AMBLYGOBIUS 235 



bands over nape; the preopercles, opercles, bases of pectorals, 

 and region back of eyes thickly sprinkled with small, dark brown 

 spots, which are likewise thinly scattered along sides; the sec- 

 ond dorsal has a series of short black stripes running downward 

 and forward near margin, on the membrane between the rays; 

 bands of body extend upon fin; the caudal crossmarked with 

 alternate blackish brown and pale bars; anal light brown, with 

 a broad dark margin ; ventrals dusky. 



Scale stated that on his specimen "Two oblique narrow dusky 

 lines extend forward across cheeks and around the throat, the 

 anterior one just back of angle of jaw." With the lapse of 

 time these markings have disappeared. 



Here described from two specimens, Scale's type, 46 milli- 

 meters long, from Bantayan Island, and one, 45 millimeters 

 long, from Polillo. 



This species is very strikingly and characteristically marked, 

 and is quite unlike any other goby. In order to include it in 

 Amblygobius I have had to amend the generic diagnosis. Am- 

 blygobius insignis differs from the other members of the genus 

 in having cycloid scales anteriorly, a nuchal crest, and fewer 

 dorsal and anal rays. It probably should be made the type of 

 a new genus. Its color pattern is unique among gobies. 



113. AMBLYGOBIUS PHALAENA (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



PLATE 30, FIG. 3 



Gobiiis phalaena CUVIER and VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 12 

 (1837) 70; GUNTHER, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus. 3 (1861) 67; Fische 

 der Siidsee 2 (1876) 178, pi. Ill, fig. C. 



Amblygobius phalaena JORDAN and SEALE, Fishes of Samoa, Bull. Bur. 

 Fisheries 25 (1906) 405; JORDAN and RICHARDSON, Bull. Bur. Fish- 

 eries 27 (1908) 278. 



Dorsal VI, 1-14 ; anal I, 14 ; there are from 50 to 52 scales in 

 a longitudinal series and 20 in a transverse series. 



The body comparatively deep, oblong, laterally compressed, 

 with nearly parallel or similarly slightly arched dorsal and 

 ventral profiles and laterally compressed, rather bluntly rounded 

 head ; the depth contained 3.8 times, the head 3.5 times in length ; 

 the short, broad, convex snout contained 3.25 times in head; 

 the full round eye but little less in diameter than length of 

 snout, 3.5 to 4 times in head; the mouth moderately oblique, 

 rather small, the posterior angle of maxillary reaching as far 

 as anterior margin of eye; the full, broad interorbital space 

 equals or may slightly exceed eye; a large pore on inner side 

 and midway between nostrils, and two large pores on interor- 



