Depth 5 to 5^5 
in head; eye 4 1/8 to 6 |; 1 1/5 to 2 -£ in snout, greatly exceeds interorbital 
in young to subequal with age; maxillary reaches below first fourth of eye, 
length 2 to 2 1/3 in head; teeth simple, conic, firm, mostly recurved, bi¬ 
serial in front of lower jaw, upper uniserial, also lower with rather large 
tooth in middle of each mandibular ramus, hooked back; lips fleshy; tongue 
with front edge convex;.interorbital 6 to 64 in head, level. Gill opening 
not extended forward to preopercle. Gill rakers5> lanceolate points on 
ceratobranchial, lj in gill filaments, which 1 1/5 in eye. 
Scales 56 or 57 6 to 8 in axial lateral series; 24 transversely 
above anal origin; 18 or 19 predorsal forward (laterally) till over middle 
of pectoral, not reaching eye. Head, except as noted, naked; scales 
obsolete or little developed on chest, breast and prepectoral region; caudal 
base scaly. Scales with 11 or 12 basal radiating striae; row of 26 to 28 
apical denticles, strong, conic, slender, graduated larger marginally; 
circuli fine. 
D. VI - I, 12, 1 or I, 13, 1, third spine 1 1/6 to 1 ?/£> in head, 
first branched ray 2 1/8 to 2 1/3; A. I_, 12 , i, first ray 2-4 to 3 j caudal 
1 to 1 1/5, hind edge convex; least depth of caudal peduncle 2 2/7 to a 4/5; 
pe 
ctoral 1 2/7 to 1 1 / 3 , rays 20 ; ventral rays I, 5 5 i*in 1 4/7 to I 4 in 
head. Anal papilla very small fleshy point. 
Pale brownish, lighter to whitish below. Iris gray. About a 
dozen lilac gray spots on sides of head, all smaller than eye. About 8 
slightly darker brown blotches on middle of back below dorsals. Pins pare 
brown, tip of spinous dorsal black from third and fourth spines. Caudal 
with dark blotch on upper membranes. Ventral and anal whitish. 
Hast Indies, Philippines, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia. 
Distinguished chiefly by the jet black spot at the apex of the spinor 
, o 
AO 
dorsal. 
