Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1829 



I. SPECIES RELATED TO SEBASTODES MELANOPS AND S. OVALIS, FROM THE NORTHERN 



SHORES OF JAPAN. 



a. SEBASTODES IXERMIS (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



(ME WARU.) 



Head very slightly more than depth; depth 2| to 3. D. XIII, 15; A. Ill, 7; lateral 

 line 38 to 42 (pores). Nasal, preocular, postocular, tympanic, and parietal spines present, all 

 rudimentary. Upper profile of head rising rather rapidly, without curving, to the slightly 

 curved nape. Head pointed forward. Lower jaw projecting, with symphyseal knob. Orbit 

 rather more than 3 to 3g ; snout (to tip of chin) 2| to 2| ; interorbital space 4 to 4^ in head. 

 Mouth oblique. Maxillary reaching middle of eye or a little beyond. Teeth in narrow 

 bands on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Preorbital low, with 2 strong spines directed back- 

 ward. Maxillary and mandible scaly. Upper outline of spinous dorsal quite strongly 

 curved; fifth and sixth spines nearly \ as long as head, first spine but little more than 

 J orbit, the twelfth about equal to snout. Ventrals about 2f, pectoral about 1, caudal 

 about Ig in head ; ventrals reaching nearly as far back as longest pectoral rays, in some 

 cases nearly to origin of anal; second anal spine stronger, sometimes a little shorter, 

 sometimes a little longer than third; caudal nearly truncate. Maxillary extremely 

 weakly scaled; mandible (*tc/), snout, and preorbital scaleless. Lateral line parallel with 

 dorsal outline, 38 to 42 pores on body, 2 on caudal. Blackish gray or reddish violet, paler 

 below. Abundant at Tokio. (Steindachner & Doderlein.) 



Sebastes inermis, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 346, 1829, Japan (inter- 

 orbital space not concave); GUNTHER, Cat., n, 97, I860; HILGBNDORF, Sitz.-Bericht. 

 Gesell. naturf. Freunde, Berlin, 172, 1880 ; STEINDACHNER & DODERLEIN, Denkschr. 

 Akad. AYiss. Wien 1884, 205. 



b. SEBASTODES YEXTRICOSUS (Temminck & Schlegel). 



Upper surface of head flat, the ridges and spines very feeble ; interorbital width 5 in 

 head; lower jaw acutely prominent; maxillary reaching middle of eye. Fourth dorsal 

 spine longest, nearly \ length of head, much longer than third anal spine. Brownish. 

 Sea of Japan. (Giinther.) 



Hilgendorf regards S. ventricotus as identical with S. inermis, Cuvier & Valenciennes ; 

 but it appears to be distinct. 



Sebastes ventricosus, TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL, Fauna Japon., Poiss., 48, pi. xx, figs. 1, 2, 

 1842; BLEEKEB, Verhand. Batav. Genootsch., xxvi, 80 ; GUNTHER, Cat., n, 97, 1860. 



c. SEBASTODES JOYNERI (Giinther). 



(TOKENOKO ME WARU.) 



Head 3 to 3; depth 3. D. XIII, 14 or 15; A. Ill, 7; P. 16 (V) ; lateral line about 42 to 

 49 (pores) . Orbit 3 ; snout and interorbital width more than 3| in head. Mouth moderate, 

 oblique; projecting lower jaw with symphyseal knob. Teeth delicate, sharp, in narrow 

 bands. Maxillary not quite reaching middle of eye. Preorbital low (broad?) with 2 

 strong spines directed downward and backward. First (uppermost) spine of preopercle 

 a little weaker than the fifth; second longest, the others decreasing rapidly in length. 

 Opercular spines parallel, the upper stronger. Maxillary, under side of lower jaw, as in 

 S. inertnis. Preorbital and greater part of snout (nearly whole head except lips) scaled. 

 Pores of lower jaw inconspicuous. Fourth to sixth dorsal spines longest, 2 in head; sec- 

 ond anal spine stronger but equal to third in length, 2 in head. Pectoral somewhat 

 pointed toward tip, as long as or only a little shorter than head, reaching beyond vent or 

 even to origin of anal. Ventral and caudal 1J in head, the latter slightly concave; basal 

 half of spinous dorsal with minute scales ; whole of soft dorsal, anal, and caudal com- 

 pletely scaled. Color in life (Doderlein), red, darker on the back; 5 blackish cross 



