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Coris ballieni Vaillant and Sauvage. Vay} PR f Se erie 
Head 3 1/3 to 3°2/5; depth 3 1/8 to 3 1/3; DI, es ks 
omnee ll, i; A. Til, le, is; scales’ 535, omce 52, in lateral line 
to caudal base and one more tabular on latter; 7 or 8 scales 
between spinous dorsal origin and lateral line,4to soft dorsal 
origin, and 18 or 19 below to spinous anal origin; 14 or 15 
predorsal scales; sneut 2 3/4 to 3.1/5 in head from upper jaw 
tip; eye 5 1/5 to 7; maxillary 3 5/6 to 4 2/3; interorbitek 
4' 1/4 ta 5, 
Body strongly compressed; caudal peduncle length 2/3 to 4/5 
its least depth, which 2 1/3 to 2 2/5 in total head length, Head 
width 21/4 to 2 2/5,its length. Snout compressed, width 1 1/6 
to 11/4 ts lenekh. | Mouth small, jaws even or lower jaw slightly 
protrudes. Interorbital convexly elevated. Preopercle edge 
membranous; bones of head e811 smooth; opercular flap 1 4/5 to 
21/5 in snout, Rakers 5 and 77-10 to 13, short lanceolate, 
robust, © in filaments which 1 1/6 in eye. Predorsal and breast 
with small scales, on both regicns smaller anteriorly and pre- 
dorsal with narrow naked median strip its entire extent; hasal 
rediating striae 37 to 67, apical imperfect and some continuous 
with very fine circuli, more distinct in young; simple tubes in 
lateral line slender, each slightly expanded at terminal pore, 
First dorsal spine 1+1/7 to 1+1/3 in total head, 2 to 3 1/4 
in young or female, reaches well beyond pectoral tip or even to 
second dorsal origin in male and with filamentous end; other 
spines pungent, last 21/2 to 3 1/8; first dorsal ray 2 1/8 to 
