622 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
VOL. XXIV. 
Body thick-8et, elongate, the caudal peduncle deep; head with a hump, 
wnall on yoiuiger specimens, increasing greati}" with age, on the anterior 
part of interorbital space. Snout sharp, jaws equal. Teeth in two series, 
those of the inner jaw coalesced to form a narrow sharp-edged ridge in 
each jaw, the ridge smooth in the upper jaw, strongly serrated in the 
lower; the outer row representixl l)y 4 strong, fang-like teeth al)ov^o 
and below, the inner ones of the upper jaw larger than the outer, the 
reverse l^eing the case in the lower jaw. Pseudobranchia' large; gill- 
rakers short, blunt, 'o -\- 10 on first arch. Posterior edge of preopercle 
very tineh^ serrated. Scales not extending on bases of dorsal and anal 
fins; scales of head very small, or 7 rows on cheek, the interorbital 
area, snout, chin, and a narrow space along edge of preopercle naked. 
Lateral line complete, evenly curved, there being no abrupt bend 
below base of soft dorsal. Dorsal spines low, the longest 3 in head, 
the membranes deeply incised, the thickened portion around each 
spine extending a short distance above point of spine; seventh ray 
Fig. 4. — Semicossyphi's reticulatus (very young). 
longest, about 2 in head. Second anal spine 5i in head, longest anal 
ray 2^. Pectoral If in head; ventral If, reaching but little over half 
way from its base to the vent. 
In spirits the scales each have a dusky vertical band near the base 
which shows through the overlying scale; soft dorsal, anal and caudal 
mostl}^ black; ventrals and axil of pectoral dusky; a narrow light 
band extends along the side of body. In life, crimson reddish, the 
young with a whitish or pink lateral stripe, the dark spots as above 
described. 
The above description is of a specimen 250 millimeters long from 
Wakanoura. 
With increasing age the black spots of the fins almost entirely dis- 
appear, the hump on the interorbital I'egion assumes large proportions, 
in one specimen being about 300 millimeters above the skull, the lat- 
eral teeth of each jaw become more distinct and prominent, the serra- 
tions of the preopeix'le disappear, while the narrow pink lateral stripe 
