FISHES OF THE PHOENIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS 197 



a row of white spots along entire length of anal; pectoral fin pale or 

 whitish ; ground color of body blackish posteriorly paler anteriorly under 

 side of head and abdomen nearly white ; a longitudinal black bar through 

 eye, broken up into one to three spots behind eye, a second bar or series of 

 spots running posteriorly from near dorsal margin of eye, across head; 

 center of each scale with a black spot anteriorly, these spots becoming 

 vertical bars posteriorly ; black spot on base of upper ray of pectoral fin ; 

 in specimens 55 to 120 mm. in standard length caudal fin margined with a 

 wide transverse white band, rest of fin blackish, but in a specimen 158 mm. 

 black color of caudal fin continuing almost to tips of upper and lower rays ; 

 dorsal rays VIII, 13 ; anal III, 11 ; pectoral 15 ; gill rakers about 24 to 26 ; 

 scales 27 or 28 Gomphosus varius Lacepede 



GOMPHOSUS TRICOLOR Quoy and Gaimard 



Oomphosus tricolor Quoy and Gaimabd, Voyage autour du monde . . . JJranie, 

 Zool., p. 280, pi. 55, fig. 2, 182-1. 



115093, Hull Island, channel, July 7-17, 1939, 1 specimen. 

 52202, Apia, Samoa, Jordan and Kellogg, 2 specimens. 



GOMPHOSUS VARIUS Lacepede 



Gomphosus varius LACEPi:DE, Histoire uatnrelle des poissons, vol. 3, pp. 100, 104, 

 pi. 5, fig. 2, 1802. 



115092, Rose Island lagoon, June 12-20, 1930, 2 specimens. 



115090, Canton Island lagoon coral heads, May 23-24, 1939, 5 specimens. 



115091, Tutuila Island, reef at Alofau, June 3, 1939, 2 specimens. 

 115089, Tutuila Island, reef at Pagai, June 4, 1939, 2 specimens. 

 52215, Apia, Samoa, Jordan and Kellogg, 3 specimens. 



Color in life, from color crayon sketch by author from a specimen 

 taken in Canton Island lagoon: Anterior two-thirds of body olive- 

 green, posterior third purplish brown, very intense on caudal pe- 

 duncle ; upper side of snout orange ; a short purple bar in front of eye ; 

 an irregular row of purple spots behind eye; lower half of head 

 below eye and below pectoral base pinkish ; the opercle with a slight 

 orange tinge; margin of caudal pale; margins of dorsal and anal 

 pale ; dorsal with orange along each ray, and a purple spot between 

 first and second spines ; anal with yellow-orange spot on membrane be- 

 tween each ray with a purplish narrow submarginal band along 

 the outer edges of these spots; body covered all over with purple 

 brown spots at posterior edge of each scale. 



Genus EPIBULUS Cuvier 



Epibulus Cm'iEii, Mem. Mus. Hist. Nat. Piiris, vol. 1, p. Ill, 1S15; R^gne animal, 

 ed. 1, p. 204, 1817. (Type, Spams insidiator Pallas.) 



EPIBULUS INSIDIATOR (Pallas) 



Spams insidiator Palias, Spicilegia zoologica . . ., pt. 8, p. 41, pi. 5, fig. 1, 1770. 



115608, Canton Island, lagoon coral heads. May 23-25, 1939, 1 specimen. 

 52440, Apia, Samoa, Jordan and Kellogg, 8 specimens. 



