blenniidae: salariinae — schultz and chapman 319 



Color when alive. — Background color brown to blackish, anterior 

 spots pale brown, sides of males covered with bright red dots or 

 elongate spots or lines; anterodorsal tip of first and second dorsals 

 and upper lobe of caudal reddish orange to white. 



Ecology. — This rather uncommon species was taken in the Litho- 

 thamnium ridge area or areas of Acrojpora and Pocillopora corals 

 where the surf was moderate to strong. 



Genus RHABDOBLENNIUS Whitley 



Rhabdoblennius Whitley, Mem. Queensland Mus., vol. 10, p. 20, 1930 (type spe- 

 cies, Blennius rhabdotrachelus Fowler and Ball). 



Nixiblennius Whitley, Mem. Queensland Mus., vol. 10, p. 20 (type species, Blen- 

 nius snowi Fowler). 



Antennablennius Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 83, p. 245, 1931 

 (type species, Blennius hypenetes Klunzinger). 



Scartoblennius Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 98, p. 174, 1946 

 (type species, Blennius ellipes Jordan and Starks). 



This genus is best characterized by its lower-jaw teeth, which are 

 scarcely movable or not movable, in contrast to the freely movable 

 lower-jaw teeth of Salarias and Istiblennius. The species of Rhabdo- 

 blennius from the Marshall and Marianas Islands, as represented 

 by collections in the U. S. National Museum, are separated by the 

 following key : 



la. Upper posterior part of opercle with a dark spot; under side of head plain 

 dusky or with a broad paler transverse area across its middle; back- 

 ground coloration pale, with 2 or 3 rows of brown spots on sides repre- 

 senting the vertical bars; midbase of caudal fin with light dusky spot; 

 head usually with several small bright white spots. _R. snowi (Fowler) 

 16. No dark opercular spot; side and lower side of head usually with 3 dusky 

 transverse streaks, one behind corner of lower lip, second from pre- 

 opercular edge; third along rear edge of gill membranes, these dark 

 streaks extend on under side of head but do not meet along midventral 

 line, that area is unpigmented; vertical bars represented by faintly pig- 

 mented area a little above lengthwise a.xis; no dark spot at midbase of 

 caudal fin B. rhabdotrachelus (Fowler and Ball) 



RHABDOBLENNIUS SNOWI (Fowler) 

 Plate 11 5, A 



Blennius snowi Fowler, Mem. Bishop Mus., vol. 10, p. 431, fig. 71, 1928 (type 

 locality, Strong's Island, Caroline Islands). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 9 stations, 94 specimens, 18 to 42 mm. in standard length. 



Rongerik Atoll: 4 specimens, 27 to 32 mm. 



Eniwetok Atoll: 3 stations, 12 specimens, 19 to 40 mm. 



Rongelap Atoll: 3 stations, 145 specimens, 13 to 46 mm. 



Kwajalein Atoll: 3 specimens, 32 to 33 mm. 



Northern Marshall Islands: 1 lot, 17 specimens, 33 to 46 mm. 



Guam: 2 lots, 5 specimens, 33 to 44 mm. 



