174 MEMOIBS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 



ZEBRASOMA Swainson. 



fZcbrasoma vSwainson, Classif. Fish., ii, 1839, p. 256 {velijer) ; Gill, Proc. U. S. Nat. Miis., vii, 



1884, p. 279. 

 Acanthurus iv. Gimther, Brit. Miis. Catal. Fish., iii, 1861, p. 342 ; D. Day, Fish. India, pt. 2, 



1876, p. 203. 

 Scopas Kner, Reise Novara, Fisch., pt. 2, 1865, p. 512 footnote (scopas =flavescens). 



Tail armed with a pair of antrorse erectile eultriform spines. Snoat short 

 and deep. Jaws with a single series of strong fixed lobate incisors. Dorsal fin 

 with 4 or 5, rarely 3, flexible spines, the soft portion elevated, as also is that of 

 the anal. Ventral with 5 soft rays (Zeftra; o-w/xa, body: the typical species being 

 transversely banded). 



Ilepatids of luoderate size, inhabiting the wanner parts of the Indian and 

 Pacific Oceans, ranging eastward to Hawaii. About 15 species have been 

 descrilied, but their characters overlap in so perplexing a fashion that it is 

 difficult to determine how many of these are valid. For instance it is generally 

 conceded that the Acanthurus flavcsceus of Giinther* and of Jordan and Fowler^ 

 is identical with the A. rhcnnheus of Kittlitz'^ and the ^t. scopas and A. altivelis 

 of Cuvicr and Valenciennes.' but according to the American authors is probably 

 not A. flavescens Bennett.- Be that as it may it is possible that A. goramensis 

 Bleeker,° described from an example but 36 millim. long, is the young of the 

 same species, from which also Zahrasoma agana Scale, ^'^ from Guam, can not be 

 separated. 



ZEBRASOMA HYPSELOPTERUM (Bleeker). 



Acanthurus hypselopterus Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Nederl. Ind., vi, 1854, p. 327 ; Giinther, Brit. 



Mus. Catal. Fish., iii, 1861, p. 344 ; id., Fisch. d. Sudsee, pt. 3, 1875, p. 117 ; Steindachner, 



Denk. Ak. Wien, Ixx, 1902, p. 494, pi. iv, fig. 1. 

 Naseiis strigatus de Vis, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, ix, 1884, \i. 539. 

 Zebrasoma hypselopteruni Ogilby, Mem. Qiieensl. Mtis., iii, 1915, p. 135. 



PURPLE-FINNED SAILFISH. 

 (Plate XXIII.) 



Type locality: Larantuka, Flores. 



Body ovate, the dorsal profile somewhat more elevated than the ventral, 

 its highest point above the eye, behind which it descends in a long gentle con- 

 vexity to the peduncle, its width 2-75 in its depth, which is a little less than 

 half (2-05) its length and twice or rather more than twice the length of the 

 head ; caudal peduncle slender, a little longer than deep, its least depth 5-5 to 5-75 

 in that of the body. Head short and deep, about one seventh deeper than long, its 

 upper profile concave from the tip of the snout to the level of the lower border 

 of the eye, above which it is linear and strongly declivous to the nape, w^hich 

 is convex;, width of head 1-9 in its length, Avhich is 3-85 to 4-2 in that of the body. 



* Brit. Mus. Catal. Fish., iii, 1801, p. 342 {as A. rhombeus) and Fisch. d. Sndsee, pt. 3, 

 1875, p. 116, pl.lxxvi. 



5 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mns., xxv, 1903, p. 555. 



' MiLseiim Senckenberg, i, 1834, p. 196, pi. xiii, fig. 10. 



- Hist. Nat. Poiss., x, 1835, pp. 245, pi. ccxc, & 249. 



« Zool. Journ., iv., 1828, p. 40. 



« Nat. Tijds. Nederl. Ind., xv, 1 858, p. 208. 



'" Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus., i, jit. 3, 1901, p. 110. 



