142 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



Species numerous in the Philippines, most of them confined to 

 a single lake, river system, or watershed. 



Hitherto known only from the type species from Samoa. 



Key to the Philippine species of Vaimosa. 



a\ Scales, 26 to 30; 6 to 10 large scales before first dorsal. 



6. 1 Body and head much compressed laterally, as in the Apogonichthyidae ; 

 first dorsal with a clear band across middle; males with very large 



mouth and maxillary greatly lengthened backward V. dispar. 



b 2 . Body of ordinary goby shape. 

 c 1 . Mouth very large, extending beyond eye, both sexes with maxillary 



extending to posterior angle of preopercle V. macrognathos. 



c 1 . Mouth of ordinary size or small, the maxillary not lengthened back- 

 ward. 

 F. Mouth inferior, snout more or less protuberant. 



e l . First dorsal with a basal black spot between fifth and sixth 



spines; no circular black spots on caudal base V. microstomia. 



e 2 . First dorsal with a black spot at top between fifth and sixth 



spines; two conspicuous circular black spots on base of 



caudal - _ _. V. piapensis. 



<P. Jaws equal, mouth not inferior. 



/*. First dorsal deep black except first spine on anterior basal 

 part; opercle with a black spot divided by a white or pale 



diagonal bar V. rivalis. 



/*. First dorsal and opercle not as above. 



g 1 . No longitudinal bands; a median lateral row of large black 

 spots; first dorsal all black or golden whitish with a 

 large black spot between fifth and sixth spines. 



V. bikolana. 



g 1 . Body with one or more prominent black or dark brown lon- 

 gitudinal bands or lines. 



h 1 . A black bar on middle of side, from shoulder to base of 

 caudal; first dorsal clear with a black blotch on upper 



posterior or central part V. sapanga. 



h*. Four dark brown lateral lines from head to tail, inclosing 

 whitish spots separated by crosslines; a row of six dark 

 brown rectangular spots between the middle lines. 



V. tessellata. 

 a*. Thirty-eight scales; 18 very small scales before first dorsal.... V. villa. 



61. VAIMOSA DISPAR (Peters) 



Gobius dispar PETERS, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin (1868) 263. 



Bicol name, irin-irin. 



Dorsal VI, 1-7 ; anal I, 7 ; there are 28 to 30 scales in a longi- 

 tudinal series, 8 in a transverse series, and 10 before the first 

 dorsal. 



The body much compressed laterally, with arched back and 

 convex dorsal profile, the depth 3 to 3.5 in males, 3.6 to 4.25 in 

 females; the head laterally compressed, pointed when viewed 



