156 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 02 Vol. 2 



Color when alive. — Background coloration dark to light brown, the 

 median fins reddish brown; brownish vertical bars distinct on small 

 specimens; head, body, and median fins with pale bluish to white 

 specks or tiny spots mostly arranged in rows, usually one row for 

 each row of scales although there may be 2 or 3 white spots on some 

 of the scales; a prominent white bar below eye meeting its fellow from 

 other side on ventral part of head; 4 or 5 reddish brown streaks radi- 

 ate from front half of eye, streak under the eye black with edges 

 tinged reddish brown; rear part of soft dorsal pale pinkish; tips of 

 membranes of spiny dorsal tinged with reddish. 



Ecology. — This species was common in the tidal zone on the reefs, 

 and was taken in the lagoon in water at a depth of 40 feet. It seemed 

 to prefer the protection of coral heads. 



Remarks. — C. chlorourus might be confused with trilobatus, were it 

 not that it has one more dorsal spine and one fewer soft dorsal ray 

 than the latter, i.e., X,9 instead of IX,10. C. chlorourus usunWy is 

 covered with small white specks or spots whereas on the body of 

 trilobatus these are lacking, being replaced with vertical red streaks 

 on the scales and red spots or red streaks on the head. The black 

 spots and streaks on head and around eye, characteristic of chlorourus, 

 are lacking on trilobatus. 



One of our kodachromes shows the pale spots to be light bluish 

 instead of red as shown in various figures. 



CHEILINUS DIGRAMMUS (Lacepede) 



Plate 96, D 



Labnis digramrna Lacepede, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 3, pp. 448, 518, 

 1802 (type locality, "Great Equatorial Ocean"). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 2 stations, 3 specimens, 46 to 143 mm. in standard length. 



Description. — Counts are recorded in table 98. 



Head 2.4 to 2.5; greatest depth 2.9 to 3.1 ; longest pectoral ray 6.2 

 to 7.0; snout tip to anus 1.6; snout to dorsal origin 2.2 to 2.3; all in 

 standard length. Snout 2.4 to 2.5; eye 5.0 to 5.2; postorbital length 

 of head 2.1 to 2.2; interorbital space (bony) 6.0 to 7.0; longest pec- 

 toral fin ray 2.6 to 2.8; least depth of body 2.7 to 2.8; all in length 

 of head. Distance between anterior and posterior nasal openings 7 

 to 8 in snout. Eye 1.1 to 1.2 in fleshy interorbital space. 



Dorsal profile of head slightly convex, scarcely with a concavity 

 over orbits, forming an angle of 45 to 50 degrees with ventral con- 

 tour of head and body; interorbital space a little convex, becoming 

 more so in adults; lower jaw slightly projecting when mouth is closed; 

 maxillary reaching to a vertical line through rear nostril but not to 

 eye; head mostly naked, sometimes with a few embedded scales on 



