APOGONID FISHES OF THE INDO-PACIFIC — LACHNER 599 



vie, soft dorsal, and anal fins clear to slightly dusky; anterior and 

 outer portion of spinous dorsal blackish, remainder of fin dusky to 

 clear ; caudal, other than dark brown streak, faintly dusky to clear. 



Range. — On the basis of United States National Museum collec- 

 tions, savayensis ranges from the Philippine Islands eastward among 

 the islands of Oceania (Marshall, Samoan, Tuamotu, Fiji), where it 

 is commonly taken with nubilus. 



Remarks. — Examination of more than several hundred specimens 

 of this group from Oceania failed to reveal a single one having the 

 dorsal saddles developed as in handanensis. Some specimens from 

 the Philippine Islands were not determinable, owing chiefly to their 

 small size or faded condition. The young and some juveniles of 

 savayeTisis and handanensis have the caudal saddle, typical of the 

 adults, extending below the lateral line forming a band nearly en- 

 circling the peduncle (pi. 19, a to c). When small specimens of 

 handanensis had the body saddles seriously faded, such specimens 

 could not be distinguished from those of savayensis with certainty. 

 Many of these small specimens were distinguished by the caudal band, 

 which in savayensis progressively atrophies into a saddle with in- 

 crease in size of the specimens, but which in handanensis does not 

 completely atrophy, becoming only lighter in color and less distinct 

 in the area below the lateral line. 



Some adult specimens from the East Indies and Philippine Islands 

 were also not identifiable because of their faded or intermediate color 

 patterns. Although a considerable overlap occurred in the frequency 

 distributions of the number of gill rakers between savayensis and 

 handanensis from these areas (table 5), the consistently higher num- 

 ber found in savayensis often aided in separating partially faded 

 specimens. The following adult specimens from the East Indies and 

 Philippine Islands are questionable determinations referred to the 

 species handanesis: U. S. N. M. Nos. 112164, 112169, 112171, 112176, 

 112177, 112182, 112186, and 112190. The two collections, U. S. N. M. 

 No. 112132 from the Philippine Islands and 123476 from the Solo- 

 mon Islands, could not be identified. These specimens are interme- 

 diate in coloration between erdmani, handanensis, and savayensis. 

 The caudal fin is a more or less uniform light brown. The first body 

 saddle through the spinous dorsal is absent and a trace of a saddle 

 through the soft dorsal is sometimes present. The caudal peduncle 

 mark sometimes resembles the complete band found in erdmani. In 

 some specimens the lower portion of the band below the lateral line 

 is of a lighter color than that portion above the lateral line. The 

 assumption that these three forms might be considered as subspecies 



