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



Color when alive. — White streaks are reddish and background 

 coloration is generally greenish. 



Remarks. — This species was not captured in the northern Marshall 

 Islands but probably occurs there. In islands farther south it reaches 

 an enormous size, probably a total length of at least 6 feet. 



CHEILINUS FASCIATUS (Bloch) 



Plate 91, A 



Sparus fasciatus Bloch, Naturgeschichte der auslandischen Fisctie, vol. 5, p. 18, 



pi. 257, 1791 (type locality, Japan). 

 Cheilinus nigropinnatus Seale, Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus., vol. 1, No. 3, p. 86, 1901 



(type locality, Marianas). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 4 stations, 9 specimens, 39 to 203 mm. in standard length. 

 Eniwetok Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 82 mm. 

 Rongelap Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 154 mm. 



Description. — Counts are recorded in table 98. 



Head 2.5 to 2.7; greatest depth 2.5 to 2.6; longest pectoral ray 2.0 

 to 2.1; snout tip to anus 1.6; snout to dorsal origin 2.3; all in stand- 

 ard length. Snout 2.2 to 2.6; eye 4.2 to 6.0; postorbital length of 

 head 2.1; interorbital space (bony) 3.6 to 4.0; longest pectoral fin ray 

 2.0 to 2.1 ; least depth of body 2.4 to 2.5; all in length of head. Dis- 

 tance between anterior and posterior nasal openings 4.5 to 7.0 in 

 snout. Eye 1.4 to 2.1 in interorbital space. 



Dorsal profile of head arched but with a shallow concavity dorsal 

 to or a little in front of eye, often forming an angle of about 65 to 

 70 degrees with ventral contour of head; interorbital space convex in 

 young, strongly convex in adults ; maxillary reaching to a vertical line 

 through rear nostril but not to front of eye; first or second branched 

 pectoral ray from dorsal edge longest; pelvics do not quite reach to 

 anus, even in adults; rear margins of median fins rounded in young, 

 but rays of soft dorsal and soft anal fins elongated, and upper and 

 lower rays of caudal fin greatly elongated, in large adults. 



Color in alcohol. — Background coloration white or pale with 6 or 7 

 black bars, about 3 scales wide, on body and 2 black bars on caudal 

 fin, the white interspaces 2 scales wdde ventrally and 1 dorsally, these 

 black and white bars are curved on dorsal and anal fins, but usually 

 do not quite extend to the distal edge; distal edges of dorsal and of anal 

 fins in adults with a dusky band; all median fins of adults speckled 

 with very small white spots, these white spots occurring on belly of 

 adults; sometimes behind head on large adults are a few scattered 

 black scales, and others anteriorly on body may be peppered with 

 black specks; a black streak on base of pectoral fin; pectoral and pelvics 

 white in adults, or pelvics have a dusky central portion ; head may^^^be 

 white (in young) with two dark diverging black streaks behind eye, or 



