408 



The Squamipinnes 



fish, lancet-fish, tang, barbero, etc., and it forms a very effective 

 weapon against fish or man who would seize one of these 

 creatures by the tail. The species have the center of distribution 

 in the East Indies and have not reached Europe. Three species 

 are found in the West Indies. The blue tang (Teuthis cceruleus} 

 is chiefly bright blue. The common tang, Teuthis chirurgus, is 

 brown with bluish streaks, while a third species, Teuthis bahi- 

 anus, has a forked caudal fin. Very close to this species is 

 Teuthis crestonis, of the west coast of Mexico, and both are 

 closely related to Teuthis matoides, found from India to Hawaii. 

 Teuthis triostegus, of Japan and Polynesia and the East 

 Indies, is covered with cross-bands alternately black and pale. 



FIG. 344. Brown Tang, Teuthis bahianus (Ranzani). Tortugas, Fla. 



In Hawaii this is replaced by the very similar Teuthis sand- 

 wichensis. Many species are found about Hawaii and the other 

 Polynesian Islands. Teuthis achilles has a large blotch of bril- 

 liant scarlet on the tail, and Teuthis olivaceus a bright-colored 

 mark on the shoulder. Teuthis lineatus, yellow with blue 

 stripes, a showily colored fish of the coral reefs, is often poison- 

 ous, its flesh producing ciguatera. 



Zebrasoma differs from Teuthis in having but 4 or 5 dorsal 

 spines instead of 10 or 1 1 . In this genus the soft dorsal fin is very 

 high. Zebrasoma flavescens, sometimes brown, sometimes bright 



