116 A Collection of Fishes from Samoa. 



covered with small scales. Spinous dorsal origin about opposite pectoral tip. Soft 

 dorsal inserted little behind anal origin. Second anal spine but little shorter than 

 third. Pectoral reaches half-way to anal. Ventral inserted about opposite middle 

 of depressed pectoral. Vent close before anal. 



Color in alcohol brownish on back, sides and below silvery white. Dorsals and 

 caudal tinted with dusky, also pectoral, the latter with small dark spot at origin. Iris 

 whitish. 



Length 73 mm. (caudal damaged). Two small examples from Pago Pago. 



HOLOCENTRID^. 



Holotrachys lima (Valenciennes). 

 One example, 68 mm. long. 



Holocentrus punctatissimus Cuvier. 



Head 2.6 to 2.75; depth 2.66 to 2.8; D. XI, 14 or 15; A. IV, 9 or 10; scales in latera; 

 line 35 or 36 to caudal base and 2 more on latter; 4 scales above lateral line to soft 

 dorsal origin; 7 scales below lateral line to spinous anal origin; 7 predorsal scales 

 snout 3.8 to 4.2 in head; eye 2.66 to 2.75; maxillary 2.75 to 2.66; interorbital 4.12 

 to 4.2. Head about half as long as wide. Snout length two-thirds its width. Pos- 

 terior edge of pupil about midway in head length. Jaws about even. Maxillary 

 two-fifths in eye, expansion 2.75. Bands of villiform teeth in jaw^, on vomer and 

 palatines. Interorbital level. Cranial bones striate. Preopercle spine long, strong, 

 reaches back slightly beyond gill-opening, length two-fifths of ej'-e. Preorbital narrow, 

 with several strong marginal spines. Suborbital chain about equally wide as pre- 

 orbital, its serrated edge finer. Edges of suprascapula, preopercle, opercle, and 

 subopercle serrate. Preopercle ridge entire. Rakers ii 2+8 in, lanceolate, nearly 

 long as filaments, which one-third of eye. Scales largest on flanks, smaller on predorsal 

 and vertical fin bases. Cheek with 4 rows of scales. Scales with basal parallel vertical 

 striae 18 to 25 (more numerous in larger examples) ; 7 to 13 strong, broad apical spines. 



Color when fresh in alcohol pale orange, generally as ground-color. Back with two 

 and a half longitudinal rows of dusky brown, narrow, and not sharply defined, parallel 

 with lateral line above. Below lateral fine six and a half broad longitudinal rows of 

 similar color, lower much narrower. Head brownish abov^e, tinged with pale orange 

 below, and each scale on cheek and opercles with pale dusky spot. Spinous dorsal 

 grayish, with first three and last membranes jet black. Other fins all pale orange to 

 whitish. Iris silvery, fading slaty. 



Four examples, all young, shaken from coral from reef in front of hospital, Pago 

 Pago Harbor, 42 to 45 mm. long. Also 3 examples 64 to 71 mm. long, from tide-pools 

 near Double Point, just west of the entrance to Pago Pago Harbor. These largely in 

 agreement with Giinther's figure. ^ 



Two small examples from cove just south of Aua village. These have a conspicuous 

 dark blotch in the front of the spinous dorsal. 



Holocentrus diadema Lacep^de. 



Head 2.87; depth 3.33; D. XI, I, 12, i; A. IV, 9; scales 50 in lateral line to caudal base 

 and 3 more on latter; 5 scales above lateral line to origin of soft dorsal; 9 scales below 

 lateral line to origin of spinous anal; 9 predorsal scales; snout 4.25 in head measured 

 from upper jaw tip; eye 3; maxillary 2.87; interorbital 4.25. Width of head half its 

 length. Length of snout four-fifths its width. Eye with posterior edge of pupil 

 midway in head-length. Closed lower jaw slightly projects. Maxillary reaches 

 beyond anterior edges of eye, not quite to pupil, expansion about one-third in eye. 

 Bands of villiform teeth in jaws, on vomer and palatines. Interorbital level. Cranial 



1 Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1871, p. 660, pi. 60, 2 figa. 



