THE GIANT BASS OF JAPAN. 



B}^ David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder, 



Of Stanford University, California. 



On the coasts of Japan are found two species of bass- like fishes, each 

 reaching- a huge size and comparable to the inunense fishes known as 

 jew-fishes on the coast of the United States. These species are the 

 Ishinagi (stone-bass) or O'uwo (giant fish), Stereolepis ifichinagi, 

 i^ — Megaperca isehinagi Hilgendorf), and the Abural)odzu (fat-priest) 

 {Erilepis zonifer Lockington = ^^/.y?As- mgainlKs Jordan and Snyder). 

 The first species belongs to the famil}^ Serranida\ the other to the 

 famil}' Anoplopomatidt\?, the two being not at all related. The 

 accompanying plates are by ]Mr. W^illiam S. Atkinson. 



I. STEREOLYPIS ISCHINAGI (Hilgendorf). 



Megaperca isdiinagi Hilgendorf, Sitz, Naturf, Freunde, Berlin, 1S78, p. 156 

 (Tokyo). — Steindachner and Doderlein, Fische Jaijans, I, 18S.S, j). 228, 

 pj. Ill, fig. 3 (Tokyo). — Jordan and Snyder, Check-List Fishes Japan, 

 1900, p. 73 ( Yokohama). — Jord.\n and Snyder, Proe. U. S. Nat. Mns., XXU J, 

 1900 (July 2, 1901), p. 354 (Tokyo). 



Head, 2fV in length to base of caudal; depth, 2f ; depth of caudal 

 peduncle, 8i; snout, 3| in head; maxillary, 2i; eye, 5; width of intei-- 

 orbital space, 4; D. XII, 11; A. Ill, 7; scales, 14-87-31. 



Interorbital space flat; lower jaw projecting; preorbital and subor- 

 bital with strong ridges, the suborbital ridges uniting to form a single 

 crest, which extends upward behind the eye; lips thick; maxillary 

 extending to a point below posterior edge of orbit, its upper edge cov- 

 ered anteriorly by the preorbital; supplemental maxillary distinct, its 

 lower edge with a pronounced ridge. Teeth in broad villiform bands 

 on jaws, vomer, palatines, and upper and lower pharyngeals; tongue 

 smooth. Large pseudobranchite present; gillrakers, 3+8, large and 

 strong. Opercle with 2 spines, the upper short and broad, the lower 

 longer and more pointed; preopercle strongly serrate; subopercle with 

 a few serrations; edge of interopercle rough; throat, snout and top of 

 head naked; occipital and parietak with a few strong radiating lidges, 

 which show through the naked skin; cheeks and opercles scaly; scales 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum. Vol. XXX-No. 1476. 



841 



