220 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



Genus 44. TAMANKA g. nov. 



This genus is close to Vaimosa Jordan and Scale, from which 

 it is separated by the much smaller and more numerous scales 

 (38 to 54 in a longitudinal series), and by having many small 

 cycloid scales on the opercles instead of a few large ctenoid ones ; 

 the rest of the head is naked ; the nape is covered with very small 

 scales forward, at least to a point above front margin of opercles ; 

 the breast and pectoral base also scaled. 



The body thick and robust or laterally compressed and slender, 

 with a large, broad head flattened on top ; the dorsals separated, 

 the dorsals and anal much lower than depth, the caudal broad, 

 rounded, shorter than head, with numerous, short, accessory 

 spines extending well up on caudal peduncle above and below; 

 the mouth large, oblique, not inferior, with thick lips minutely 

 fringed within; four or five rows of very small teeth in lower 

 jaw and a band of three or four rows of similar teeth in upper 

 jaw, with an outer row of larger, more widely spaced teeth ; no 

 canines present; the gill openings wide, with a rather broad 

 isthmus; the upper rays of pectoral not free and silky. Dorsal 

 VI, 1-7 or 8 ; anal I, 7 or 8 ; branchiostegals 5. 



Type of the genus, Tamanka siitensis sp. nov. 



Tamanka is the Tao Sug name for small gobies of the Gnatho- 

 lepis and Rhinogobius groups. 



Key to the species of Tamanka. 

 a\ Scales 52 to 54. 



b\ Body robust, uniform brown to black; scales before first dorsal 20 



to 24 T. siitensis. 



b*. Body slender, brownish yellow, with ten vertical crossbars; scales' 1 



before first dorsal 25 to 30 T. tagala. 



a 2 . Scales 38 to 45. 



e 1 . Color uniform dark brown, without bands or stripes T. umbra. 



c j . Uniform brown, with two longitudinal dark brown bands T. bivittata. 



103. TAMANKA SIITENSIS sp. nov. 



PLATE 17, FIG. 3 



Dorsal VI, 1-8 ; anal I, 8 ; there are 52 to 54 scales in a lon- 

 gitudinal series, 18 in a transverse series, and 20 to 24 before 

 the first dorsal. 



The body thickset, robust, with a very large, broad, blunt, 

 dorsally flattened head, laterally compressed, the middle of the 

 back more or less arched, the ventral profile nearly straight but 

 the belly often protuberant, the depth 3.25 to 4 times in length ; 

 the length of head contained 2.44 to 2.6 times in entire length ; 

 the width of head accentuated by the full, rounded cheeks, 1.35 



