544 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxv. 



The young- of this species are frequentl}- taken in the Kuro Shiwo 

 off the headlands in southern Japan. No adult examples have 3 et 

 been recorded, and it is probable that the species does not breed in 

 Japan. It is a handsome iish and may be known at all ages b}' the 

 produced dorsal spine. 



Our exam})les differ from the ligures of Bleeker and Day in showing- 

 no black markings on the anterior part of the anal tin. Probabl}^ this 

 coloration changes with age. If not, two distinct species ma^' be con- 

 founded under the name of Heviochus iiKicrolejndotus. Our numer- 

 ous specimens, the longest less than 3 inches, are from AVakanoura 

 and Nagasaki. 



{/naKpoXeTTidoTog, large-scaled.) 



10. HOLACANTHUS Lacepede. 



HolacanthiiK Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 1.S08, p. 525 [tricolor; scales large; 



caudal forked). 

 Genicanthus Swainson, Class. Fishes, II, 1839, p. 212 {lamarc/iii; scales large; 



caudal forked ) . 

 Centropyge Kaup, Wiegmann's Archiv., XXVI, 1876, ]>. I08 {(ibicen; erroneously 



said to have four anal spines). 

 Chxtodontoplus Bleeker, Archiv. Neerl. Sci. Nat., XII, 1876, p. 26 {uwsoleucus; 



isthmus broad). 

 AcanthodiRiodon 'BijEkkkr, Archiv. Neerl. 8ci. Nat., XII, 1876, p. 5 {lepidohph; 



isthmus narrow; body elevated). 

 fAngeliclithys Jordan and Evermann, Check List, Fishes, 1896, ji. 420 [ciliaris). 



Body oblong or elevated, rather robust; scales rather small, rougli- 

 ish, often mixed with smaller ones. Vertical limb of preopercle with 

 serra?, large or small; a strong spine at the angle of the preopercle, 

 this usually grooved; interopercle short, armed with strong- spines; 

 dorsal spine with 12 to 15 strong spines, which are usually graduated, 

 increasing in height to the last; soft dorsal moderate, with 17 to 20 

 rays, usually not ending in streamers. Coloration usualh' brilliant 

 and well defined. Species numerous in all tropical seas, abounding 

 about coral reefs. We include provisionally under Holacantlms the 

 subgenera AngeUchthys^ Ch^todontoplus^ and Acaiitlwcha&todon. The 

 following is an analysis of their principal characters: 

 a. Ascending limb of preopercle with fine serrations only. 

 h. Caudal rounded. 



c. Gill-membranes very ])roadly joined to the isthmus; body oblong-ovate; 



scales small Chatodontoplus. 



cc. Gill-membrane narrowly joined to the isthmus. 



d. Body oblong, not elevated ; scales rather large Centropyge. 



dd. Body more or less elevated ; scales small Acanthochsetodon. 



hb. Caudal lunate, with produced lobes, scales large Holacanihus. 



oa. Ascending limb of preopercle with strong spines Angelichthys. 



The three Japanese species belong to AcanthochcBtodon and Centro- 

 pyge.^ 



{6X05, whole; aKavOa^ spine.) 



