596 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.41. 



34. KYPHOSUS CINERASCENS (Forskal). 



Scisena cinerascens (tahmel) Forskal, Descrip. Anim., 1775, p. 53, No. 66, (Red 



S8a.) 

 Pimelepterus cinerascens Day, Fishes India, 1875, p. 14.3, pi. 35, fig. 3 (Seas of 



India). — Bleeker, Atlas Ichth., vol. S, 1875, p. 15, pi. 364 (Sumatra, Bangka, 



Cocos, Java, Bali, Solor, Flores, Celebes, Timos, Obi-major, Amboyna, 



Saparua, Philippines, New Guinea); Enum. Poiss. Verh. kon. Akad Amst., 



vol. 18, 1879, p. 8 (Japan). 

 Kyphosus cinerascens Jordan and Richardson, Bull. U. S. Bur. Fish., vol. 27, 



1908, p. 260 (Calayan). — ^Jordan and Richardson, Philippine Islands, 



Bur. of Sci. Publ. No. 1, Manila, 1910, p. 31. 

 Pimelepterus tahmel Rijppell, N. W. Fische, 1829, p. 35, pi. 10, fig. 4 (Djidda, 



Red Sea). — GtJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1859, p. 499. — Klunzin- 



GER, Syn. Fische Roth. Meer., Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, vol. 20, 1870, p. 795 



(part), (Red Sea). 

 Opisthistius tahmel Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., vol. 14, 1862, p. 242. 

 Pimelepterus indicus (Kuhl and Van Hasselt) Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. 



Nat. Poss., vol. 7, 1831, p. 270 (Java). — Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna 



Japonica, 1844, p. 86 (Nagasaki). — Steindachner and Doderlein, Beitr. 



Fische Japan's, II, Denkschr. kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 1883, p. 21 (Tokyo). 

 Kyphosus indicus Jordan and Snyder, Check List, Ann. Zool. Jap., vol. 3, 



pts. 2 and 3, 1901, p. 80 (Yokohama). 



Habitat. — East Indies, north to Japan, 



This species was not seen by us. The following account is trans- 

 lated from that given by Steindachner of a specimen from Tokyo, 

 67 centimeters in length, in the Vienna Museum: 



The greatest body depth is between 2| and 2^, the head length somewhat less than 

 4 times in the body length. The broad interdrbital space is transversely strongly 

 arched. The angle of the mouth lies vertically under the anterior edge of the eye. 

 The scaleless low snout ascends much more sharply than the upper part of the dorsal 

 profile of the head rises to the occiput. Both margins of the preopercle are toothed 

 (serrated) . 



The sixth to eighth dorsal spines are equal in height and are the highest of the fin; 

 each is at least half the head length, while the greatest height of the soft dorsal is 

 equal to only two-thirds of the head length. The lateral line irregularly skips several 

 scales and has 55-56 scales from the shoulder to the beginning of the caudal, while 

 there are 70 to 73 scales between the head and caudal. 



D. XI, 12. A. Ill, 11. L. tr. 12/1/22. 



Stomach moderately large, intestine much convoluted, both filled with fragments 

 of algse. Air bladder large, pancreas rather small. 



Iron gray, darker above, passing into white below. Ventrals blackish. On the 

 lower end of the pectoral base a brownish black spot. Scaleless preorbital is shiny 

 silvery-gray. 



A specimen of this genus, with deep body, probabl}^ belonging to 

 this species, was seen alive by us in the aquarium at Asakusa Park, 

 near Tokyo. 



The above synonymy, after Bleeker, is more or less ojjen to ques- 

 tion. This fish is, however, probably the original cinerascens of 

 Forskal, which has the dorsal XI, 12 and the soft dorsal elevated. 

 The latter character probably varies with age. Day's figure repre- 

 sents it but very slightly higher than the spines. Steindachner's 



