170 



BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Holacanthus bispinosus (part) Jordan and Eveumann, Bull. U. S. Fish 

 Comm., vol. 23, pt. 1, 1903 (1905), p. 378 (not plate, description from 

 Samoan examples). 



Depth 1% to 2K; head 3 to 35^, width 1>^ to 1%. Snout 2^ 

 to 3; eye 3 to 4J^, 1 to 1^^ in snout, 1 to 13^ in interorbital; max- 

 illary half way to % in snout, 3 to 3% in head; interorbital 33^ to> 

 Sj/g, broadly convex; upper edge of preopercle spine 23^ to 53^» 

 Gill rakers 5 + 13, short strong points, }4 oi gill filaments which about 

 equal eye. 



Scales 50 to 57 in lateral line, tubes large but not well marked; 7 

 scales above lateral line, 22 below. Scales with 6 or 7 basal striae, 

 mostly marginal; apical denticles 83 to 88, each with long slender 

 rootlet, variably 2 denticles fusing to single rootlet; circuli fine. 



Fig. 8.— Variations in color markings of Holacanthus diacanthus (Boddaert) 



D. XIII or XIV, 18, I to 20, i, last spine 13^ to 1^ in head, elev- 

 enth ray 3% to 4 in combined head and body; A. Ill, 18, i or 19, i, 

 last spine 13^ to 2}4 in head, tenth ray 3^ to 4 in combined head 

 and body; least depth of caudal peduncle 2 to 23^8 ^^ head; caudal 

 1 to 13^, convex behind; pectoral 1 to IJ^; ventral 33^.^ to 3% in 

 combined head and body. 



General color pale brown, with yellowish shade. Nine transverse 

 blue-gray bands, tint usually fading out to general pale body color, 

 also each inclined little posteriorly and broadly bordered with deep 

 or dusky brown; extend on spinous dorsal and over most of both 

 anals as longitudinal bluish lines, also becoming broader and vertical 

 posteriorly on anals. Iris brown. Hind border of preopercle and 

 opercle, also most of preopercular spine, bluish. Two parallel bluish 

 lines, variously complete, down from occiput, front one to front 



