16 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAf, .UUSEU.)f. vol. xxvi. 



9 longitudinal broad bands following the course of the scales; dorsal 

 light, with the membrane between the first 3 spines, with a ])road 

 blackish band above, which is continued on the membrane of the rest 

 of the tin as a broad black blotch in front of each spine; mem«brane, 

 including the fourth anal spine to the fii'st soft ra}^ Idack; edge of the 

 caudal above and below brownish; the head above is more or less uni- 

 form brownish; the lower surface of the body has a silvery appear- 

 ance; membrane between the ventral spine and the lirst ray white. 



In life the species was deep red with white longitudinal stripes. 



Length about 5f inches. Here described from an example from 

 Okinawa, Riukiu. 



Of this strongly marked species we have one specimen from Nafa, in 

 Okinawa. It agrees fairly with Giinther's description of Ilolocentrus 

 ruher, or rather with the Japanese, Louisiade and Amboina specimens, 

 having the anal spine 5 in total length, not 4i, as in the Red Sea 

 example, presumably typical of 11. ruber. In Bleeker's figure the 

 preopercular spine is represented as much longer than in our examples. 

 Day's description and figure differ so much that we suppose them to 

 belong to another species. In view of the uncertainty as to the iden- 

 titj^ of the Japanese form with Ilolocentrm ruher of the Red Sea, we 

 retain provisionally the name IloJocentrns alhoruhei\ which seems to 

 admit of no doubt. The species may however prove fully identical 

 with Ilolocentrus r\iher. 



{cdhus., white; ruhe7\ red.) 



g. HOLOCENTRUS ITTODAI Jordan and Fowler, new species. 



Head 8^, depth 2^; D., XI, 14; A., IV, 11; P., I, 13; V., I, 7. 

 Lateral line 3-48-7. Body elongate, compressed, and covered with 

 small, ctenoid scales. Head rather small, the upper profile strongly 

 convex over the eyes; eye very large, 2i in the head, and impinging 

 upon the upper profile; snout pointed, about 2 in the eye; mouth 

 small, inferior and inclined, the maxillary not reaching to the middle 

 of the eye; teeth minute and in bands on the jaws; nostrils directly in 

 front of the eye and the posterior very nuich the larger; interorbital 

 space slightly concave, cheeks with 5 rows of scales; opercles with 2 

 strong spines; the preoperculum with a single strong spine below, and 

 the preorbital spine short; head more or less striate and with the 

 edges of the bones finally denticulate. Gill-opening large, the gill- 

 rakers 5+11, slender, pointed, rather poorly developed. Dorsal about 

 over the pectoral, the spinous fin rather high, highest in the middle; 

 soft dorsal beginning over the origin of the spinous anal, the anterior 

 ra3's the highest, but not as high as the anterior raj^s of the soft anal, 

 which are also the highest of that fin; third anal spine strong, long, 

 and equal to the highest soft ra}^; pectorals shorter than the ventrals, 

 about li in the head and about equal to the third anal spine; caudal 



