THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 115 



dark rcddisli brown, yellow of tips of pectoral fins intensifies, also 

 the black tips of dorsal, caudal, ventrals and anal. The red spots 

 remain very bright. 



Pale phase: The whole fish ])ale white with heavy black 

 blotches. 



Frequently all these phases may be observed in a single tank 

 within five minutes, without artificial disturbance of the speci- 

 mens. 



CjAG. {Mycteropcrca microlcpisf) Black phase: Uniformly 

 dusky black ; no marks anvwhere. 



Pale phase: I'niformly pale white, everywhere covered with 

 irregular rings, ovals, half circles, triangles and blotches of dusky 

 brown, extending partly on fins. 



This species has also one or two intermediate phases. 



Yellow-fix Grouper, (Mycteropcrca z-ciiciwsa). Pale i)hase : 

 Uniformly pale white with mere indications of dark blotches 

 down to median line. Below, small dark spots, also faintly indi- 

 cated. All fins pale and colorless, w'ith narrow dark margins 

 composed of dusky spots on dorsal, caudal and anal. All red 

 of body and yellow of pectorals absent. 



Dark phase : Dusky gray, under parts spotted with bright red, 

 pectorals tipped with clear yellow-, all other fins heavily black- 

 bordered, considerable red ground color on back and tail. Numer- 

 ous dusky blotches on body. 



Alarm phase : Same as preceding, but pale above median line, 

 darker below. Red on under parts and tail more intense. Dark 

 spots of lower body nearly uniting into large dark blotches. Dark- 

 spots of upper body intensely black. 



These are the principal phases, but there are several others ; 

 one of which shows the body white below^ level of eye, with very 

 dark blotches above. Two phases, one dark, the other a phase of 

 the photographic tank, are shown on plate 8. The upper figure 

 was colored by the artist from the same photograph as the lower. 



Black Grouper. (Mycteropcrca bo)iaci).-'' Phase i. Uni- 

 formly creamy white, anal and caudal black-bordered, with an 

 outside narrow edging of white. 



Phase 2. Entirely pale, with about eight vertical blackish bands, 

 each broken into three or four nearly square or rectangular areas. 



Phase 3. Same as preceding, but with body white below level 

 of eye, and fins dusky. 



* The identification of this species is not yet certain. 



