SERRANIDAE Grammistes sexlineatus (photo by Mark Strickland) Grammistes sexlineatus, 7.4 cm SL (from Yaku I., Japan; photo by Seishi Kimura) Grammistes sexlineatus (Thunberg, 1792) Sixline Soapfish D VII, 13-14; A II, 9; P1 16-18; P2 I, 5; LLp 60-72. Body moderately elongate; body depth 2.2-2.8 in SL. Preopercular margin with 2-4 short spines. A small fleshy tentacle at tip of chin. Caudal fin rounded. Interspinous dorsal-fin membranes incised. Lateral body scales cycloid. Color: body black, with 6-8 yellow stripes on lateral surface of body and 1 mid-dorsal stripe on head and nape; large adults with series of dashes and juveniles with fewer stripes. Fin membranes translucent, without markings. Size: maximum length 27 cm. Distribution: widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific, from east coast of Africa east to French Polynesia, including southern Japan, the Tasman Sea and the Kermadec Islands. Remarks: usually hides in caves or beneath ledges during the day in shallow waters. Secretes a skin toxin under stress from epidermal glandular cells.(Hiroyuki Motomura)