78 BULLETIN 214, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



rows wide, along lateral line from head to dorsal part of caudal 

 peduncle (this mark completely lacking in alcoholic specimens), 

 distal edge of anal, and outer edges of pelvics greenish; iris yellowish 

 or orange; white silvery spots present posteriorly but these are not 

 as sharply defined as in S. singaporetisis ; the row of scales at bases 

 of anal and dorsal fins light grayish; occasionally a large specimen 

 has a green band above the upper lip and one on the lower lip, below 

 which are one or two rows of green dots. 



A kodachrome of a specimen 15 inches long from Kawajalein Atoll, 

 taken by John Randall, University of Hawaii, shows the fins bluish 

 or purplish, the head purplish red, and only three of the pale spots 

 discernable. The complete lack of these pale spots is not unusual 

 for specimens from the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. 



This species has been referred by Fowler as a synonym of S. guttatus 

 Bloch and Schneider. I believe that both S. guttatus and S. singa- 

 porensis Bleeker are distinct from S. brevifilis. The latter has but 

 a few pale spots confined to the posterior half of the body, whereas S. 

 singaporensis is spotted as far forward as the head with numerous 

 bluish white spots and S. guttatus lacks white spots. I examined a 

 series of S. singaporensis from the Philippines and they agree with 

 Bleeker's (1862, pi. 13, fig. 1) illustration of S. singaporensis and that 

 made by the artist on the Albatross Philippine Expedition (pi. 14, d). 

 S. singaporensis does not have any of its dorsal rays elongated, 

 whereas all our larger specimens of brevifilis have an elongate first 

 soft dorsal ray. 



It should be noted that the juveniles and young of this species 

 change their color pattern rather remarkably with growth. 



I have studied numerous specimens in lots from the following 

 localities: Palmyra Island, 2 lots; Samoa, 2; Marshalls, 20; Philip- 

 pines, 4; Oldnawa, 1; China Coast, 2; Ifaluk Atoll, 2; Raroia Atoll, 

 4; Kapingamarangi Atoll, 1; and Moluccas, 1. 



Scarus singaporensis Bleeker 



Plate 14,d 



Scarus singaporensis Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. -Indie, Vol. 3, p. 69, 1852 



(type locality: Singapore; cotype examined in British Museum, Cat. No. 



1861.2.28.56, standard length 270 mm.). 

 Pseudoscarus singaporensis Bleeker, Atlas ichthyologique . . . , vol. 1, p. 31, 



pi. 13, fig. 1, 1862 (Java and Singapore). 

 Callyodon improvisus J. L. B. Smith, Rhodes Univ. Ichthy. Bull. No. 1, p. 12, pi. 



41, E, 1956 (western Indian Ocean to lat. 14° S.). 

 Collyodon singaporensis J. L. B. Smith, Rhodes Univ. Ichthy. Bull. No. 1, p. 12, 



1956 (based on Bleeker 1852). 



This species is characterized by having 5 or 6 median predorsal 

 scales, 3 rows of scales on the cheek, with 1 to 3 scales in the ventral 



