166 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



specific rank; especially is this true of the larger specimens. 

 However, I am of the opinion that G. obscuripinnis is not worthy 

 of more than subspecific rank, since there are specimens which 

 have some of the characters of both G. giurus and G. obscuripin- 

 nis. 



Genus 33. OPLOPOMUS (Ehrenberg) Steindachner 



Oplopomus (Ehrenberg MS.) STEINDACHNER, Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. 

 Wien 42 (1860) 291. 



The body moderately elongate, laterally compressed, covered 

 with 26 to 32 scales in a longitudinal series; the head abruptly 

 convex anteriorly, entirely naked, or cheeks and nape may be 

 scaled; the posterior margin of preopercle toothed with from 

 one to five stout sharp spines, usually but one or two present, 

 the number often different on the two sides of the same fish; 

 the first spine of both first and second dorsals stiff, hard, stout, 

 and very sharp; the remaining spines of first dorsal flexible, 

 with elongate, threadlike tips; the teeth in three or four rows 

 in each jaw, the outer ones enlarged, the lower jaw with a pair 

 of lateral canines ; the tongue truncate ; the caudal shorter than 

 head; the isthmus wide; branchiostegals 4. Dorsal VI, 1-9 

 or 10 ; anal I, 9 or 10. 



This genus includes two beautiful species, one of wide distri- 

 bution, the other thus far known only from the Philippines. 

 The number of spines on the preopercle is of no importance in 

 separating species, since they vary in size and number with 

 age and with the individual. No other Philippine gobies have 

 a hard sharp spine at the beginning of each dorsal. 



Key to the Philippine species of Oplopomus. 



a 1 . Head naked O. oplopomus. 



a*. Nape scaled to eyes; cheek with five to seven rows of small scales. 



O. vergens. 



73. OPLOPOMUS OPLOPOMUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



PLATE 29, FIG. 3 



Gobius oplopomus CUVIER and VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 12 



(1837) 50; GUNTHER, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus. 3 (1861) 15; Fische 



der Siidsee 2 (1876) 170, pi. 110, fig. B. 

 Oplopomus pulcher EHRENBERG, Zool. Pise., pi. 9, fig. 6, footnote in 



Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 12 (1837) 50. 

 Gobius bitelatus CUVIER and VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 12 



(1837) 67; GUNTHER, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus. 3 (1861) 35. 

 Gobius notacanthus SLEEKER, Nat. Tijd. Ned. Ind. 15 (1858) 210; 



GUNTHER, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus. 3 (1861) 35. 

 Oplopomus notacanthus STEINDACHNER, Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. 



Wien 42 (1860) 290, 'pi. 1, fig. 2. 



