ELEOTRIS 31 



length 2.85 to 3 times in length, its breadth three-fourths of 

 or equal to its own length; the snout short and blunt, its length 

 4 to 4.4 times in head; the eyes small but conspicuous, lateral 

 but very high up, 6 to 6.8 times in head, 1.4 to 1.6 in snout, 

 and 1.8 to 2 times in the depressed interorbital space; the mouth 

 rather large, very oblique, with a strongly projecting lower jaw 

 which extends to upper profile; the maxillary usually extends 

 nearly or quite to front margin of eye, but sometimes may 

 reach to below middle of pupil. The minute, sharp-pointed 

 teeth in bands of several rows; those in outer row in upper 

 jaw widely spaced and twice as large as those behind them; 

 in lower jaw usually a few enlarged ones at front of outer row 

 and farther back a few scattered larger pointed teeth. There 

 is a furrow behind interorbital space which is continued back- 

 ward from behind eye above opercle to pectoral fin base. The 

 scales on sides of body ctenoid; from second dorsal forward to 

 snout the scales are cycloid, becoming smaller anteriorly; on 

 many specimens there are no scales forward of the rear fourth 

 of interorbital space; cycloid scales on breast and throat, pec- 

 toral bases, opercles, and more or less scattered over the pre- 

 opercles, their arrangement beneath the eyes varying greatly, 

 but this space largely naked on most of our specimens. On 

 sides of snout and below eyes are numerous raised lines of 

 minute warts, mostly radiating from the eyes, but with a few 

 cross lines; at lower angle of preopercle is a sharp downward- 

 curved spine, more or less concealed and less evident in the 

 larger specimens. 



Two living specimens from Pasig River, Manila, each with a 

 length of 130 millimeters, or 165 millimeters over all, were, 

 like many gobies, variable in color, changing according to en- 

 vironment or when much disturbed. Usually of a velvety black- 

 ish brown, when exposed to direct light they would change the 

 dorsal surface to light gray, slightly mottled with longitudinal 

 blackish streaks; if exposed to strong light the back and sides 

 would become dull gray all over, the longitudinal dark rows 

 along the sides more or less evident, according to the intensity of 

 the light. 



The color in alcohol varies from yellowish or pale brown to 

 blackish, each scale along the sides with a dark spot, the spots 

 forming longitudinal rows; all fins crossbarred with alternate 

 rows of dark and pale spots or irregular bars, though the mark- 

 ings usually disappear from the ventrals. 



