302 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OK FISHERIES. 



In spirits the ground color is yellowish, the upper two-thirds of body with bluish coloring form- 

 ing more or less distinct bands; nine short silvery white lines over back, separating the bluish bands; 

 belly and under surface with slight tint of pale blue; four rather distinct bands of blue extending from 

 median line of side toward base of anal fin; head with a straight blue line from angle of jaw to mid- 

 way of opercle; another blue line from distal end of upper lip through lower part of orbit, dividing 

 first back of eye, where it is deep blue, one branch curving back and down on to lower posterior margin 

 of opercle; may or may not unite with the dark opercular spot; the other branch extending up and 

 ending on shoulder just above opercle; another blue line from tip of snout to upper part of orbit and 

 extending a short distance back from orbit; two blue blotches on interorbital space one on each side 

 of nuchal region; a black dot between Island 2nd dorsal spines; another, much larger, between the 

 2nd and 3rd dorsal rays; the outer third of dorsal flu has a number of round white spots; the inner 

 portion is similarly colored but the spots are larger and some are paired, forming short thick bands; 

 anal fin with a blue band through the middle which may be more or less broken up into round si)ots 

 posteriorly; a row of round spots at base of fin; caudal with three rows of dusky bands and some white 

 spots with wash of dusky at tip; pectoral and ventral yellow, unmarked. 



In life a specimen from Pago Pago was much mottled, shaded with pink; a black dorsal ocellus, 

 a black opercular blotch; a large black blotch on side; a pink silvery area below eye. 



A specimen from Apia, called faiagaloa, was green with red-brown scallops above, the markings 

 brighter below; a blackish blue blotch on caudal peduncle; head with red stripes and green, the edg- 

 ings of the red stripes bright blue; a horizontal red stripe below the eye; opercle with a dark creamy 

 red spot at tip, golden olive before it; dorsal green and brownish red, the green in rounded blue-edged 

 spots; a black spot on first soft rays; caudal banded green and brownish red; anal paler green and red ; 

 ventral green and red. 



This species is very common about Samoa, where we obtained 48 specimens from the reef at Apia. 

 A dozen small immature fish, collected at Pago Pago, have been referred by us to this species. The 

 species is very close to IIalieli(eres pcecilus, but the markings are different, notably those on the cheek 

 which form a straight striije, not a ring or horseshoe. 



The type, no. 51845, U. S. National Museum, is from Apia and is 4 inches long. 



936. Halichceres pcecilus (Lay & Bennett). New Guinea (Macleay); East Indies. 

 (Halh-hares harloffi Bleeker; Halicliccres annulatas Fowler.) 



937. Halichceres g^ttulatus (Macleay). New Guinea. 

 Platyijlossus guUidaiiis Macleay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 18S3, 587. 



338. Halichceres opercularis (Giinther). Fiji; Samoa. (PI. xlvii, fig. 3.) 



This species is very close to Halichceres pseudominiatus of the East Indies. Comparing oui 

 specimens with some from Negros, we are inclined to think that Halichceres opercularis is a distinct 

 species. The chief difference lies in the a rrangement of the colored stripes on the head. 



This species is very abundant about Samoa and about 170 specimens were taken. 



Life colors of a specimen from Apia, light olive, with a net-work of dark brown lines above; side 

 golden with two white vertical streaks anteriorly behind pectoral, a broad, bright, purple-pink band 

 at vent, then golden with incursions of purple from the dark bands above; dorsal with vertical Ltreaks 

 of brownish red on yellow; a large and conspicuous black ocellus on front of soft dorsal; a smaller 

 black spot on front of spinous dorsal; caudal yellowish, cross-banded with brownish red; anal similar, 

 ventral pink; pectoral colorless; head brownish and streaked above, with a bright orange streak before 

 and l)ehind eye; a horizontal curved stripe below eye creamy yellow, bordered by light blue and 

 rimmed with dark blue, this bending around forward on subopercle and cheeks; a black ocellus on 

 opercle; about eight whitish spots along base of dorsal, one of them in axis of soft dorsal. 



A young specimen from Pago Pago was whitish with scattered reddish spots and incomplete broad 

 blackish transverse band; dorsal with conspicuous semi-ocellus; green, yellow and black-brown* on 

 anal; caudal clear; snout red; iris rose-red. 

 939. Halichceres margaritaceus (Cuvier & Valenciennes). Vanicolo. 



This species, imperfectly described, is very similar to Habcha'reH operculars, liut no mention is 

 made of ocelli on the dorsal fin. 



