282 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Either this species or P. albqfcrsciatm must be the original P. nigricans of Lacepfede. In view of 

 tlie fact that albofasciatus is perhaps a color variation, or else the female of scolopseus, we may adopt 

 the name nigricans for the latter or for both. 



Life colors of a specimen from Apia, greenish black; a sharp pale streak below eye; base of 

 pectoral black; spinous dorsal, anal and base of soft dorsal and caudal blackish; pectoral bright 

 yellow; rest of soft dorsal and caudal bright yellow, brightest behind. 



A specimen called (u'M'rt, from Apia, was sooty; middle of body paler olivaceous, darker above, livid 

 bluish below; two blackish cross shades under front of dorsal; posterior parts and head black; opercle, 

 iris, space below eye violet; axil black; fins all black, paler behind; axils of dorsal and anal very black. 



A young individual from the same locality was olive; brownish anteriorly, yellowish behind mid- 

 dle; dorsal dull orange, with a large jet-black spot in the axil; caudal golden; anal black, with orange 

 shade; pectoral golden with a black spot in the axil; ventral black. 



The original Pomacentrus nigricans is described from an unknown locality in the Pacific. It is 

 plain blue-black, the depth half the length, the preorbital serrate; dorsal xu, 17, anal ii, 15. It can 

 be no other species, as the other black ones have. 13 dorsal spines. Pomacentrus nigricans of Quoy & 

 Gaimard and of later writers is Pomacentrus jenkinsi, a species with 13 dorsal spines. 



830. Pomacentrus albofasciatus Schlegel. Ulavapua. Samoa; Palaul. ; East Indies. 



This species or form is abundant about Samoa, swarming in the crevices of the reefs. We have 

 over a hundred specimens from Apia and Pago Pago. It is dull-colored, usually blue-black, with a 

 broad whitish cross-band on the posterior part of the body. This band is never wholly absent. 

 There is also a black pectoral spot and a black blotch, not oeellated on the last rays of the dorsal. 

 This species is regarded by Giinther as a variety of P. scolopseus. We find no difference except in the 

 presence of the broad pale cross-band in albofasciatus. This is wanting in S. nigricans. It is usually 

 but not always present in the form or species called eclipticus, which has in addition a short very white 

 bar before the black dorsal spot. The three forms agree in all other regards, and are probably, as 

 Dr. Giinther has indicated, variations of Pomacentrus scolopseus, or Pomacentrus nigrican.'t, to adopt the 

 earliest name given to any of these dusky species with 12 dorsal spines. All the dusky species of 

 Pomacentrus have 13 dorsal spines, excepting Pomacentrus nigricans and its allies or variations. Eight 

 of our specimens of Pomacentrus albofasciatus are females. Two are apparently male, but may possibly 

 be spent females. Both males and females are found among the specimens of nigricans and eclipticus. 



Life colors of a specimen from Pago Pago, brown with vertical pale blue streaks on many of the 

 scales; a broad, yellowish-white cross-band under last dorsal spines; a violet-pink streak below eye; 

 violet scale above axil; axil black, as also base of pectoral; dorsal colored like body; first three spines 

 black, rest pale; soft dorsal with large black blotch in axil; caudal dull olive-gray; anal similar, with 

 violet dots on scales at base, and with violet edge; ventral dusky with thin violet edge; pectoral dull. 



A specimen from Apia, called ulavapua, was dirty olive; a yellowish cross-baml under soft dorsal. 



831. Pomacentrus eclipticus Jordan & Seale, new species. Samoa. 



Head 3.20 in length; depth 2.20; eye 3 in head, equal to interorbital space; dorsal xii, 1.5; anal ii, 

 12; scales 3-29-9, 19 in lateral line. 



Body oblong, compressed, elevated, scales covering head and body; caudal peduncle 2 in head, its 

 depth equal to its length; mouth small, its angle under anterior margin of eye; a single row of rather 

 flat cutting teeth in each jaw, no teeth on vomer or palatines; opercle with a single flat spine on mar- 

 gin; preopercle strongly denticulate also, its width at angle of mouth equal to pupil, directly below 

 median line of eye, preorbital width two-thirds of pupil; gillrakers not very sharp, the longest two- 

 thirds width of pupil, 9 on lower limb; spines of dorsal graduated posteriorly, the last being the longest, 

 2 in head; first dorsal spine less than eye; middle ray of soft dorsal the longest, 1.45 in head; base of 

 anal 1.25 in head, its longest spine about equal to base; pectoral 1.10 in head, its tip on line with 11th 

 scale of lateral line; first rays of ventral slightly elongate, extending to anal opening, the length 

 slightly greater than head; caudal forked, the lobes rounded, the upper one slightly the longer, about 

 ei|ual to head. 



Color in spirits ranges from light yellowish brown to dark brown, almost black; the type specimen 

 is light yellowish brown, with slight shading of dusky on head and upper surface of body; all speci- 

 mens show a distinctive black spot in axil of soft dorsal with a white spot of equal size and shape just 

 anterior to the dark spot; in size this dark spot is equal to the orbit in height and two-thirds of orbit 



