FAMILY MULLIDAE — LACHNER 41 



caudal peduncle 3.4 to 4.0; length of snout, 1.7 to 2.6 (42 specimens); 

 interorbital width 3.0 to 4.3 (28 specimens); length of barbel 1.4 to 

 1.8 (40 specimens); all in length of head. Eye in snout 1.3 to 2.1. 

 Interorbital width in eye 1.0 to 1.4. 



Gill rakers 7 to 9+1 + 16 to 21, total 24 to 31 (150 specimens); 

 longest raker about 1.4 to 2.0 in longest filament; peritoneum black; 

 second dorsal spine flexible near tip; barbels extend posterior of verti- 

 cal through eye but rarely reaching preopercular margin. 



Color in alcohol. — Head and body pale, darker above and usually 

 light silvery below. Faint traces of a light median horizontal stripe 

 from eye to base of caudal fin. A black spot or blotch on side of 

 bod}^ below spiny dorsal fin sometimes present, often faint or obscure. 

 Fins pale or transparent. A black blotch on inner side of operculum 

 bordering pseudobranchiae usually present, sometimes faded. 



Color in life. — These color notes were taken from a kodachrome 

 loaned by Dr. Strasburg, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu: 

 The specimen was 5}^ inches in total length. Cheek, operculum and 

 dorsal portion of head blackish ; snout diffuse orange-red ; remainder of 

 head silvery; body light silvery below, becoming dark above; spinous 

 dorsal, soft dorsal, and caudal fins dusky to orange; pectoral fins 

 reddish orange; pelvic fins dusky to black near base, orange on outer 

 portion; anal fin with black spot near base, remainder reddish orange; 

 barbels light blue at base, remainder light orange; u-is orange to silvery; 

 pupil black. 



Range. — The extensive geographic range of M. samoensis parallels 

 that of M. auriflamma, occurring from the Ked Sea eastward through 

 the East Indies, Philippines, and the islands of Oceania through the 

 Hawaiian Islands. 



Remarks. — This species is very closely related to M. auriflamma 

 with which it can be easily confused, especially the smialler specimens 

 or those poorly preserved. The black blotch present only on the 

 inner side of the operculum of samoensis is a good character to dis- 

 tinguish between most specimens of the two species but it is sometimes 

 faded. The black spot on the midside of the bod}^ is often completely 

 faded. The diagnostic characters most usefid in differentiating these 

 species are the presence of these two spots in combinations with differ- 

 ences in the number of gill rakers, length of barbel, size of e.je, the 

 length of snout. 



No significant differences were found in an analysis of populations 

 from several localities tliroughout the Indo-Pacific on the basis of 

 comparing color, meristic counts, and proportional measurements. 



