6 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 202 Vol. 2 



between the two black bars; soft dorsal with three dusky to black 

 bars, a short one near the posterior basal area, a long horizontal bar 

 at middle of fin and a narrow dusky tip on the first to third rays; 

 caudal fin with oblique, dusky to black bars, 3 or 4 on the upper lobe 

 and 2 or 3 on the lower; tip of longest (outer) rays of the upper lobe 

 are slightly touched in black; outer bar on lower lobe with more 

 intense black and twice as wide as other bars on caudal ; this particular 

 bar never at tip of lower lobe; two, nearly horizontal bars extend from 

 area near fork of caudal fin to areas just above and below mid-base 

 of fin; pectorals, pelvics and anal fins transparent. 



Range. — From the Red Sea, East Indies and Philippines eastward 

 in the islands of Oceania to the Low Archipelago, and from Japan 

 southward to Australia but not reported from the Hawaiian Islands. 



Genus PARUPENEUS BLEEKER 



Parupeneus Bleeker, Versl. Akad. Wet. Amsterdam, vol. 2, p. 344, 1868 (type 

 species, Mvllus bifasciatus Lacepfede). 



Dentition incomplete; teeth in the jaws uniserial, stout, blunt- 

 tipped and widely spaced, arranged in a more or less regular row; no 

 vomer or palatine teeth; scales around narrow portion of caudal 

 peduncle 14. 



The following characters were common to all species of Parupeneus 

 and may apply to some of the other genera in the family: Scales on 

 caudal fin, absent on dorsal and anal fins; dorsal fin rays VIII-i,8, the 

 first spine small; pectoral rays 14 to 18; scales above lateral line 3; 

 scales below lateral line 5 to 7 ; second dorsal spine (first elongate spine) 

 of spinous dorsal fin either flexible or rigid near tip. 



This genus inhabits the warm littoral marine waters of the Indo- 

 Pacific region from the African east coast eastward to Easter Island. 

 It is absent in the Atlantic fauna and the eastern Pacific region of the 

 Americas. Five species were taken in the Marshall Islands and four 

 from the Marianas. There are probably more than 15 species in 

 the area of Oceania, 



The following specimens of Parupeneus, representing at least three 

 species almost all taken at night, were not specifically identified, as 

 the coloration typical of the adults was not developed: 

 Bikini Atoll: 8 stations, 368 specimens, 20 to 59 mm. 

 Eniwetok Atoll: 4 stations, 149 specimens, 21 to 55 mm. 

 Rongelap Atoll: 2 stations, 158 specimens, 33 to 58 mm. 

 Rongerik Atoll: 1 station, 5 specimens, 32 to 35 mm. 



The critical characters useful in distinguishing the species of Paru- 

 peneus occurring in Oceania are given in the key. Several of the 

 meristic and proportional characters are summarized and tabulated 

 in tables 59 through 62. Several characters differ in their increase 

 rate of development with increase in body length, notably the length 



