188 PAPERS FROM TORTUGAS LABORATORY vol. xxxiv 



It feeds freely by day. Whether it feeds also at night is not known. Broken 

 univalve and bivalve shells and bits of the test and spines of Echinometra have 

 been taken from its stomach. 



This fish at a length of 30 mm. has a truncate caudal fin, anterior dorsal spines 

 not elongated, and a banded color pattern only; a dark saddle just before the 

 dorsal, surrounded by a narrow light blue line, almost divided transversely by 

 another narrow blue line; a second somewhat smaller blotch behind eye; an 

 interorbital dark bar; two others across snout; an oblique line as wide as pupil 

 from eye to angle of mouth, where it divides to pass to upper and lower lips; a 

 second line extending downward and slightly backward from eye to margin of 

 opercle; a transverse bar under jaw; two other dark lines extending from eye 

 to opercle; a line, equaling in breadth those radiating from eye, from angle of 

 preopercle to and across isthmus; another line extending from posteroventral 

 angle of opercle across mid-line under throat; four dark zigzag bands across body 

 and vertical fins; a black spot at base of last 6 rays of dorsal, lying in center of a 

 dark area bounded by paler blue; caudal peduncle banded; outer rays of caudal 

 pigmented. 



The adult hogfish appears in several very different phases. The female may be 

 uniformly gray except for her countershading. The male, according to age, may 

 resemble the female, or it may show over the head a dark area from snout to base 

 of 2d dorsal spine, and a black spot at base of last dorsal rays. It also has an 

 essentially gray phase. In another phase the fish of either sex may be nearly uni- 

 form reddish brown. Between these two phases any gradation may occur. Finally, 

 there is a phase in which the fish is irregularly banded with maroon and old 

 ivory. 



Hogfish commonly rest in the banded phase beneath gorgonians, or more 

 rarely beside dead or living corals. When swimming they are self-color, except 

 for the dark markings of the male already specified. Whether that self-color is 

 light or dark depends on the color of the bottom and the distance the fish is 

 above it, for a light bottom, or remoteness regardless of shade, stimulate the fish 

 to display its lightest colors. 



These fish may be led from place to place by offering them broken sea urchins, 

 and their various phases may be evoked one after another in a few moments. 

 Occasionally a fish feeds in the dark self-color, but when the bottom is variegated 

 with light and dark objects, or with light and shadowy areas, it displays its 

 banded pattern. If fed on bare bottom it displays the light self-color, although 

 there is usually clear evidence of a tendency toward handedness. 



West Indies to the Bahamas and Florida. W. H. L. 



Decodon puellaris (Poey) 



Cossyphus puellaris Poey, Memorias, vol. 2, i860, p. 210 — Havana. 



Xyrula jessiae Longley, Carnegie Inst. Wash. Year Book No. 30, 1931, p. 386 (not of 

 Jordan, which is Xyrichthys psittacus). 



Four specimens, 40 to 150 mm. in length, were taken in 50 to 66 fathoms. 

 Maxillary and a horizontal preorbital line from eye to eye yellow; back faintly 



