NEW FISHES 199 



Description of the Type. Length 92 mm., depth three and four 

 sevenths ; head three and four sevenths ; pectoral four and one third ; 

 ventral five and four fifths; D. XIII, n ; A. II, 12. 



Upper profile of head and body very gently and evenly curved from 

 tip of snout to a little in front of base of caudal. Posterior end of 

 caudal peduncle a little deeper than median part. Ventral profile of 

 head and body also evenly curved, but more convex than the dorsal. 

 Mouth oblique, on level with middle of caudal peduncle. Eye irreg- 

 ularly elliptical, longest diameter vertical. Preorbital narrow, least 

 width about two and one half in vertical diameter of eye. Interorbital 

 space equal to vertical diameter of eye. Upper limb of posterior mar- 

 gin of preopercle almost vertical, angle prominent, whole margin entire. 



First dorsal spine short, considerably shorter than the others, equal- 

 ing horizontal diameter of eye ; third, fourth and fifth spines longest, 

 two in head ; second a little shorter than the third ; spines back of fifth 

 gradually decreasing in length ; the last shorter than the first. Pro- 

 file of soft dorsal rounded, median rays longest, about three fourths of 

 longest spine. Anal longer than soft dorsal, not symmetrical with it, 

 anterior rays longest, a little longer than second anal spine which is 

 equal to length of longest soft dorsal ray ; first anal spine very short. 

 Caudal deeply forked, upper lobe very slightly longer than lower, 

 outer edge of each gently convex posteriorly. Pectoral equal to great- 

 est depth of body below lateral line, upper rays longest. Ventral one 

 and three fourths in head, tip not prolonged into a filament. 



All parts except lips, fins, and space about nostrils scaled. Scales 

 of body large, in thirty-two oblique series. Lateral line continuous, 

 extending entire length of body, very gently convex dorsally. 



Coloration in Alcohol. Brown, paler beneath, with longitudinal 

 pale area on middle of each scale forming indistinct, pale, longitudinal 

 stripes along the sides of body ; a prominent black area on axil, cov- 

 ering also both sides of the base of the pectoral ; caudal dusky with 

 both margins of the lobes pale; soft dorsal and anal dusky along 

 bases ; otherwise fins plain brown like body. 



Coloration in Life. Above dusky olive with bluish iridescence, 

 sides lighter dusky-gray, belly silvery, snout pure dusky ; dorsal dusky, 

 base of soft dorsal black ; axil and base of pectoral black ; pectorals, 

 ventrals and anal pale ; caudal pale with a dusky oblique streak 

 through each lobe. 



Variations. The eight specimens secured present scarcely any 

 departures from the characters of the type as described above. 



Taken at Charles and Hood Islands. 



