THE FISHES OE SAMOA. 201 



a yellow edge to the vertical fins posteriorly, but hanlly a yellow margin. The fore part of the head 

 is black. This is apparently the Mnmnd I'uroiiKiri/iiiiitu (if l\ii]ipell, as supposed by Bleeker. 



Color in life of a specimen from Apia,- yellow-olive, darker above, with some yellow spots; hody 

 and fins with black spots; fins narrowly edged with yellow; front of head black. 



Color of same specimen in alcohol, dusky olive, paler below; everywhere with confluent mar- 

 blings or spots of purplish brown, the olive ground-color appearing as small, irregular, yellow spots 

 or vague streaks; head a little darker; snout and tip of chin black; gill-opening in a conspicuous black 

 spot; angle of mouth black; tip of caudal narrowly edged with yellowish white, the color extending 

 as a very narrow edge on vertical fins; dorsal nearly black, mottled like the body; aiial similar. 



200. Gymnothorax thalassopterus Jenki 



Gymnotlmnu- thalasmjiterus Jenkins, Bull. I'. S. Fish Cnnim., .xxii, 1902 i W03). 427, pi. n, Honolulu; not cotypes. 

 This species is known from one specimen from Honolulu. In this type, as shown in Jenkins' 

 figure, the dark spots on the body are almost all .separate, not confluent as in G. JhvomarginaUns. 

 In all other regards the two forms seem to agree, and G. thalassopterus is probably oidy a variant 

 individual of the latter species. The smaller cotypes from Honolulu mentioned liy Dr. .Jenkins are 

 the ordinar3'_/?a(;omnrprmo/i(.j, the dark spots everywhere confluent as usual. 



201. Gymnothorax talofa Jordan & Starks, new species. Samoa. 



Head 7 in entire length; depth 2.3o in head; .=nout rather sharp, o in head; eye 1.80 in snout: 

 length of mouth l.bO in head; gill-opening smaller than pupil; lower jaw strongly hooked upward 

 toward its tip; iii the upper jaw an irregular broken .series of sharp canines on each side, slightly 



Fig. ", .—Gymnolhorax talu/a Jnrilnn i St.<irks, nCw spcck-s. Type. 



hooked backward; posteriorly an outer series of much more regular, closer-set, and smaller series 

 somewhat directed backward; anteriorly and medially two vertical vomerine teeth longer and sharjier 

 than the others. On the lower jaw a series of teeth similar to the outer series of upper jaw, while 

 anteriorly are 4 or .5 sharp canines irregular in length; trunk 1.33 in caudal. 



Color in alcohol dark reddish brown, with whitish streaks and blotches arranged in one or two 

 rows with a vague third row below, the ground-color forming dark cross-shades between the whitish 

 streaks. The white markings are in fact short vertical streaks, which on the tail become narrow white 

 wavy cross-bands, relatively conspicuous. Head and anterior part of trunk with a row of diffuse dark 

 blotches on the cross-shades, these distinct near head, where the first one is a long wedge on the tem- 

 poral region, but feding behind; angle of mouth black; a white streak from snout to vent along the 

 median line; gill-opening pale; fins colored like body; caudal with a narrow yellowish edge; belly 

 and throat plain brown. 



Two specimens, from Apia. The type, no. .51713, L'. S. National iluseum, is 10 inches in length. 

 Tidofa is the common Samoan salutation, equivalent to the Hawaiian aloha. 



202. Gymnotliorax detaetus Bryan & Herre. Marcus I.; Samoa; Nukahiva (Seale). 

 Gijiunoifiorai ddadus Bryan & Herre, Bishop Museum, n, 1903, 126, Marcus I. 

 Two specimens from Apia seem to be identical with this species, although Bryan and Herre do not 

 mention the markings at the angle of the mouth. 



B. B. F. WOo— 1 1 



