202 BULLETIN 180, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Table 21. — Counts made on various species of Thalassoma 



1&. Color pattern not as in la. 

 2a. Color pattern consisting of about six or seven blackish vertical bars, with 

 pale interspaces. 

 3a. Front of anal fin without a blackish spot ; dorsal fin with a spot 

 between first and second spines ; a second large spot near middle of 

 dorsal fins and a small one between last two soft dorsal rays; two 

 streaks back of eye on head and one from front of eye to tip of 

 snout; about six wide vertical dark bars, with narrow pale 

 interspaces about the width of eye (after Streets). 



Thalassoma schwanenfeldii (Bleeker) 

 3&. Front of anal fin with a blackish spot, sometimes pale ; dorsal fin with 

 a blackish longitudinal band through its middle ; five or six wedge- 

 shaped black bars on upper sides of body, these extending on dorsal 

 fin and sometimes intensified in the lengthwise band of dorsal into 

 blotches, especially between first to third spines and first to third 

 soft rays; lower half of body pale; in specimens 3^2 to 6i/^ inches 

 total length, there may be, and usually is posteriorly, a pale longi- 

 tudinal band along midaxis of body ; head with six wide, pale (blue 

 in life) bauds radiating from eye, two on snout, one above eye, one 

 posteriorly, and two across cheeks__ Thalassoma hardwicke (Bennett) 

 26. Color pattern not made up of vertical color bars. 



4a. No lengthwise pale bands on side of body or along midaxis in young; 

 top and sides of head with black spots and short black interrupted 

 lines, more or less reticulated ; sides of body with blackish vertical 

 lines on scales, these in young more or less prominently W-shaped in 

 patches along midaxis and another row on lower side of body with 

 a third dorsally located ; dorsal and anal fins with a lengthwise 

 green band through middle of fin ; front of spiny dorsal with a black 

 spot ; in young another at beginning of soft dorsal ; blackish pigment 

 near tips of pectorals faint or absent. 



Thalassoma umbrostigma (Riippell) 



46. A pale lengthwise band near midaxis of body and often with pale 



lines or narrow bands coming off it at right angles ; tips of pectorals 



usually with blackish pigment. 



5o. Chin paler than rest of head, whitish in dark-colored specimens, 



and with a darker diffuse bar between angles of mouth below; in 



pale specimens of young each scale along base of dorsals has a 



