LOPHIOGOBIUS 273 



polelike, 3.1 or 3.2, exceptionally 3.06 times, in length, its breadth 

 1.5 to 1.7 times its depth and about 1.5 times in its own length; 

 the very broad, rounded snout 3.1 to 3.5 times in head; the eyes 

 very small, laterodorsal, set in a depression, 2.66 to 3 times in 

 snout, 2 to 2.4 times in interorbital, and 9 to 9.5 times in head 

 in older specimens, 5 or 6 times in younger ones, the eye in 

 anterior half of head, the postorbital much longer than preor- 

 bital; a low bony ridge on interorbital some distance above eye 

 is met at nearly a right angle by one behind eye which crosses 

 head, making a depression on central part of interorbital; the 

 mouth very large, oblique, beginning at upper profile on a level 

 with or above eyes, the lower jaw very prominent, projecting, 

 its tip as high as eye, the posterior angle of maxillary extending 

 downward to underside of head and very far back behind eye 

 nearly to posterior inferior angle of preopercle; the teeth as 

 given under the genus; the margin of the preopercle, the rami 

 of the jaws, and the branchiostegal margins and the whole flat 

 lower surface of chin fringed or thickly sprinkled with barbels ; 

 the scales posteriorly very large, gradually becoming smaller 

 anteriorly, those before first dorsal much smaller and extending 

 forward in line with anterior margin of opercles; the opercles 

 covered with small scales and there are four rows of scales on 

 upper posterior part of preopercles, these reduced to two rows 

 of larger scales beneath eye; a row of papillae crosses cheek 

 beneath the scales, its anterior part becoming barbels ; some bar- 

 bels present above angle of mouth ; the vertical fins low, approx- 

 imately of the same height, about 2.4 to 2.8 in head, the second 

 spine of first dorsal longest, not nearly touching second dorsal 

 when depressed, the anterior rays of second dorsal longest, 

 the posterior rays not reaching caudal when depressed; the 

 anal a little lower, the posterior rays usually longest and 

 reaching caudal when depressed; the depth of the attenuated 

 caudal peduncle 2.5 to 2.6 times in its own length; the caudal 

 small, elongate, pointed, a good deal shorter than head, 4 to 

 4 times in the length; the large, broad, long-pointed pectoral 

 equals or nearly equals head; the ventrals large, broad, with 

 dactyliform, lobulate margin, 1.3 to 1.5 times in head. 



The color in alcohol pale yellowish brown, darker above, paler 

 below; the scales on upper half margined with blackish specks, 

 which are arranged in irregular, vermiculated, broken bands on 

 top of head; on base of caudal rays is a large black, yellow- 

 margined ocellus, with three lunate black crossbands on fin 

 beyond it; the other fins all clear. 



