VAIMOSA 145 



27 or even 26 in longitudinal series, and the number before the 

 first dorsal may be as few as 6. All, however, show the marked 

 sexual dimorphism of the mouth. 



62. VAIMOSA MACROGNATHOS sp. nor. 



PLATE 10, FIG. 2 



Dorsal VI, 1-7 ; anal I, 6 ; there are 24 scales in a longitudinal 

 series, 8 in a transverse series, and 7 before the first dorsal. 



The body compressed laterally, the back arched, highest at 

 first dorsal, the ventral line nearly straight, the depth 4.3 to 4.5 

 times in the length; the head rather large, blunt, broader than 

 body tiut deeper than wide, 2.95 to 3 times in length; the snout 

 blunt, rather narrow, convex, 4.3 to 5 times in head and equal 

 to eye ; the eyes high up, oblique, dorsolateral, the gaze directed 

 partly upward as well as sideways; the interorbital about 2.3 

 to 2.4 times in eye ; the very large, oblique mouth terminal, with 

 protractile upper lip, the long sloping chin prominent but not 

 projecting, the gape extending beyond eye and the angle of maxil- 

 lary extending on preopercle nearly to its lower posterior angle ; 

 the upper jaw has an outer row of enlarged, curved, pointed teeth 

 and two inner rows of very minute teeth ; on the inner jaw are 

 three or four rows of teeth, some of them enlarged and hooked, 

 especially the outer and inner rows ; the body covered with large 

 scales, becoming smaller before first dorsal but the central ones 

 largest anteriorly; about five scales on opercle; the dorsals 

 rather far apart, the first spine of first dorsal elongate with 

 delicate threadlike tip, extending to second or third ray of second 

 dorsal when depressed, 0.7 to more than 0.9 the length of head ; 

 the second dorsal and anal short, of similar outline, rather high, 

 the posterior rays longest and sometimes touching base of caudal 

 when depressed, their height about the same, 1.46 to 1.75 times 

 in head ; the caudal peduncle long, its depth 1.75 to 2 times in its 

 length and 2.6 times in head ; the caudal pointed, a little shorter 

 than head; the pectoral broadly pointed, 1.3 to 1.45 in head; the 

 ventrals pointed, with incised margin, the frenum comparatively 

 large and thick, 1.3 to 1.4 in head, reaching the small anal pa- 

 pilla; this is thin and triangular in males, cylindrical and short 

 in females. 



The color in alcohol yellowish gray, the upper half more or 

 less dusky, with traces of obscure, short, dark crossbands over 

 the back, and a broad blackish band from beneath pectoral to 

 base of caudal, and often extended upon it along its lower half ; 

 the sides of head covered with broad curved bands of dark olive 



