142 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 202 VoL 2 



edged white bar just behind eye from side of head to nape; three 

 prominent black ocellate spots, one at front of soft dorsal, another at 

 front of soft anal, and the largest occupying each pelvic fin and the 

 underljdng part of the body opposite the pelvic fins; no white bar 

 across interorbital space; middle of upper lip dark barred. The two 

 smallest specimens, 23 and 25 mm., probably represent a juvenile 

 color pattern: In addition to the white bar behind the ocellate spots 

 there is in front of them another white bar that extends from bases 

 of last dorsal spines to bases of anal spines; another white band ex- 

 tends from first two dorsal spines just behind pectoral base to pelvics; 

 caudal fin white with two narrow cross bars, the distal margin of fin 



white. 



Ecology. — This interesting labrid was taken only at depths of about 

 20 to 40 feet in the lagoon among coral heads. It was not seen in the 

 intertidal zone of the reefs. 



Remarks. — The closest relative of this species is W. philippina 

 from which it differs in lacidng black pigment spots in the 

 caudal fm; ocellata has a plain dusky caudal fin in the adult, and none 

 of the specimens of ocellata has even a trace of black spots in the caudal 

 fin. After studying several hundred species of fishes of the tropical 

 Indo-Pacific in numerous families we place a great deal of confidence 

 in the color pattern differences such as occur in the Chaetodontidae, 

 Labridae, Serranidae, and other famihes. Larger series will make it 

 possible to determine the exact status of these forms. Among our 12 

 specimens of ocellata there is Uttle variation in color pattern except 

 that which normally occurs between small (young) specimens and the 

 large (adult) specimens. 



Genus XYRICHTHYS Cuvier 



Xyrichthys Cuvier, Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, vol. 1, pp. 317, 329, 355, 1815 

 (type species, Xyrichtys cultratus Cuviev •== Cory phaena novacula Linnaeus). 



Novacula Cuvier, Regne animal, ed., vol. 2, p. 265, 1817 (type species, Coryphaena 

 novacula Linnaeus). 



Amorphocephalus Bowdich, Excursions in Madeira and Porto Santo . . ., p. 237, 

 1825 (type species, Amorphocephalus gramdatus Bowdich = Cory phae7ia nova- 

 cula Linnaeus). 



NovacuUchthys Bleeker, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 414, 1861 (type species, 

 Labrus taeniourus Lacepfede). 



Dimalacocentrus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 15, p. 223, 1863 

 (type species, Novacula kallasoma Bleeker). 



Semachlorella Fowler and Bean, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 100, vol. 7, p. 367, 1928 

 (type species, Julis bifer Lay and Bennett-- iVo2;aciz/a kallasoma Bleeker = 

 Labrus taeniourus Lacepfede). 



