
  from 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Oceania. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  — 
  There 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  suspect 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  

   species 
  was 
  involved 
  in 
  certain 
  literature 
  references 
  to 
  this 
  species. 
  

   Day 
  (1876, 
  p. 
  121, 
  pi. 
  30, 
  fig. 
  5) 
  gives 
  a 
  high 
  pectoral 
  fin 
  ray 
  (15) 
  and 
  

   lateral 
  line 
  scale 
  count 
  (32 
  to 
  34), 
  shows 
  4 
  oblique 
  bars 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  

   lobe 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin, 
  and 
  2 
  rows 
  of 
  red 
  spots 
  

   on 
  the 
  body. 
  These 
  are 
  not 
  characteristic 
  of 
  bensasi. 
  Day 
  listed 
  

   and 
  illustrated 
  7 
  spines 
  on 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fin. 
  His 
  account 
  may 
  include 
  

   or 
  represent 
  an 
  undescribed 
  species 
  related 
  to 
  bensasi 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  species 
  

   of 
  the 
  vittatus 
  group 
  (vittatus, 
  sulphureus, 
  moluccensis) 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  account 
  by 
  Snyder 
  (1907, 
  p. 
  97, 
  fig. 
  3) 
  agrees 
  with 
  our 
  speci- 
  

   mens, 
  especially 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  dorsal 
  spines 
  (7) 
  and 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  bars 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  of 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin. 
  His 
  description 
  

   of 
  color 
  in 
  life 
  is 
  contradictory 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Day 
  (1876) 
  and 
  Smith 
  

   (1949, 
  p. 
  229, 
  pi. 
  27, 
  fig. 
  562). 
  Fowler 
  (1933, 
  p. 
  321, 
  fig. 
  27) 
  and 
  

   Smith 
  (op. 
  cit.) 
  list 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  dorsal 
  spines 
  as 
  variable, 
  5 
  to 
  8 
  and 
  

   6 
  to 
  8 
  respectively, 
  but 
  each 
  figure 
  a 
  specimen 
  with 
  7 
  spines, 
  the 
  first 
  

   small 
  spine, 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  vittatus 
  and 
  tragula 
  group, 
  being 
  absent. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Western 
  Indo-Pacific 
  (East 
  Africa, 
  India) 
  this 
  species 
  may 
  

   be 
  represented 
  by 
  another 
  form 
  entirely 
  distinct 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Philippine- 
  Jap 
  an 
  area. 
  U. 
  bensasi 
  was 
  not 
  listed 
  by 
  Herre 
  and 
  

   Montalban 
  (1928) 
  nor 
  by 
  Weber 
  and 
  de 
  Beaufort 
  (1931). 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  barbel 
  compared 
  with 
  body 
  length 
  in 
  four 
  size- 
  

   groups 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  table 
  6. 
  The 
  data 
  are 
  too 
  meager 
  to 
  conclude 
  

   that 
  any 
  appreciable 
  differences 
  exist. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  population 
  di- 
  

   vergence 
  indicated 
  from 
  an 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  gillraker 
  and 
  vertical 
  

   scale 
  counts 
  separated 
  by 
  geographical 
  localities. 
  

  

  