RHINOGOBIUS 183 



The moderately plump body has nearly parallel dorsal and 

 ventral profiles, the posterior part laterally compressed, the 

 depth 5.4 times in length; the head 3.8 times in length, its 

 breadth f of depth of body, 0.6 of its own length, and slightly 

 more than its own depth; the steeply inclined, round-pointed 

 snout 3.3 times in head; the large eye a trifle more than length 

 of snout; the eyes very high up, laterodorsal in position, their 

 superior margins touching; the distance from tip of snout to 

 posterior margin of eye less than distance from eye to posterior 

 margin of opercle; the mouth small, inferior, the snout slightly 

 projecting, the posterior angle of maxillary beneath pupil of 

 eye; the teeth of outer row in upper jaw slightly enlarged, 

 with two rows of minute teeth behind them; in lower jaw four 

 rows of minute teeth, the outer one slightly enlarged; the tip 

 of tongue almost rounded, not emarginate; the body covered 

 with rather large ctenoid scales, those on nape cycloid, large, 

 and extending to eyes ; the head entirely naked except on nape ; 

 the bases of pectorals and the breast covered with large cy- 

 cloid scales; the first dorsal a little lower than depth of body, 

 the second and third spines longest; the second dorsal and anal 

 similar in shape and height, about f of body in height, and a 

 little lower than first dorsal, the posterior rays not longer than 

 the others and not nearly reaching caudal when depressed; the 

 caudal somewhat rounded at tip, equal to head in length; the 

 pectoral is 1.1 times length of head and extends back to a point 

 beyond anus but does not reach anal; the pointed ventrals are 

 0.9 length of head and extend to anus. 



The color in alcohol whitish with several longitudinal dusky 

 bands and rows of black spots; one conspicuous row of 

 circular black spots extends from eye to top of caudal peduncle ; 

 a row of larger circular or quadrangular black spots extends 

 from pectoral to base of caudal; below this a row of smaller 

 black spots and two rows of small black spots along nape and 

 sides below dorsals; the dusky bands pale and inconspicuous; a 

 dusky stripe extends from upper lip back to base of pectoral, 

 ending in a black spot on pectoral ; the cheek marked by vertical 

 and longitudinal bars of fine brown dots; the dorsal spines 

 spotted black with a blackish transverse bar on the membrane, 

 near base ; the second dorsal crossbarred with four rows of black 

 spots; the caudal obscurely crossbarred with dark and pale, 

 with a few black spots scattered over the membrane; the ven- 

 trals and anal faintly marked with dusky. 



