296 GOBIES OF THE PHILIPPINES 



As defined by Bleeker, the genus would not include the Phil- 

 ippine species or the Society Island species described by Stein- 

 dachner. I therefore amend his diagnosis to read as follows: 



The teeth of upper jaw slender, more or less club-shaped, 

 obtuse, closely crowded together in a single row ; the lower jaw 

 has two rows, the outer teeth needlelike, more or less embedded 

 in a movable band fastened to inner margin of lower lip; the 

 inner row composed of a few, backward-curved caniniform teeth 

 of nearly equal size. The body elongate, low, cylindrical ante- 

 riorly, with obtuse head and convex snout, the mouth inferior, 

 with thick lips, the tip of the tongue rounded ; there are no 

 barbels on lower jaw; the scales are large, ctenoid, 30 to 40 in 

 a longitudinal series, the head and' forward part of trunk naked, 

 or the nape more or less covered with cycloid scales nearly to 

 eyes; tip of tongue rounded; dorsals small, well separated; 

 caudal rounded, equal to or longer than head; the ventrals 

 form a circular disk, free, or but slightly attached to belly; the 

 upper rays of pectoral are not free and silky. Dorsal V or 

 VI, 1-7 to 11; anal I, 8 to 11. 



This genus is known elsewhere from Cejebes and the Society 

 Islands. 



Key to the Philippine species of Microsicydium. 



a 1 . Color uniformly dark, without longitudinal bands, scales 36; dorsal VI, 



1-9 or 10; anal I, 9 or 10 M. atro-purpureum. 



a*. Head and body with longitudinal bands. 



6 1 . Scales 38; dorsal VI, 1-7; anal I, 8 M. formosum. 



b*. Scales 30; dorsal VI, 1-9; anal 1-10 M. pulchellum. 



152. MICROSICYDIUM ATRO-PURPUREUM sp. nov. 



Dorsal VI, 1-9 or 10; anal I, 9 or 10; there are 36 scales in 

 a longitudinal series, 10 in a transverse series, and about 10 

 before first dorsal. 



The body low, elongate, slender, the dorsal and ventral pro- 

 files nearly parallel, the posterior half laterally compressed, the 

 top of head and nape broad and more or less flattened, the 

 depth 6.18 times in length; the head 4.5+ times in length; 

 its depth and breadth approximately equal, about 1.75 times 

 in length of head; the snout broad, blunt, rounded, projecting, 

 3.75 times in head; the eyes very high up, dorsolateral, equal 

 to snout and to the wide, flat interorbital ; the mouth inferior, 

 with weak lower jaw, nearly horizontal, the posterior angle 



