THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 201 



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

 is black. This is apparently the Murama f.avomarginatn of Ruppell, as supposed by Bleeker. 



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

 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; anal similar. 



200. Gymnothorax thalassopterus Jenki 



Gymnothorax thalassopterus Jenkins, Bull. C. S. Fish Comm., xxir, 1902 1903), 1127, 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, uot confluent as in G. flavotnarginatus. 

 In all other regards the two forms seem to agree, and (?.' thalassopterus is probably only a variant 

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

 the ordinary flavomarginatus, the dark spots everywhere confluent as usual. 



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



Head 7 in entire length; depth 2.33 in head; snout rather sharp, 5 in head; eye 1.80 in snout: 

 length of mouth 1.50 in head; gill-opening smaller than pupil; lower jaw strongly hooked upward 

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



Fig. 7. — Gymnothorax talofa Jordan & starks, new species. 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 sharper 

 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 fading 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, U, S. National Museum, is 10 inches in length. 

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



202. Gymnothorax detactus Bryan & Herre. Marcus I.; Samoa; Xukahiva (Seale). 

 Gymnothorax detactus Bryan & Herre, Bishop Museum, II, 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. 190.T— 1 1 



