10 BULLETIN 214, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



species appear to have a wide distribution, whereas others appear to 

 occur only in a restricted faunal subregion; but more collecting in 

 numerous island groups will be requu-ed, along with careful identifica- 

 tions, before the distribution of individual species is determined. 

 However, I believe a summary of present knowledge of distribution 

 from the generic aspect is of value. Because most identifications 

 were not trustworthy, I have not used the distribution records of 

 scientific names in the literature except where a figure was given or 

 where specimens cited were examined by me. 



The major tropical geographic regions recognized in this discussion 

 are: (1) Central and West Pacific, (2) Hawaiian and Johnston Islands; 

 (3) East Pacific (the region adjacent to the Americas, including 

 off-shore islands); (4) West Atlantic and Bermuda; (5) East Atlantic; 

 (6) Indian Ocean, Andamans, and Ceylon. 



Five genera (Scarops, Chlorurus, Scaridea, Calotomus, and Lep- 

 toscarus) are found only in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, 

 whereas three genera (Sparisoma, Cryptotomus, and Euscarus) occur 

 only in the tropical Atlantic. Two genera (Scarus and Nicholsina) 

 are common to the West Atlantic and East Pacific]^in the tropics. 



Scarops has one subgenus, Scarops, that occurs in the tropical 

 Pacific and Indian Oceans, and another, Xenoscarops, that is confined 

 to the East Pacific. Chlorurus with 4 species ranges in the Central 

 and West Pacific and the Indian Ocean. 



Scarus, with 57 species, was subdivided into 3 subgenera. The 

 subgenus Ypsiscarus with one species occurs in the West Pacific. 

 The subgenus Scarus, with 22 species, has two species restricted 

 to the western Indian Ocean and two to the Hawaiian Islands region; 

 the remainder range in the Indian Ocean, the Central-West Pacific, 

 and the Hawaiian Islands. 



The subgenus Hemistoma, with 34 species, has 5 restricted to the 

 western Indian Ocean; 3 restricted to the East Pacific, 6 in the 

 Atlantic, one of which is restricted to the East Atlantic, and the 

 remaining 20 in the Central and West Pacific and the Indian Ocean, 

 only one of these ranging into the Hawaiian Islands. Scaridea, with 

 one species, is Imown only from the Hawaiian Islands. The genus 

 Sparisoma, with 7 species, occurs only in the Atlantic. Calotomus, 

 with 2 species, occurs only in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, one 

 species reaching the Hawaiian Islands and the other the West Pacific. 

 Leptoscarus, with one species, occurs only in the Indian Ocean and 

 the Central and West Pacific. Cryptotomus with one species is 

 confined to Bermuda and the West Atlantic. Nicholsina, with 2 

 species, has one restricted to the West Atlantic, the other to the 



