THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 199 



186. Gymnothorax tsenioides (Giinther). Samoa. 



Miirxna txnioides Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1S71, 674, Savaii ; Samoa i. 

 This species is quite unlike any taken by us in Samoa. We liave not seen it. 



187. Gymnothorax favagineus Bloch & Schneider. Samoa; Fate, Xew Hebrides (Seale); East 



Indies. 

 Gymnothorax faragimus Bloch i Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 525, taf. 10.5, Tranquebar. 



Murxna lessellata Richard on, Ichth. Sulphtir. 109, pi. 55, tigs. 5-S, 1845. Giinther. Cat., viii, lOf.. Zanzibar. East Indies. 

 Gymnothorax tesselhdm Bleeker, Atlas, 93, tab. xxvit. iig. 3; pi. 28, fig. 1. 

 Mnrmna python Kaup, Apodes, 68, fig. 53, Africa. 

 Of this East Indian species we have one small example from Samoa. It much resembles Bleek- 

 er's figure of Gymnolhorar tenxellntm. Apparently G. isingteemi, with the spots separated by broad 

 interspaces of the ground color, is a different species. 



Color in life of a specimen from Pago Pago, pale yellowish olive, with four rows of blackish olive 

 i^pots along the side, larger than eye on body, smaller on head, very regular, a similar row on dorsal 

 and anal; belly also spotted; the ground color reduced to a broad net-work around the spots. 



188. Gymnothorax polyophthalmus (Bleeker J. Samoa; Caroline Is.; East Indies. 

 ytiiricHapnhinjilithnlmii Bleeker, .\et. Soc. Xed. Ind.,iii. Celebes, .x, 15, Celebes. 



Of this species, hitherto known from one small example, we have two examples equally small, from 

 .\pia, and a larger one, 8.75 inches long, from Kusai Island, Caroline Group. All of them resemble 

 Bleeker's figure very closely. The body is covered with many black spots on a light ground, the 

 largest of them being rings with a yellow center. 



Color in spirits, light olive, almost white below, with aliDut three rows of dark olive spots as large 

 as eye, each spot being ring-like with a yellowish center of the ground-color; besides these many 

 small dark spots and specks; a row of ring-like spots on dorsal with many smaller specks; a row of 

 blackish spots along base of anal; posterior half of dorsal and whole of anal wit*h a broad unspotted 

 edge"; spots anteriorly very small; scattering spots on chin and belly; gill-opening pale; no spot at 

 angle of numth. 



189. Gymnothorax stellatus (Laccpcde). Pnxi jiuU-pnle. Samoa; Xew Britain: East Indies. 

 ilurs-nophissteUaliis LacSpede, Hist. Nat. Pois.s., v, pp. 622, 029, 644, 1803, New Britain. 



Miiriena fimiiriata Bennett, Proc. Comm. Zool. Soc, i, 1831, 168, Giinther, Cat., vni, 10.'*, Borneo, Amboina, Port 



}r)ir.TiialmUtttn Richardson, Voy. Erebus and Terror, .se, 1846, Borneo. 



.ItHnru'i isiii.jU.<,..:,hs Ble-ker, Verb. Bat. i;.n , x\v, >tur., 4S, East Indies. 



G!i,ni,nlhn,:,y ifh,,,l,, „„i,lcs Blocker, .\tla>. .\Iuneui.l:r, yl, tab. XXXV, fig. 1, East Indies. 

 Of tlii.s strongly marked specie.'^ we liave ei'-'ht specimens from Apia._ Lacepede's ftellatuis, with 

 two rows of black spots, is probably the same as the Jintbriattis of Bennett. 



Color in life of one specimen, body pale reddish olive with many purplish black spots, irreg- 

 ular in form, aliout as large as eye; the oblong spots longer, the spots all narrower than the inter- 

 spaces; spots arranged in about 3 rows, with a row also on dorsal fin and the lower row extending on 

 anal; belly pale, unspotted; dorsal and anal with a yellowish margin, broader on anal, which is mostly 

 pale; head with much smaller spots, sparsely placed; folds on neck dark, conspicuous; gill-opening 

 pale; angle of uiouth with a small black spot, a whitish spot before it on the lower jaw only; chin 

 and snout dark. 



190. Gymnothorax buroensis (Bleeker). Caroline Is.; Samoa; East Indies. 

 .¥ura-«o huroensis Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Ned. Ind., vni, 79, Buro. 



Gymnothorax burocnsis, Bleeker, Atlas, Miirffinidie, 90, tab. xi., fig. 1, East Indies, 



Of this species we have 10 specimens from Samoa and three from the island of Kusai, in the 

 Carolines, collection of Mr. A. P. Lundin. The species is always very dark, with darker spots and 

 markings, which vary considerably with age and shade of color. The tip of the tail is always white. 

 "We identify our specimens with huroensis with a little doubt, but there is no other species with which 

 we can place them. 



Color in life of a specimen from Apia, dark brown, a little paler below; dorsal fin high, with very 

 obscure black bars, and liehind edged with light orange; the body also faintly liarred with darker. 

 This coloration was seen in three young examples obtained from a crackeil coral head. 



