1941 CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF TORTUGAS I95 



one (142 mm. long) the margin is straight and the angles acute, but not pro- 

 jecting. 



This is the species listed as Halichoeres kjrschii in most recent works. I com- 

 pared the types (2 specimens) of kjrschii with the specimens before me, with 

 which they seem to agree perfectly. 



The following proportions and enumerations are based on 4 specimens, 80 to 

 142 mm. long, from Tortugas: Head (without opercular lobe) 3.5 to 3.7; depth 

 3.8 to 4.0. Eye in head 4.8 to 5.7; snout 2.6 to 2.75; interorbital 5.7 to 6.3; caudal 

 peduncle 5.7 to 6.3; ventral 1.75 to 1.8; pectoral 1.4 to 1.6. D. IX,n; A. Ill, 12; 

 P. 11 or 12; scales 2-26 or 27-8, before dorsal 4 or 5 (12 specimens counted). 



Atlantic coast of tropical America northward to Florida. S. F. H. 



Halichoeres caudalis (Poey) 



Ju/is caudalis Poey, Memorias, vol. 2, i860, p. 213 — Havana. 



Iridio pictus Jordan and Evermann, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 47, pt. 2, 1898, p. 1599 — 



Snapper Banks between Pensacola and Tampa, Florida (not certainly the same as fulis 



pictus Poey, Memorias, vol. 2, i860, p. 214 — Havana). 

 }lridio bathyphilus Beebe and Tee- Van, Zoologica, vol. 13, 1932, p. 117. 



Apparently rare at Tortugas, except perhaps at depths between 15 and 40 

 fathoms, where rough bottom has made it almost impossible to work effectively 

 with available gear. A female from a 10-fathom channel, the only specimen 

 taken alive, made it possible to study the coloration in life. 



The proportional measurements of this fish were: Total length 120 mm.; 

 standard length 100 mm.; depth 24 mm. (4.15); head without opercular lobe 26 

 mm. (3.8); eye a little less than 6.0 mm. (4.3 in head); caudal fin rounded 

 mesially, its angles sharply exserted. 



Upper side of snout, nape, and back pale olive; a narrow line of glistening 

 bluish spots on first row of scales above lateral line, where the olive shades to 

 orange; the orange passing to bluish along an irregular line at level of opercular 

 angle; the blue growing exceedingly pale ventrally, broken only by a horizontal 

 line of yellow passing back from pectoral axil; head above with light blue mark- 

 ings with metallic reflections, consisting of a line crossing snout and turning 

 back just above orbital margin and joining blue line already mentioned, another 

 line passing from middle of maxillary margin to lower border of orbit, reappear- 

 ing as a postorbital dash enclosing a small dark spot, a third line extending from 

 angle of mouth across cheek to upper angle of opercular cleft, a spot of blue at 

 opercular angle, and a narrow line of blue on subopercular margin; additional 

 blue about base of pectoral; a series of blue spots on the four rows of scales next 

 below lateral line, two of these continuing on caudal peduncle; dorsal fin orange, 

 rosy toward margin, with a submarginal blue line and two rows of blue spots; 

 anal yellow, rose color distally, with a submarginal blue line, a median line, and 

 a basal series of spots like those on dorsal; caudal bluish with yellowish upper 

 and lower borders, marked with faint orange lines; pectorals essentially trans- 

 parent; ventrals slightly rosy with bluish anterior border. 



At rest this fish became distinctly banded, with ground color interrupted by a 



