SNODGRASS AND HELLER 



insignis from Tagus Cove, Albemarle and Duncan Island, and 3 

 young ones from Iguana Cove. The species was described by Kner 

 from an immature individual collected on the west coast of South 

 America, and no others have until now been reported. Since this 

 species undergoes, as do the other known members of the genus, strik- 

 ing changes in color during growth from the very young to the adult, 

 we give the following descriptions, based on our specimens. 



I. Specimen 20 mm. long. Ground color pale yellow ; side crossed 

 by 5 black vertical bars, the first passing through eye, above which 

 it turns backward to nape where it meets the one of opposite side ; the 

 second runs from base of pectoral over posterior margin of opercle to 

 ridge of back just in front of dorsal fin, meeting here the one on 

 opposite side; the third begins just beyond middle of pectoral, runs 

 upward to base of sixth dorsal spine and then to margin of fin on 

 sixth and seventh spines; the fourth begins on front of soft anal, 

 extends to margin of front of soft dorsal; the fifth crosses base of 

 caudal peduncle and is connected with fourth by black longitudinal 

 band on soft dorsal and another on anal ; a very faint indication of a 

 sixth bar at base of caudal fin ; ventrals black ; axil dusky. 



II. Specimen 32 mm. long. Longitudinal black bands on soft dor- 

 sal and anal fins much wider than in I, appearing as dorsal and ventral 

 anterior continuations of vertical stripe on base of caudal peduncle, 

 connecting anteriorly with stripe from front of soft dorsal to front of 

 anal ; stripe on base of caudal fin well marked, almost as broad as the 

 others. 



III. Specimen 66 mm. long. All the markings of II present on 

 this specimen. In addition soft dorsal and anal entirely dusky ; a 

 black spot on nape between stripes i and 2; a broken black vertical 

 stripe between stripes 2 and 3, another between 3 and 4, and another 

 between 4 and 5 ; a large circular black spot on middle of side of cau- 

 dal peduncle ; indistinct spots on caudal beyond basal band. 



IV. Specimen 280 mm. long. Ground color above and on sides 

 black, beneath pale yellowish ; sides, back (except snout) and all the 

 fins closely covered by small oval yellow spots ; ventrals black apically. 

 There is certainly a great difference in the coloration of specimens III 

 and IV, and neither of them resembles the type of Oplegnathus insig- 

 nis. There is also, however, a great difference in their ages as indi- 

 cated by the sizes. The following is Kner's color description of the 

 type; it will be seen that it is intermediate both in size and color 

 between our specimens III and IV. 



Length 190 mm. u The ground color appears black, on the ven- 



