SHORE FISHES OF GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 369 



Epinephelus olfax, BOULENGER, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus., 2d Ed., I, 263. 

 Mycteroperca olfax, JORDAN & EVERMANN, Fishes North and Mid. Amer. , i, 

 1183, 1896. 



Range. Panama, Cocos Island and the Galapagos Islands. 



Our specimens, about 30 in number, are from Cocos, Albemarle, 

 Tagus Cove and Elizabeth Bay, Narboro, Duncan, Barrington, Wen- 

 man and Culpepper. 



About Albemarle, Narboro, Wenman, and Culpepper the species is 

 extremely abundant, but very rare about the southern and eastern 

 Galapagos Islands. It is an excellent food-fish, the individuals often 

 associate in large schools, and are easily taken with a hook and line. 



The typical coloration of the species is as follows: above dark oli- 

 vaceous brown spotted with purplish and lighter brown ; sides of head 

 same ; belly grayish-brown ; maxillary and lower jaw lighter olive- 

 brown ; fins dusky ; iris golden with brown mottlings. 



Seven specimens 65 to 82 mm. in length and one 133 mm. long, are 

 colored plain dark brown, lighter below, with the fins dusky, the soft 

 dorsal and anal and the caudal pale-edged, there being no trace of 

 spots on the body. These specimens are from shallow sandy lagoons 

 at Mangrove Point, Narboro. Two specimens, 165 mm. long, and 

 one 195 mm. long, from Elizabeth Bay, Albemarle, have the body 

 covered with faint circular dark brown spots most distinct on the paler 

 ventral half of the body. These were taken also in shallow sandy 

 lagoons. Another, from much deeper water at Tagus Cove, 190 mm. 

 long, is spotted above and below, although the spots on the dorsal half 

 are obscured by the dark brown color. Adults again lose the spots 

 with age, and become of a plain brown color, but the age at which 

 the spots disappear varies, large specimens being often very distinctly 

 spotted. 



Specimens 65 and 82 mm. in length have the posterior nostril no 

 larger than the anterior, and the anterior nostril provided with a mem- 

 branous tube. In specimens 230 mm. long the posterior nostril is the 

 size of the anterior. In specimens 350 mm. long the posterior nostril 

 has almost twice the dorso-ventral diameter of the anterior and is much 

 elongated in the same direction. Specimens 480 mm. in length have 

 the anterior nostril about two-fifths as wide dorso-ventrally as the pos- 

 terior, the latter being somewhat semilunar, embracing the anterior 

 nostril. 



The very small specimens have the tips of the ventral fins reaching 

 only slightly past the anus, being the same in this respect as specimens 

 a foot long. Beyond this size the ventrals lengthen more rapidly than 

 the body. 



