FISHES OF THE PHILIPPINES. 273 
234. Balistapus rectangulus (Bloch & Schneider). 
One specimen, 6 inches long, from Calayan Island. Life colors: A bluish saddle over mouth; 
interorbital space crossed by three black bars; a broad black band from eye downward to pectoral, 
where it widens greatly and extends backward across body to base of anal; parallel to this two pale blue 
lines from eye to pectoral; a bright red bar on base of pectoral; upper portion of body dark golden 
brown, lower anterior portion white; two V-shaped markings of green extend backward from median 
line, the arms of the larger meeting dorsal and anal; arms of smaller meeting fellow on opposite side of 
body just behind dorsal and anal; caudal peduncle black; a vertical green line at base of caudal; 
caudal dark golden brown. 
235. Balistapus undulatus (Bloch & Schneider). 
Two examples, 5 and 5.50 inches long, from Cagayancillo. 
236. Balistapus verrucosus (Linnieus). 
One specimen, 3.50 inches long, from Cagayancillo. In life with the body dusky green above and 
white below; a large dark brown patch on side behind pectoral; four blue lines connecting eyes on 
interorbital; three blue lines from eye to pectoral, inclosing a dark green area; a light yellow line in 
front of first blue line; snout light blue just back of upper lip and on each side back of angle of mouth; 
a narrow scarlet line from lower edge of pectoral forward and over snout to other side, separating the 
blue of the snout from the dusky green color above; a bar of blue and scarlet on base of pectoral; soft 
dorsal and anal barred with light yellow; middle of caudal yellow, its edges light orange. 
Family TETRAODONTIDA. 
SPHEROIDES (Lacépéde) Dumeéril. 
237. Spheroides lunaris (Bloch). q 
Three specimens, 2.50 to 3.75 inches long, from Manila, and one from Iloilo, 3.50 inches. In life 
silvery along sides, the color of which is sharply marked off from the dusky upper parts; belly dead 
white; a wash of pale yellow from mouth to and including pectoral; dorsal dusky with white base; anal 
white; caudal dusky, darker on edge; lower third milk white. The smaller examples are without 
yellow on the sides. 
TETRAODON Linnzus. 
238. Tetraodon hispidus Linnzus. 
One example 3.75 inches long and one 3 inches, from Cuyo. 
239. Tetraodon reticularis Bloch & Schneider. 
A single specimen, 2.50 inches long, from Lubong. 
240. Tetraodon immaculatus Bloch & Schneider. 
One specimen, 3 inches long, from Lubang; three from Iloilo, 1 to 2.50 inches; one from Cuyo, 
2.75 inches; and one from Ticao Island, 1.25 inches. The five smaller specimens all have the back 
striped and bristles short. The specimen from Lubang is without stripes and has the entire body cov- 
ered with bristles @ of fully twice the length of the longest in the other specimens. 
a An examination of a number of specimens of Tetraodon nigropunctatus from Apia, Samoa, five of which are from 5 to 6.50 
inches in length, some with long bristles and some apparently almost bristleless, favors the supposition that these fishes have 
the power of extruding and withdrawing into the skin at will these defensive bristles. It is noteworthy that the bristles in this 
species are found long (i. e., fully extended) only in specimens which are dilated, the grade of extrusion seeming to be related 
to the amount of dilation. Specimens in which the belly is not dilated ordinarily have the skin nearly smooth, except for small 
areas on the back and lower portion of each side, where the knobbed tips of the bristles show. On dissection of these it is found, 
however, that the apparently naked skin contains multitudes of long bristles (fully as long as those of the so-called ‘bristly”’ 
form), each withdrawn into an intracutaneous sheath. Ifa thin sagittal strip of skin is cut from the belly of a preserved specimen 
of one of these ‘‘naked-skinned” forms, by taking hold of it at either end with the fingers and stretching it quickly and smartly, 
the retracted bristles may be made to protrude for a considerable distance, up to about half their length. This fact seems to go 
some way toward verifying our supposition, deduced from observation of the condition of several dilated and undilated preserved 
specimens, that the bristles are thrown out upon dilation and probably not normally at any other time. One of the speeimens 
from Apia, 5 inches long, is especially interesting as showing in the same individual part of the bristles fully extruded and the 
rest retracted. The fully extruded bristles are on the left side of the forward portion of the belly. It is probable that at the time 
of capture the bristles of the whole body were erected and that in dying there was a partial retraction, leaving the specimen in 
its present condition. The two figures of the so-considered “bristly” and ‘‘smooth” form of this species, pubtished by Jordan & 
Seale (Fishes Samoa, fig. 70 and pl. 35), apparently represent exactly the same form of fish in the different conditions of extrusion 
and retraction of the bristles. 
