THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 223 



366. Holotrachys roseus (De Vis). South Seas. 



Harpage rosea De Vis, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 1S84, 148, South Seas. 



This species is unknown to us. It is very close to //. lima, and is probably the same. 



OSTICHTHYS Langsdorf. 



367. Ostichthys pillwaxi Steindachner. Hawaii. 



HOLOCENTHUS (Artedi) Gronow. Malau. 



368. Holocentrus spinifer Forskal. Malau Inn. Samoa; Hawaii; Borabora; Waigiu; Papua; 



Johnston I.; Thornton I.; Yanicolo; Tonga; Vavau; New Hebrides; Solomon Is.; Raiatea 

 (Seale); East Indies. 

 Holocentrus fco Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., in, '20-1, 1829, Borabora and New Guinea; not Hblocenirum 

 8pin%ferum Cuvier & Valenciennes and Sauvage. 



This large species is common at Samoa, and ranges from Hawaii, where it is not rare, to the Red 

 Sea and Madagascar. It is known by its deep body and narrow, convex profile. It much resembles 

 II. caudimaculatus, and the name spinifer is adopted for the latter species by Valenciennes and Sauvage; 

 but as Forskal speaks of the dark spots behind the eye, which is characteristic of the species called 

 Holocentrus leo, we agree with Kuppell, Bleeker, Giinther, and Klunzinger in r r -ding the present 

 species as the true spinifer, leo being a synonym. 



Forskal and Klunzinger state that the dorsal spines of this species are envenomed. Both this 

 species and II. caudimaculatus are common in the Bed Sea. 



Life colors of a specimen from Apia, deep red, scales with golden edges; no lengthwise stripes or 

 violet streaks; preopercle and opercle blood-red above; axil blood-red; first dorsal same color, 

 unmarked; dorsal, anal, and caudal scarlet, the upper and lower part of caudal redder; third and 

 fourth spines red; ventrals scarlet, the spine pink; pectoral scarlet; cheek pale brassy. red, no white 

 stripes, except a faint streak below eye along upper edge of cheek, and a paler edge behind opercular 

 spot. One specimen with a sharp white stripe above opercular spine. 



Life colors of another specimen from Apia, deep red, scales with narrow pale edges; deep reddish 

 black spot on opercle and across to axil; dorsal red, edged with deeper red; fins all red without pale 

 edging; membrane of third anal spine deep red. 



369. Holocentrus caudimaculatus Ruppell. Tamalau inumu; Tameno mumu. Samoa; Tahiti 



(Seale); Palauls.; Gilbert Is.; New Guinea; East Indies. 

 Holocenlrum spinifcrum Cuvier & Valenciennes, and of Sauvage; Jlolocentrum leonoides Bleeker. 

 This species is abundant about Samoa, and westward to the Red sea. It is near II. spinifer but the 

 rofile is broader and not concave, and there are other differences well expressed by Klunzinger and 

 by Sauvage. The color is deeper than in //. spinifer, and the white spot on the back of the tail is rarely 

 wanting in II. caudimaculatus. In II. spinifer this is not found, but is represented by a trace of paler 

 color. 



Life colors of a specimen from Apia, all deep red; faint violet streaks on lower parts; a faint line 

 down and backward from eye; axil deep red; fins all deep red; anal spine and front edge of ventral 

 only whitish; a large whitish black blotch on the back of the tail behind dorsal. 



370. Holocentrus violaceus Bleeker. Malau tifi; Malau uli. Samoa; New Guinea (Macleay); 



Amboina. 



This very strongly marked species is common at Samoa, where about a dozen specimens were 

 taken. It is deep violet-brown, not red, with a vertical pale streak on each scale, and a white blotch 

 on the back of each scale. It is not known from Hawaii. 



Life colors of a specimen from Apia called malau Ufa and malau uli, blackish red, a vertical bar of 

 violet silvery at base of each scale; head mostly clear dark red; a blackish spot on opercular mem- 

 brane; a blood-red axillary spot; a darker red spot on upper part of opercle; first dorsal dark red with 

 a whitish edge and a deep red line below it; second dorsal, anal, and caudal dark red with a darker 

 anterior edge; a pink spot on back of tail ; ventral red, the spine bluish; first spine and first ray of anal 

 moderately deeper red; pectoral red; mouth small. 



Life colors of a specimen from Pago Pago called malau tifa (pearl shell), violet pearly reflections; 

 the color very dark, the violet pearly bars on each scale below conspicuous; a bright pink spot on 

 back of tail. 



