FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72. NO. 4 



Table 14. — Food of Holocentrus lacteoguttatum. 



CONCLUSION.^f/^o/ocen^ri/s lacteoguttatum 

 is a nocturnal predator that feeds primarily on 

 benthic crustaceans, although some free- 

 swimming forms close to the bottom are also 

 taken. 



Holotrachijs lima (Valenciennes) 



This fish is secreted far back in reef crevices 

 during daylight. After dark, however, solitary in- 

 dividuals are widespread in exposed positions, 

 swimming even closer to the reef than do the 

 species of Holocentrus, discussed above. Unlike 

 the others, which often swim over sand patches, 

 this species stays over rock or coral. It did not 

 display distinctive day or night color features, 

 being at all times a solid rose-red. 



Twenty specimens (91: 70-113 mm) were col- 

 lected during day and night. Thirteen were active 

 in exposed positions on the reef at night when 

 speared, and the stomachs of eight contained prey, 

 much of it fresh. Of the five taken after dark with 

 empty stomachs, the entire gut was empty in three 

 collected before midnight, indicating they had not 

 yet hunted successfully that night; however, the 

 gut was also empty in one speared just before 



dawn, indicating it had passed the entire night 

 without feeding; the fifth individual with an 

 empty stomach also was collected just before 

 dawn, but its intestine was full, indicating that it 

 probably had fed earlier during the night. Six of 

 seven specimens collected from deep crevices dur- 

 ing late morning had empty stomachs, and the 

 extensively damaged material in the seventh in- 

 dividual probably had been ingested during the 

 previous night. (Rotenone was used to collect this 

 species during the day, a departure from the stan- 

 dard collecting method that was necessary be- 

 cause this secretive fish is only rarely seen in 

 daylight.) Items in the 10 specimens containing 

 identifiable material are listed in Table 15. 



CONCLUSION.— Holotrachys lima is a noc- 

 turnal predator that feeds mostly on benthic crus- 

 taceans, although some free-swimming forms 

 close to the bottom also are taken. 



Myripristis kuntee Cuvier 



This is the smallest of the three species of 

 Myripristis that are numerous on the nearshore 

 Xona reefs. It remains secreted in small crevices 



Table 15. — Food of Holotrachys lima. 



938 



