FISHES OF THE PHOENIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS 127 



except black pigment is fainter; upper lobe of caudal with four oblique 

 blackish bands; lower caudal lobe with three such bands, third one 

 toward tip much blacker than any other on entire caudal tin ; a yellow 

 streak along sides at level of eye persists for some time after preser- 

 vation, with traces of two others above it ; pelvics and anal yellow ; 

 scales about 35 or 3G ; gill rakers about 8 or 9+1+20 or 21. 



Upeneus vittatus (Forskal) 

 26. Peritoneum pale; tips of dorsals not black, spiny dorsal between tips of 

 spines on posterior edge of membrane has small pigmented areas ; soft 

 dorsal with three or four transverse dark bands; upper lobe of caudal 

 fin with seven oblique blackish bars, lower lobe of caudal with five or 

 six similar bars, last two toward tip of lower lobe much blacker than 

 others; scales about 39; gill rakers about 6+1+14 or 15. 



Upeneus arge Jordan and Evermaiui 



1&. No teeth on vomer or palatines; no scales on dorsal or anal fins; dorsal 



rays VIII-I, 8; anal 1,7. 



3a. Teeth near front of each jaw in a narrow villiform band, becoming single 



posteriorly ; first dorsal spine minute, second flexible ; peritoneum black ; 



scales 36 to 39. 



4a. Snout shorter, 2.2 to 3 in head (2.7 to 3 in young, 2.2 to 2.7 in adults) 



and 2.1 to 2.5 in greatest depth of body ; eye larger 1.2 to 1.5 in snout ; 



maxillaries (tip of snout to rear edge of maxillary) 1.2 to 1.4 in snout; 



eye 0.9 to 1.1 in interorbital space ; greatest depth 3.5 to 4 in standard 



length; gill rakers 8 or 9+1+20 to 24; color description from Weber 



and de Beaufort : "Grayish or brownish above, lighter below, a yellow 



band from eye to caudal, touching lateral line; fins yellowisli-hyaline, 



in life often with red spots on side of head." No black blotch near 



lateral line above tip of pectoral fin. 



Mulloidichthys auriflamma (For.skal) 

 46. Snout longer, 2.1 to 2.5 in head (2.3 to 2.5 in young and 2.1 to 2.3 in 

 adults), and 1.7 to 1.95 in greatest depth of body; eye smaller 1.4 to 

 1.9 in snout ; length of maxillaries 1.4 to 1.8 in snout ; eye 1 to 1.2 in 

 interorbital space; greatest depth 4 to 4.5 in standard length ; gill rakers 

 8 or 9+1+18 or 19 ; color description from Weber and de Beaufort : "In 

 life a yellow longitudinal stripe from eye to base of caudal visible in 

 alcoholic si)ecimens as a yellow line, a less distinct one above it and 

 two or three similar ones below it and on cheeks." A blackish blotch, 

 somewhat obscure on some specimens just below lateral line near end 



of pectoral fin Mulloidichthys samoensis (Giinther) 



36. Teeth in both jaws in a single series, conical, rather short, and not very 

 close together. 

 5a. Second dorsal spine pungent, the tip not flexible. 



6ffl. Barbels equal to length of second dorsal spine ; widest expanse of 

 maxillary a little less than diameter of eye ; head about 3.2 in 

 standard length ; eye about 4 to 4% in head ; color pattern con- 

 sistently with a dark bar under anterior two-thirds of base of 

 first dorsal, then a wide pale interspace followed by a second wide 

 band from under soft dorsal to real lialf of anal base ; upper half 

 of caudal peduncle blackish, separated from second black bar by a 

 paler space; these markings more pronounced in half-grown ex- 

 aaiples than in adults; gill rakers about 9+1+29, scales about 27. 



Parupeneus bifasciatus (Lacepede) 



