FISHES OF THE PHOENIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS 201 



Genus NOVACULICHTHYS Bleeker 



Novaculichthys Bleekeb, Proc. Zool. Soc. Londou, 1861, p. 414; Versl. Akad. 

 Amsterdam, vol. 13, p. 102, 1S62. (Type, Lahrus macrolepidotus Bloch.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF NOVACULICHTHYS FROM PHOENIX AND SAMOAN 



ISLANDS 



la. Dorsal spines shorter than soft dorsal rays, first two spines not elongate; 

 wide white baud across basal half of caudal fin, distal half brownish and 

 reticulated ; pale bordered brown bauds radiating from eye, one across 

 cheek, one from eye toward base of pectoral fin, and two short ones extend- 

 ing upward and backward from rear of eye ; pelvics black with fine white 

 line around margins ; under basal region of pectoral fin on body two black 

 bars Novaculichtliys taeniourus (Lacepede) 



1&. First two dorsal spines greatly elongate; "brilliant grass-green with pencil- 

 like streaks of black and bands of dark olive, these bands becoming bronze 

 olive on the fins, markings on body of creamy white, those above greenish 

 white" (Jordan and Seale) Novaculichthys bifer (Lay and Bennett) 



NOVACULICHTHYS TAENIOURUS (Lacepede) 



Labrus taeniourus Lacep£:de, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 3, pp. 448, 518, 

 pi. 29, fig. 1, 1802. 



115603, Hull Island, channel, July 7-17, 1939, 1 specimen. 



115604, Tutuila Island, reef at Pagai, June 4, 1939, L. P. Schultz and Frank 

 Taiga, 1 specimen. 



52435, Apia, Samoa, Jordan and Kellogg, 3 specimens. 



NOVACULICHTHYS BIFER (Lay and Bennett) 



Julia lifer Lay and Bennett, The zoology of Captain Beechey's voyage. Fishes, 

 p. 64, pi. 18, fig. 2, 1839. 



Jordan and Seale's specimen of N. kallosomus was not located in 

 the National Museum. 



Genus THALASSOMA Swainson 



Thalassoma Swainson. The natural history and classification of fishes, amphib- 

 ians and reptiles, or monocardian animals, vol. 2, p. 224, 1839. (Type, 

 Labrus purpurcus FoTiikiil=Julis purpureus Riippell). 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THALASSOMA FROM THE PHOENIX AND SAMOAN ISLANDS,i» 

 REPRESENTED BY SPECIMENS IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Ic. Color pattern consisting of a black band extending from tip of snout through 

 eye to base of caudal fin, lower edge of this band running along midaxis of 

 body, and ventral half of body abruptly white (in alcohol), upper edge of 

 black band diffuse, but width of band is about equal to diameter of eye, 

 space above paler ; I)eginning between eyes on top of head and continuing 

 along base of dorsals is a second black bar, becoming paler posteriorly ; 

 head without other striking color marks. Thalassoma marnae, new species 



" Although Giinther, p. 290, 1909, records Thalassoma lunaris from .Samoa and Fowler 

 and Bean, U. S. Nat. Miis. BulL 100, vol. 7, p. 327, 1928, refer it to T. liitescens, the exact 

 form involved is not clear, so I am omitting it from the key in the absence of specimens. 



