FAMILY POMACENTRIDAE — WOODS AND SCHULTZ 77 



to 2.8; depth of caudal peduncle 1.8 to 2.0; length of pectoral fin 0.8 

 to 0.9, of pelvic fin 0.7 to 0.9, length of 3rd dorsal spine 1.7 to 2.2, 

 of upper caudal ray 0.5, of lower caudal ray 0.5 to 0.6; all in length 

 of head (tip of snout to posterior margin of opercular membrane). 

 Depth of caudal peduncle in its length 1.1 to 1.3; angle of snout 

 profile with lengthwise axis of body 44 to 50 degrees. 



Body ovate; teeth of jaws biserial, conical, teeth of outer row larger, 

 more widely spaced than those of inner row, which form a narrow 

 irregular band; snout scaled almost to tip; preorbital and suborbital 

 scaled, the latter very narrow, with its margin free and entire; pos- 

 terior edge of preopercle crenulate; opercular margins entire, covered 

 by scales; opercular membrane narrow; dorsal spines increasing in 

 length to thu'd, the 4th to 6th subequal; soft dorsal and anal pointed; 

 upper and lower caudal rays filamentous, 2 free spines above and 

 below on caudal base; pelvics v/ith outer ray filamentous, pectoral 

 long. 



Ecology. — This species was usually taken around coral heads in 

 depths greater than 20 feet. Only 2 specimens out of the total of 

 31 were collected from shallower water. 



Color in alcohol. — Lips light gray, interorbital area, cheeks, and 

 opercles golden brown, a narrow dark brown vertical line along 

 posterior margin of preopercle, fading ventrally between subopercle 

 and interopercie, opercular membrane dark purplish brown, showing 

 through scales on upper portion of opercle; nape, back and sides, and 

 caudal peduncle light purplish brown, scale margins pale, centers with 

 dark brown spot, this character quite distinct on some specimens, 

 appearing as lengthwise bands; breast and belly brownish with 

 yellowish tinge; spiny dorsal membrane dark brown, soft dorsal with 

 first 4 rays dark brown, the rest with bases dark brown and distal 

 portion white; anal with first 7 rays entirely dark brown, the rest 

 with base dark and distal portion pale; caudal fin yellowish basally, 

 pale distally, some specimens with faint dusky color on upper and 

 lower portions and some with entire caudal faintly dusky; pelvics 

 dark brown or black; pectoral pale, its rays outlined by very fine 

 black lines, a large intensely black spot covering entire pectoral base 

 and axil. 



J?gmarA:s.— William A. Gosline and the authors have discussed the 

 possibility that these specimens along with others may represent a 

 distinct species. To prove that they do, requires more material than 

 is available at present. 



Gosline states in a letter to us: "These plain brown-bodied speci- 

 mens with a black blotch at the pectoral base are here identified as a 

 color form of the black and white Chromis leucurus. Comparison of 

 the same two forms from Hawaiian material provides the following 



