ho.2294. FISHES FROM WEST AFRICA— FOWLER. 219 



S to 10 basal striae. Lateral line concurrent with dorsal profile 

 only extends until about midway in soft dorsal base. Tubes simple, 

 well exposed. 



Spinous dorsal origin slightly behind pectoral origin; after fifth 

 spine subequal edge notched. Soft dorsal origin about last third 

 between suprascapula origin and caudal base, fourth ray longest with 

 others graduated down, extends back slightly beyond caudal base. 

 Spinous anal origin about midway betv/een pectoral origin and caudal 

 base, first spine slightly less than half length of second. Soft anal 

 lower than soft dorsal; fourth ray longest; fin about reaching caudal 

 base. Caudal deeply forked, pointed lobes similar. Pectoral long, 

 not quite to anal origin, upper rays longest. Ventral inserted 

 behind pectoral base, fin nearly to anal origin, and spine about half 

 its length. Vent close before anal. 



Color in alcohol largely dull brownish olive, paler below. Back 

 and sides with 5 dark-brown broad vertical cross-bands, darker above 

 lateral line. Fins all brownish, dorsal without distinct reflections of 

 dark vertical bars on back, and outer portions of soft dorsal, anal, 

 and ventral dusky or dark brown. Axial of pectoral dark brown. 

 Iris brownish. Length 165 mm. 



Type.— Cat. No. 42315, U.S.N.M. Ascension Island. Wm. Har- 

 vey Brown. U. S. Eclipse Expedition to W. Africa, 1889. 



Also another example, paratype, same data; paratypes 42,314 two 

 examples, same data; 42,316, four examples, Ascension Island or 

 Saint Helena. These show: head 3 to 3^; depth U to 1|; D. XIII, 

 13; A. II, 13 ; tubes in lateral line 20 or 21, with 9 or 10 scales counted 

 on to caudal base; 4 or 5 scales above lateral line to soft dorsal origin 

 and 11 or 12 below to spinous anal origin: snout 3f to 3| in head; 

 eye 3^ to 4; maxillary 3 to 3f ; interorbital 2| to 3^: rakers 6 or 7 -f- 18 

 or 19; length 69 to 135 mm. 



Compared with a series of examples of Ahudefduf warginatus 

 (Bloch) from the Bahamas, St. Martins, West Indies, Florida, and 

 Panama, the present species differs in the outer portion of soft dorsal 

 dusky, dark transverse band on caudal peduncle reflected as dusky 

 band across soft dorsal basally and the presence of 13 anal rays. 

 The West Indian species has a shorter or slightly more rounded or 

 orbicular contour and 12 anal rays. 



(For the Ascension Islands.) 



THALASSOMA ASCENSIONIS (Quoy and Gaimard). 



Head 3 to 3f; depth 3| to 3^; D.VIII, 14; A. Ill, 12; P. i, 14; 

 V. I, 5; scales 27 in lateral line to caudal base and 1 more on latter; 

 3 scales above lateral line to soft dorsal origin, 9 below to spinous 

 anal origin; 8 predorsal scales; snout 2^ to 3| in head; eye 4f to 6i; 

 maxillary 3| to 6J; interorbital 4^ to 4^. 



