ART. 33. NOTES ON FISHES OF HAWAII — E. K. JORDAN 9 



red, never white ; the black or blood-red bar on opercle and shoulder 

 is present, but a little fainter than in M. 7}iurdjnn, scarcely en- 

 croaching on the shoulder. After a time in spirits, these two species, 

 easily separated in the field, can hardly be told apart, for the bright 

 red on the fins fades to white, and can not be distinguished from 

 what was originally white in life, or what was orange or yellow, 



MYRIPRISTIS ADUSTUS Blecker. 



The Bishop Museum contains a fine cast of this well-marked 

 species, made from a specimen taken in the Honolulu market. The 

 body is pinkish or bluish, barely red ; posterior part of dorsal, anal, 

 and caudal are broadly black; spinous dorsal with two black stripes 

 with white between; opercle and axil with a black bar; scales 30. 

 This differs from 31. murdjan mainly in color; the body is perhaps 

 a little deeper. Myrifristis hotche Cuvier and Valenciennes, with 

 the fins all pale, can not be this species, as Day has supposed. It is 

 more likely to be M. murdjan. 



Genus HOLOCENTRUS (Gronow) Scopoli 



In our collections of this interesting genus from Honolulu, I find 

 the identical species recorded by Jordan and Evermann, and in the 

 study of their nomenclature I have reached identical conclusions. 

 The key to the species given by Jordan and Evermann is, however, 

 of little value, and those plates which are copied from Giinther's 

 Fische der Siidsee {micro pt eras ^ erythra^us^ and functatissimus) 

 are not very satisfactory. It is known that the key in question, as 

 well as some others in the Fishes of Hawaii, was not prepared by 

 either of the authors, but by an assistant called in in the press of 

 executive work. The use of the size of the eye as a character to 

 distinguish species is rarely of value. The genus Flammeo^ based 

 on Holocentrus marianus Cuvier and Valenciennes of the West 

 Indies, is probably not tenable. The two species with large mouths 

 found in Hawaii bear little resemblance to H. marianus. The sub- 

 genus Sargocentron Fowler, is better justified. 



ANALYSIS OF THH HAWAIIAN SPECIES OF HOLOCBNTEUS 



a\ Sargocentron. Body robust, the depth 2% in length; entire body and 



fins deep brick red, the sides without pale stripes; faint shadings of 



yellow on the soft fins ; dorsal spines low, subequal. 



h\ Opercular spines two, both strong; an area behind eye and in axil of 



pectoral deep red ; back of caudal peduncle with a ^quadrate white 



blotch, disappearing with age; depth 2% in length; size large; 



D XI, 16; A. IV, 11; scales 46 spinifer. 



a\ Holocentrus. Body more elongate, the depth 2% to 3 in length; sides 

 more or less distinctly striped with white, yellow, or blackish; no 

 white blotch behind dorsal. 

 c>. Opercle with two spines, besides minor serrations. 



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