NO. 1254. GYMNODONT FISHES OF JAPAN— JORDAN AND SNYDER. 233 
(Id. Back and belly without prickles, or very nearly so; color plain brown above, 
without dark spots; sides silvery; lateral fold very distinct hiermis, 5. 
cc. Lateral fold obsolete; color i)lain I)rown, a dark blotch behind pectoral; skin 
without prickles ]>orp]iyr('us, 6. 
hli. Caudal fin subtruncate or rounded; dorsal and anal less falcate; lateral fold 
usually obscure. 
/. Spots or stripes on body blackish, distinctly darker than the ground 
color, and well defined. 
ff. Back and belly with strong prickles; region behind pectoral with 
a black blotch or biack streaks; form robust; ground color 
brownish, the fins reddish. 
i. Side of tail without dark horizontal stripes; a large l)lack ocellus 
behind pectoral, another at base of dorsal ruhripcx, 7. 
a. Side of tail with two or three black horizontal stripes; back 
plain or with dark blotches xantho]>ten(s, 8. 
gg. Back and belly without prickles; no distinct black l)lotch behind 
Ijectoral or at base of dorsal, the back and sides covered with 
round black spots; lateral fold evident. 
j. Caudal fin blackish, without bars or spots. 
k. Caudal fin rounded; spots on back sparse on a brow^iish 
ground color pardalis, 9. 
kk. Caudal fin truncate; spots on back close-set on a pale 
ground abbutti, 10. 
jj. Caudal fin barred, the l)ars formed of black spots on the rays; 
sides with a gray lateral band and large dark spots and 
venniculations above it exascurus, 11. 
If'. Spots on body pale, light gray, or white (sometimes forming vermicu- 
lations about the darker ground color); a large blackish blotch 
behind pectoral and another below dorsal. 
I. Back and belly distinctly prickly. 
m. Black blotch behind pectoral connected by an ocellated 
black bar over the back with its fellow . .ocellatm, 12. 
mm. Black blotch behind pectoral not connected with its 
fellow; back with spots and streaks of gray. 
alboplumbeus, 13. 
U. Back and belly without jarickles or very nearly so; pectoral 
blotches not connected. 
n. Spots on back mostly broader than the interspaces, 
dull gray in color. 
0. Pale spots vermiculate, irregular in form; bony 
interorbital broad, 2 J in head vermicularis, 14. 
00. Pale spots rounded in the young, becoming with 
age pale areas which coalesce about round spots 
of the olivaceous ground color; bony interorbital 
narrow, 3^ in head borealis, 15. 
nn. Spots on back pure white, sharply defined, mostly 
narrower than the interspaces niplioblc!^, 16. 
aa. Dorsal and anal short, rounded in outline, each of 6 to 10 rays; nostrils in a 
prominent tube; caudal rounded; no lateral fold. 
p. Spiieroides. Body above and below closely 
prickly; back with irregular dark blotches. 
ricJwl, 17. 
pp. LiosACCus. Body entirely smooth, back and sides 
chocolate brown, with irregular scattered black 
streaks and spots chrysops, 18. 
