FAMILY CANTHIGASTERIDAE — WOODS 125 



line is rarely entire, being broken into curved oblong spots; pectoral, 

 dorsal, and anal fins pale, translucent; caudal fin spotted with usually 

 dark-bordered light spots arranged in vertical rows, sometimes these 

 spots elongated vertically to form 5 to 7 broken vertical bars on 

 caudal, this vertical arrangement more distinct distally. 



Color in life. — Pattern as described in preserved specimens; ground 

 color of head bright golden yellow or purplish, that of back and 

 sides purplish brown; radiating lines about eye and on body light 

 blue; chin and throat bright golden yellow, sometimes a faint yellowish 

 tinge extending posteriori}^ on belh'; distal half to two-thirds of caudal 

 fin bright golden 3'ellow; base of dorsal with a blue line transversely 

 across rays, then a dark area at point of articulation of the fin, then 

 a broader blue transverse line proximaUy to point of articulation; 

 a very thin light blue line transversely across base of pectoral rays 

 just distal to point of articulation of the rays; distal portions of dorsal, 

 anal, and pectoral fins pale, sometimes dorsal with faint j^ellowish 

 tinge. 



CANTHIGASTER JACTATOR (Jenkins) 



Plate 142,C 



Tropidichthys jactator Jenkins, Bull. U.S. Fish. Comm., vol. 19 (1899), p. 399, 



fig. 11, 1901 (type locality, Honolulu). 

 Cavthigaster solandri Schultz (in part), U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 180, p. 295, 1943 



(Phoenix Islands; USNM 115294). 



SPECIMENS STUDIED 



Bikini Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 52 mm. in standard length; 2 lots Univ. 

 Washington, 2 specimens, 47 to 51 mm. 



Eniwetok Atoll: 1 station, 1 specimen, 51 mm. 



Description. — Dorsal rays i,8; anal i,8; pectoral rays ii,14 to 16; 

 branched caudal rays 4+4; gill rakers 7 on anterior side of fu'st gill 

 arch (in 3 counts). 



Depth of body 1.9 to 2.4; width of body at pectorals 2.7 to 3.6; 

 length of head 2.2 to 2.4; length of caudal fin 2.8 to 3.5; all m standard 

 length. Snout 1.5 to 1.6; diameter of eye 3.3 to 4.8; least depth of 

 caudal peduncle 1.9 to 2.4; length of pectoral fin 2.1 to 2.8; height of 

 dorsal fin 2.1 to 3.0; height of anal 2.2 to 3.4; postorbital part of head 

 4.3 to 5.4; interorbital width 2.7 to 4.1; all in length of head. Angle 

 of snout profile with axis of body 34 to 39 degrees, snout shghtly 

 concave in small specimens (33 to 40 mm.), straight to slightly convex 

 in larger ones (47 to 51 mm.). 



Back with slight keel, beUy smoothly rounded; interorbital concave; 

 small spines present on back anterior to dorsal fin and on head and 

 belly except naked areas around eye; sides of body and entu-e caudal 



