192 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 02 VoL 2 



Islands. By this means the following species were eliminated: 

 amhlyce'phalus, hardwickei, umbrostygma, and quinquevittata. The 

 single specimen of lunare has ii,13 pectoral rays, 6 rakers on upper 

 part of first gill arch whereas the young of lutescens with a black 

 lateral streak have ii,14 or 15 pectoral rays and 8 rakers on upper 

 part of first gill arch. Of the three species left as possibilities in the 

 Marshall Islands fauna, lutescens, fuscum, and pur pureum, the juvenile 

 color patterns of the last two have not, to my knowledge, been con- 

 nected with the adults. 



«-ft-«;^ 



Figure lOL — Young of Thalassoma amhlycephalus {^=marnae), holotype, USNM 115563, 

 from Hull Island. Drawn by A. M. Awl. 



THALASSOMA AMBLYCEPHALUS (Bleeker) 



Figures 100,e, 101; Plate 91, C 



Julia amhlycephalus Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 11, p. 83, 1856 



(type locality, Java; Celebes); Atlas ichthyologique, vol. 1, p. 90, pi. 33, 



fig. 6, 1862 (Java; Celebes) 

 Julia melanochir Bleeker, Act. Soc, Sci. Indo-N6erl. vol. 2, p. 77, 1857 (type 



locality, Amboina); Atlas ichthyologique, vol. 1, p. 89, pi. 33, fig. 2, 1862 



(Amboina) 

 Thalassoma marnae Schttltz, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 180, p. 203, fig. 17, 1943 (type 



locality, Phoenix and Samoan Islands, holotype USNM 115563; young). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 2 stations, 5 specimens, 26 to 54 mm. in standard length. 

 Rongerik Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 44 mm. 

 Kwajalein Atoll: 1 station, 16 specimens, 27 to 54 mm. 



Description. — Certain counts are recorded in table 101. The fol- 

 lowing description is based on the young, since no adults of this species 

 were captured in the area under study. 



Head 3.2 to 3.4; greatest depth 3.9 to 4.1; longest pectoral ray 5.0 

 to 5.3; snout tip to anus 1.9 to 2.0; snout to dorsal origin 3.2 to 3.4; 

 all in standard length. Snout 3.8 to 4.5; ej^e 3.8 to 4.0; postorbital 

 length of head 1.8 to 1.9;interorbital space 3.3 to 4.0; longest pectoral 

 ray 1.4 to 1.6; least depth of body 2.1 to 2.2; aU in length of head. 

 Distance between anterior and posterior nasal openings 2.5 to 2.8 in 

 snout. Eye 0.8 to 1.0 in interorbital space. 



