522 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
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; many cutaneous Haps along the lateral line and 
anterior region of dorsal; 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 most nearly 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. nummifer is said to be red in color with dark spots, and, as figured by Doctor Day, 
differs in several respects from A. drombus. Both these species differ from A. commersonii 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. commersonii 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, Stanford Univ. Mus. (field No. 539), both taken on the reef at Waikiki, 
near Honolulu. This species is also known from Samoa, where it was obtained by Jordan and Kellogg. 
Antennarius drombus Jordan Si Evermann, Bull. U f S. Fish Comm., XXII, 1902 (April 11, 1903), 207, Honolulu. 
437. Antennarius duescus Snyder. Plate 65, fig. 2. 
H ead, body, and tins, except the edges of the latter, covered with bifid and trifid prickles; small 
dermal filaments scattered here and there, a conspicuous one, somewhat longer than diameter of eye, 
above and a little behind base of pectoral; gill-opening small, circular, located far back, half way 
between axil of pectoral and anal opening; “bait” slender and hair-like, the length equal to depth of 
caudal peduncle, the fleshy tip a flat, folded membrane with minute tentacles; first, dorsal spine seated 
close to “bait,” slender, without a membrane, its shaft covered with minute granules, the tip with a 
small, fleshy knob, slightly shorter than the “bait,” not quite reaching base of second when depressed; 
second spine strong, curved backward, its length equal to distance between gill-opening and anus, 
capable of free movement up to a vertical position, the posterior membrane fleshy; dorsal rays 12, the 
highest contained 3 times in base of fin; fin extending far posteriorly, the length of the free caudal 
peduncle equal to diameter of pupil; anal rays 7, equal in length to those of the dorsal; caudal rounded 
posteriorly, its length contained 3.5 times in head and body. 
Color in spirits, pale brick red, the dorsal, anal, and caudal darker on the edges; rayed portion 
of pectorals and ventrals gray below, dusky above; head and body sparsely clouded and spotted with 
dusky and gray; a large, irregular crossband on chin, extending upward a little beyond mouth; a 
dusky cloud above pectoral; a large, gray spot., bordered with dusky, on the head between snout and 
pectoral; a small, ocellatecl gray spot below the latter, and a similar one on body midway between 
gill-opening and dorsal fin; caudal peduncle with a narrow, vertical, gray band bordered with dusky; 
mouth immaculate within; prickles white. 
In life, purplish lilac throughout (the color of the alga.- brought up in the trawl), save for a few 
pinkish spots and the tips of pectorals and ventrals, which were whitish. 
Described from type, No. 50884, U. S. Nat.. Mus., 1.8 inches long. A smaller specimen, 0.75 of an 
inch long, cotype, No. 7736, Stanford Univ. Mus., differs from type only in size; in life it. was light 
bronze colored on upper parts, yellowish bronze below, a wide pinkish crescent on upper part of 
opercles. Station 3872, between Maui and Lanai, depth 32 to 43 fathoms. Another specimen, 0.75 of an 
inch long, is from station 4128, vicinity of Kauai, depth 75 fathoms; the body is brownish black except 
on the nape, where there is a small cloud of reddish color; fins narrowly edged with red. 
The species is distinguished by the following set of characters: First and second dorsal spines with 
thickened fleshy tips; dorsal and anal extending far posteriorly, length of free caudal peduncle equal 
to diameter of pupil; gill-opening located midway between axil of pectoral and the anal opening. 
Antennarius duescus Snyder, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., XXII, 1902 (.Ian. 19. 1901), 537, pi. 13, fig. 21, Albatross Station 3872 , 
between Maui and Lanai. 
