No.iJiie. LABItOII) FISHES OF JAPAN— JOIWAX AND SNYDER. 645 
rounded; ventral 3i in head, not reaching- half way between their base 
and the vent; pectorals 2i in head. Fin-membranes thin, transparent, 
not thickened about the spines or rays. 
Color in life (taken from specimens from Hawaii) olive green, varj^- 
ing- toward rusty red, each scale with a more or less distinct blue spot, 
bluish shades predominating below; head with various streaks and 
reticulations of olive, brownish, and pearh' blue; middle of side with 
a narrow, dark streak which breaks up posteriori}^ into a row of black- 
ish spots; dorsal light orange, the color forming reticulations around 
pearly spots; anal similar to dorsal; caudal olive gray with a paler 
cross band. Some examples were olivaceous orange rather than green- 
ish, the dark lateral band very distinct and traceable across eye to tip 
of snout. 
In spirits the bright colors disappear, the upper parts are darker 
than the lower, the dusky color ending abruptly along a dark lateral 
stripe, or if the stripe is wanting the dark color disappears gradually; 
each scale with a central light spot, a dark spot sometimes present 
on lateral line posterior to tip of pectoral; middle of caudal dusky. 
Here described from specimens about 300 millimeters long obtained 
at Honolulu. This common and widely diffused species reaches the 
Riukiu Islands, a specimen before us having been taken at Nafa, in 
Okinawa. As this specimen is faded, only a trace of a pale lateral 
blotch being visible, we have drawn our account of the color from 
examples taken in Hilo, Hawaii, certainly of the same species. The 
colors var}^ greatly in life, some being largely j^ellow, others mostly 
olive green, often with green flesh and bones. The orange or black or 
brown lateral band varies much, being often broken into spots, or in 
old examples obsolete. Occasionally a pink blotch is seen behind the 
pectoral tins. 
We ha^-e also a specimen from Formosa. 
{inerm is^ unarmed.) 
20. THALASSOMA Swainson. 
Thalassoma Swaixsox, Nat. Hist. Classif. Fishes, II, 1839, p. 224 [imrpurea). 
ChloricJiihys Swaixsox, Nat. Hist. Classif. Fishes, II, 1839, p. 232 {hifasciaiiis) . 
Jidis GuxTHER, Cat. Fish., lY, 1862, p. 179 {jmvo), not of Cuvier, Regne Anim., 
Isted., 1817, p. 261, type, jtt/k 
Body oblong or elongate, moderatelj" compressed, covered with large 
scales; lateral line continuous; head scaleless; a slight sheath of scales 
along base of dorsal; no posterior canine; dorsal spines slender, the 
number always eight; anal spines three, the first very small. Lower 
phaiyngeals essentially as in Ilal/chmres. Beautiful fishes of the coral 
reefs and warm currents, the coloration largely deep green or blue. 
{OdXXog. a green branch: ff&ijua', l)ody, from the green coloration of 
the typical species.) 
