288 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



Genus 63. ITBAYA g. nov. 



This genus is distinguished by its entire lack of scales, by the 

 possession of an outer row of enlarged tricuspidate teeth in the 

 lower jaw, and by its erect skinny crest on the front of the head. 



The body is elongate, laterally compressed, the head blunt, 

 scales wanting; the teeth are in bands of four or five rows in 

 both jaws, the outer row enlarged and simple in the upper jaw, 

 three-pointed in the lower jaw, without canines; the vertical 

 fins all low, the dorsals well separated, the caudal shorter than 

 head; no free silky rays on upper part of pectoral; the gill 

 openings narrow, restricted, the isthmus tolerably wide; bran- 

 chiostegals 4. Dorsal VI, 1-12 or 13 ; anal I, 8. Generic type, 

 I. nuda, sp. nov. 



Itbaya, from Itbayat Island, the type locality. 



146. ITBAYA NUDA sp. nov. 



PLATE 23, FIG. 2 



Dorsal VI, 1-12; anal I, 8. 



The depth of the elongate, compressed body 6 times in the 

 length ; the dorsal and ventral profiles nearly horizontal, tapering 

 gradually to base of tail; the head blunt, with a conspicuous 

 crest beginning on nape behind eyes and running forward to 

 tip of snout, 4.18 times in length ; the depth of head almost equals 

 that of body, its breadth f of its depth ; the boldly convex snout 

 4 times in head; the eye lateral, a trifle shorter than snout, 4.5 

 times in head; the interorbital breadth 0.6 that of eye; the 

 mouth small, slightly oblique, low down, the upper lip rather 

 thick, the lower jaw a little shorter than upper, the posterior 

 angle of maxillary beneath anterior third of eye; in upper jaw 

 is an outer row of slightly enlarged pointed teeth, followed by a 

 band of three rows of minute teeth; in lower jaw is a short 

 outer row of enlarged tricuspid teeth, the middle cusp longest; 

 behind this is a wide band of four rows of minute pointed teeth ; 

 the first dorsal is low, not reaching second dorsal when depressed, 

 the second and third spines longest, f of the depth and 2.25 times 

 in head ; the second dorsal of almost uniform height, the posterior 

 ray reaching caudal base when depressed, the central rays a 

 trifle longer and a little higher than first dorsal, 1.95 in head; 

 the anal as high as but much shorter than second dorsal, the 

 posterior ray falling far short of reaching caudal ; the depth of 

 caudal peduncle equal to height of first dorsal, 2.25 times in 

 head; the caudal bluntly rounded, a little shorter than head, 

 4.37 times in length ; the pointed pectoral equals caudal ; the ven- 



