162 GOBIES OP THE PHILIPPINES 



The elongate slender body laterally compressed, with a deep 

 flat caudal peduncle and a very large, wide, and long head which 

 is contained from 2.8 to 3.3 in length; the greatest depth from 

 5.2 to 5.6 times in length; the eyes partly superior and rather 

 small, less than an eye diameter apart, their length 6 to 8 times 

 in head and 2.5 to more than 3 times in snout, which is 3 or a 

 little more or less than 3 times in head ; the distance from tip of 

 snout to posterior margin of eye less than postorbital length of 

 head; the dorsal profile descends uniformly from first dorsal to 

 the tip of the smooth, convex snout, but in preserved specimens 

 the snout is usually flatter, with a hump near its tip; a bony 

 ridge begins at supraopercular groove and curves forward above 

 each eye, extending to region of nostrils; the naked inter- 

 orbital space is flat or slightly concave between the ridges, and 

 extends appreciably behind eyes; it contains a pore near the 

 center and another one a little behind each eye; the oblique 

 mouth large with strongly projecting lower jaw; the maxil- 

 lary extends backward as far as a point below front of eye or 

 even to front margin of pupil; in both jaws the outer row of 

 teeth is fixed, large, strong, and caninelike; then follow several 

 rows of fine, sharp, depressible teeth, the innermost one much 

 larger than the others ; at the sides these disappear, leaving only 

 the outer and inner rows of large teeth; the scales on nape 

 smaller than those on trunk ; the head naked except for three or 

 four rows of small scales on upper part of opercle ; four or five 

 parallel longitudinal seams or lines of very fine papillae on pre- 

 opercle ; the ventrals are very large and form an admirable suck- 

 ing disk; the pectorals are large and extend posteriorly beyond 

 ventrals ; the vertical fins of moderate size ; the caudal large, its 

 length nearly equal to that of head. 



The ground color in life varies from pale fawn or buff to 

 yellowish, with a more or less golden glint on sides; there are 

 five large dark to black spots on sides, the last at base of caudal ; 

 alternating with them are five short, broad, dorsal crossbars 

 of similar color, the first one above the opercles, the second 

 including base of first dorsal; the head may be pale but usually 

 varies from brownish to black, with four or five pale longitudinal 

 lines on cheeks; usually a brown bar extends from lip upward 

 to eye and another one from eye diagonally across cheek; there 

 are two dark brown or blackish longitudinal bars on basal part 

 of pectoral in a pale or golden ground color; the dorsals and 

 caudal crossbarred by dark bands or rows of dark spots, those 

 on first dorsal but little developed, those on caudal stopping 



