SERRANIDAE. 109 



Color of No. 3128 in alcohol: — general color hrowii, darker above, becom- 

 ing lighter on belly; top of head and nape uniform brownish; fins, boily, and 

 underside of head mottleil with lighter spots, these varying in size from mere 

 points, to size of jnipil, traces of dusky spots, mingled with the light spots; 

 traces of five narrow dark bars extending on sides below dorsal, the first in front 

 of spinous dorsal, 2nd below 5th to 7th spines, 3rd below junction of dorsals, 

 4th below middle of soft dorsal and 5th below posterior end of soft dorsal; a 

 black saddle on dorsal surface of caudal peduncle; traces of four black spots 

 along upper edge of caudal with interspaces lighter than the rest of fins; spinous 

 and soft dorsal color of body, mottled with spots of same color as those on body 

 but more indistinct; margins yellowish with an inframarginal darker band; 

 caudal body color, with yellowjnargin, mottling very indistinct; anal similar 

 to soft dorsal; ventral rays body color, membrane lighter; upper and lower 

 margins tinged with lighter; inner surface of pectoral color of body, outer sur- 

 face lighter, with a tawny dusky yellowish margin shading into the darker body 

 color at the base; the fin is mottled similar to body. ^ 



We can not distinguish our specimens from Epinephelus hoevenii Bleeker as 

 described and figured in his Atlas or from E. daemelii as described and figured 

 by Boulenger in his Catalogue or from S. tumilabris as described and figured by 

 Day in his Fishes of India. aS. hoevenii, in the Fishes of Zanzibar by Playfair 

 and Giinther also seem to be the same, but their S. tumilabris is evidently differ- 

 ent, although they do not mention or figure the pale margins to the vertical fins 

 in their S. hoevenii. Boulenger includes S. hoevenii, and S. tumHabris in the 

 synonymy of E. caeruleopunctatus Bloch, but he regards E. labriformis and E. 

 daemelii as distinct species. Our specimens agree somewhat better in most 

 respects with E. daemelii. The S. caeruleopunctatus of both Bloch and Valen- 

 ciennes are sine patria and their descriptions are insufficient for identification. 



Epinephelus merra Bloch. 

 Ausl. Fische, 1793, 7, p. 15, pi. 329. Jordan & Seale, Bull. U. S. Bur. Fish., 1906, 26, p. 258. 



One specimen. No. 3289, 65 inches long and two specimens 61 and 61 inches 

 long, all from Manga Reva. M. C. Z. 29713 (1 specimen). 



Epinephelus socialis (Gunther). 



Boulenger, Cat., 1895, 1, p. 243. 



Serranus socialis Gunther, Fische der Sudsee, 1873, 1, p. 7, taf. 8, fig. B. 



One specimen. No. 3290, 7| inches long from Manga Reva. 



Head 2.61 in length without caudal; depth 3.34; eye 5 in head; snout 5, 



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