Revision of Plesiops — INGER 
275 
last, which is slightly shorter than last dorsal 
spine; longest soft ray equal to longest soft 
dorsal ray; membrane extending beyond tips 
of anal spines, notched before second and 
third spines. 
Pectoral rounded; inserted just below mid- 
line; lowest ray free in distal half, next three 
or four rays at tips only; lowest four rays with 
one or two branches each; next four rays with 
two to four rays each. 
Pelvics inserted slightly in advance of pec- 
toral base; spine equal to last anal spine; first 
ray bifid to center of spine, thickened, elon- 
gated, reaching anal origin or first soft anal 
ray; inner rays bifid, not thickened. 
Caudal obtusely pointed. 
Head naked laterally to preopercle and 
dorsally to above end of preopercle; cycloid 
scales covering nape, preopercle, and opercle; 
scales of preopercle in eight forwardly sloping 
oblique rows; five or six scales in horizontal 
series across widest part of preopercle; opercle 
with six large scales, each twice depth of 
preopercular scales; scales above upper lateral 
line all cycloid or ctenoid posterior to twelfth 
or thirteenth lateral line scale; body scales 
anterior to line between sixth or seventh lat- 
eral line scale and top of pectoral base cycloid; 
scales before line connecting bottom of pec- 
toral base with point two scales behind pelvic 
insertion cycloid; all other body scales cten- 
oid; nine predorsals; anal and soft dorsal with 
low sheath of mostly ctenoid scales. 
Color (in alcohol) dark brown; a small 
black spot at upper posterior border and a 
larger spot behind center of orbit; lower two- 
thirds of opercle yellow; preopercle occasion- 
ally yellowish; gill membranes blackish; pec- 
toral uniformly dark dusky; dorsal membrane 
dark brown basally bordered by cream-colored 
band; light band occupying distal half of 
membrane up to sixth or seventh spine, nar- 
rowing posteriorly to thin margin over soft 
dorsal; anal blackish with a thin light margin; 
pelvic same light brown or yellowish as oper- 
cle; caudal with a narrow light margin, bor- 
dered proximally by a broader black band, 
preceded in turn by a broader orange, cres- 
centric band equal in width to pupil; basally 
caudal with a black triangle. 
The coloration varies. The anterior half of 
the heads of two Celebes fishes (USNM 
146471) is densely dotted with dark brown; 
these small spots are not present on the other 
specimens. Five individuals (USNM 146451, 
146461, 162704) from the Philippines and the 
Moluccas have 5 to 7 vertical dark bands 
made up of spotted body scales. 
The entire sample is uniform in those color 
characteristics distinguishing oxycephalus from 
cephalotaenia , i.e., the yellow opercle, the light 
pelvics, the broad caudal crescent, and the 
unstriped preopercle. 
Material examined: Philippine Islands: Bi- 
sucay (1), Luzon (1), Pangasinan (1). Celebes: 
Togean Island (2). Burn (3). New Hebrides: 
Efate Island (1). 
Range: From western Sumatra to the New 
Hebrides, northwards to Luzon. 
REFERENCES 
Barnard, K. H. 1927. A monograph of the 
marine fishes of South Africa. Part II. South 
African Mas., Ann . 21: 419-1065, pis. 
18-31, text figs. 19-32. 
Bleeker, Pieter. 1853. Diagnostische be- 
schrijvingen van nieuwe of weinig bekende 
vischsoorten van Sumatra. Natuurk. Tijd- 
schr. v. Nederland Andie 4: 243-302. 
— 1875. Sur la famille des Pseudochro- 
midoides et revision de ses especes in- 
sulindiennes. K. Akad. van Wetensch. te Am- 
sterdam , Verhandel. 15: 1-32, 2 pis. 
Boulenger, G. A. 1895. Catalogue of the fishes 
in the British Museum. 2nd ed., vol. 1; xix + 
394 pp., 15 pis., 27 text figs. Taylor & 
Francis, London. 
Day, Francis. 1878-1888. The fishes of India. 
xx + 816 pp., 195 pis. Norman, London. 
Gilchrist, J. D. F., and W. W. Thompson. 
1911. Descriptions of fishes from the coast 
of Natal. South African Mus., Ann. 11: 
29-58. 
