208 
BULLETIN OE THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
mandible large, with fleshy knob at symphysis, projecting; nostrils circular, well separated, with 
rounded fleshy rims; interorbital space convex, roughened; top of head with rather large concave pit; 
eye high, anterior; bait rather short, only reaching a little beyond first spine, with fleshy caruncle at 
extremity; dorsal spines short, first free, rough, depressible in pit on top of head; second dorsal spine 
twice length of first, equal to width of mouth, depressible, and united with skin of back to its tip; 
posterior dorsal rays longest, and the last, like that of anal, united to caudal peduncle by a membrane; 
anal similar, rounded, elongate, 1.5 in head; pectoral broad; ventral small, rounded; caudal peduncle 
small, compressed, its depth equal to interorbital space; body rather rough, mucous pores on head and 
in lateral line with excrescences; side of body with many pointed cutaneous flaps; second dorsal spine 
and first dorsal ray very rough, also with cutaneous flaps; lateral line very convex, running down 
toward middle of base of anal. 
Color in alcohol, pale plumbeous gray, more or less spotted or mottled with darker; belly and lower 
surface rather pale, the spots distinct; fins all more or less pale with dark spots, some at basal por- 
tions of dorsal and anal darker; iris blackish with radiating lines of golden. 
The above description is from the type, No. 50659, U. S. N. M. (field No. 541 ), taken at Waikiki, 
near Honolulu. 
Another example (field No. 539) shows some differences: Head (to end of opercle) 2.5 in length; 
depth 1.7; eye 3 in head; maxillary 1.8; width of mouth 1.7; interorbital 3.7; P. i— i— 12; A. 7; P. 12; V. 5. 
Body very deep, compressed, back elevated; head deep, gibbous, with blunt conic profile in front, 
somewhat oblique above; snout broad, obtuse, short, surface uneven; mouth large, obliquely vertical; 
maxillary large, reaching a little beyond front portion of eye; lips fleshy; teeth in jaws minute, sharp, 
in bands; teeth on roof of mouth large, sharp-pointed; tongue large, broad, thick; mandible large> 
with knob at symphysis, projecting; nostrils well separated, close to end of snout, each with elevated 
fleshy rims, the anterior higher; interorbital space broad, elevated, uneven; top of head with rather 
large pit; eye high, anterior; bait short, reaching tip of first dorsal spine, with caruncle at extremity; 
dorsal spines short, depressible; first dorsal spine half length of second, free, depressible in pit on top 
of head; second dorsal spine large, joined by skin to its tip; dorsal rays of about equal height, seventh 
1.3 in head, and the last, like lower portion of last anal ray, adnate to caudal peduncle by a membrane; 
anal rounded; caudal elongate, rounded; pectoral broad; ventral small; body rather rough, mucous 
pores on head and lateral line with excrescences; along the lateral line and anterior region of dorsal 
are many cutaneous flaps; lateral line convex, running down to above middle of anal. 
Color in alcohol, dark gray -brown; edges of vertical fins whitish, the pale border rather broad 
and very distinct along posterior, dorsal, anal, and caudal rays; side with about 6 large round 
blackish spots; caudal with some pale or indistinct mottlings; pectoral and ventral with rather broad 
margins, median portion dusky; iris more or less silvery. 
A. drombus seems nearest related to A. nummifer Cuvier & Valenciennes, originally described from 
Malabar. Probably the specimens from the South Seas referred to the latter belong rather to A. 
drombus. A. nurnmifer is said to be red in color with dark spots, and, as figured by Dr. Day, differs in 
several respects from A. drombus. Both these species differ from A. commersoni and its numerous 
allies or variants {A. niger A. leprosus, A. rubrofuscus, and A. sandvicensis from Hawaii) in the shortness 
of the first dorsal spine or fishing rod. This is scarcely longer than the second spine in A. drombus, 
but in A. commersoni it is twice as long. 
Our collections contain but 2 examples of this species, the type, No. 50659, U. S. N. M; (field 
No. 541), and cotype, No. 7472, L. S. Jr. Univ. Mus. (field No. 539), both taken on the reef at 
Waikiki, near Honolulu. 
