174 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



from a fresh specimen at Zamboanga, where the Moros call it 

 tibak. The description by Jordan and Scale of P. melanosomus, 

 from Manila, would indicate that their specimen was P. echino- 

 cephalus. 



This tiny and most extraordinary goby was first described 

 from the Red Sea, where it is common. It occurs on the coast 

 of Madagascar, in the China Sea, and southeastward to Samoa, 

 -Tahiti, and Tonga, an enormous range for such a feeble fish. 



77. PARAGOBIODON MELANOSOMUS (Bleeker) 



Gobius melanosoma, BLEEKER, Ceram, Nat. Tijd. Ned. Ind. 3 (1852) 

 703; PETERS, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin (1868) 265. 



Paragobiodon melanosoma BLEEKER, Esq. Syst. Nat. Gobioides, Arch. 

 Neerl. Sci. Nat. 9 (1874) 309; (?) JORDAN and SEALE, Bull. Bur. 

 Fisheries 26 (1907) 45. 



Dorsal VI, 1-10; anal I, 10; pectoral 21 or 22; there are 23 

 or 24 scales in a longitudinal series. 



The depth of the short thickset body 3.2 to 3.8 times in length ; 

 the head very large, broad and deep, its length greater than its 

 depth, 3 to 3.5 times in length; the breadth of head equals its 

 own depth and also that of body; the profile boldly convex, the 

 broad, short snout equals the circular eye, 2.75 to 3 times in 

 head; the eyes high up, the interorbital space little elevated, 

 equal to or 0.75 an eye diameter; the mouth small, curved, 

 strongly oblique; the teeth in upper jaw in two rows, the outer 

 much larger; in the lower jaw there are two rows of fine teeth 

 behind a short outer row of large teeth, with two canines be- 

 hind symphysis; the head and nape naked; the lower edge of 

 preopercle and sometimes of subopercle has a fringe of tiny 

 papillae, or tubercles; the rugae of throat may also be tuber- 

 culate ; the vertical fins all low, the tips of first dorsal elongated 

 into short threads, the height of both dorsals about f the body 

 depth; the anal a little lower; the caudal 0.75 as long as head. 



The color of alcoholic specimens varies from black to dark 

 brown, with black fins. There is a tendency for specimens to 

 bleach to yellowish brown. 



The Bureau of Science collection contains the following 

 specimens, from 16 to 23 millimeters in length: From Puerto 

 Galera, Mindoro, 2; and from Zamboanga, Mindanao, 4. 



This species was collected by Jagor on a coral reef at Mam- 

 bulao, Camarines Norte, according to Peters. 



The fish recorded under this name by Jordan and Seale was 

 P. echinocephalus, according to their description. 



