FISHES OF THE PHOENIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS 143 



meets its fellow there to form a black patch ; a black 

 band continuing from base of dorsal passes rear 

 edge of eye to lower angle of preopercle; a blackish 

 band crosses front of opercle and another narrow 

 at rear edge of opercle; pectoral pale; margin of 

 caudal white, then a submarginal black band, and a 

 wide black band crosses center of fin; anal has a 

 black margin with a fine white line at very edge 

 posteriorly, and a wide diffuse black band crosses 

 the center of fin; margin of soft dorsal black, then 

 a submarginal black band continuing forward along 

 base of spiny dorsal to join with band that passes 

 across head just back of eye; dorsal rays XII or 

 XIII, 25 or 26; anal III, 21 or 22; scales 50 to 55. 

 Chaetodon ornatissimus Cuvier and Valenciennes 

 14&. A single black band or line across caudal fln. 

 IGo. Width of black band as it passes through eye about 



width of pupil and much narrower than eye. 

 17(7. Upiier part of body, from about on level with upper 

 end of gill opening, brownish, with a pale large spot 

 in center of brownish area, below bases of sixth 

 and seventh dorsal spines; a smaller pale spot, 

 sometimes almost lacking, below ninth or tenth 

 dorsal spine; caudal peduncle with a larger black 

 saddle above and a smaller one below; in young 

 these often meet to form a ring; about 16 rows 

 of spots or lines of dark color radiate posteriorly 

 and a little upward, almost horizontally beginning 

 from head to breast; a black band about width of 

 pupil beginning on upper nai>e passes through eye 

 to isthmus, where it ends as a simple single median 

 round blackish spot ; pectoral plain ; margin of anal 

 fln white; most of fin light brownish, more intense 

 distally, anterior base with a blotch sometimes 

 faint ; transverse black line across middle of caudal 

 fin ; soft dorsal same as anal but without the basal 

 spot; dorsal rays XII, 19 or 20; anal III, 17 or 18, 

 scales about 35 to 40_ Chaetodon melannotus Bloch 

 176. About 14 or 15 horizontal blackish or brownish lines be- 

 ginning behind head and all the dorsal ones ending at 

 a white line near base of soft dorsal, ventral ones 

 just fading out posteriorly; front of head, lower 

 jaw, and lips black; top of caudal peduncle with a 

 black patch anteriorly where the color from soft 

 dorsal black band extends, this black band bordered 

 with white; behind eye a narrow transverse band 

 extending upward to below base of spiny dorsal; 

 black band beginning on naiie and extending through 

 eye, is white bordered and about width of pupil 

 as it passes through eye to isthmus, where there 

 is a diffuse black patch, below eye the area each 

 side this eye band is white; pectoral pale; margin 

 of anal with wliite band, though some specimens 

 have very tips of rays tinged with blai.-kish, a sub- 



