THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 



233 



451. Caranx plumbeus (Quoy & Gaitnard). Lupo; Lupo ta; Lalafutu; Alalafutu. He tie France: 

 Samoa. 



Head 3.25 in length; depth 2.18; dorsal vi-i, 22; anal ii-i, 18; eye 3 in head; snout 2.75; maxil- 

 lary 2.18, extending to below anterior margin of eye; 43 plates along straight portion of lateral line, 

 the curved portion a third longer than the straight. 



Body oblong, compressed; profile of head gibbous and keeled; anterior dorsal and anal rays elon- 

 gate (male fishes have 9 and 10 dorsal rays and 7 and 8 anal rays elongate), the first dorsal ray being 

 greater than depth of fish, 2 in length. The first anal ray is 2.75 in length; base of anal about equal 

 to pectoral, which is 2.75 in length of fish; base of dorsal 2.20 in length; caudal deeply forked, the 

 lobes slightly longer than head; ventrals 2 in head; opercle with small rounded nick on upper margin; 

 scales of body small, about 100 in curved portion of lateral line; thorax naked; cheek scaled and upper 

 part of opercle scaled; bands of minute teeth in jaws, vomer, palatines and middle of tongue; a nar- 

 row adipose eyelid; preorbital less than width of eye; mouth large, lower jaw slightly the longer; gill- 

 rakers strong, two-thirds length of eye, 16 on lower limb. 



Fig. 28. — Caranx plumbeus (Quoy & Gaimard). 



Color in spirits silvery bronze, the scales with beautiful iridescence, slightly darker above, some 

 specimens showing slight indications of five or six wide vertical brown bands on upper half of body; 

 a black opercular spot; a large black spot in axil of pectoral, extending on it"J upper base; cheek more 

 or less blotched with golden; an indistinct dusky blotch on upper part of preopercle between the 

 black opercular spot and eye; spines of dorsal dusky; margin of dorsal and its elongate filaments 

 dusky; caudal with indistinct dusky margin; pectoral, ventral, and anal yellowish white, the anal 

 showing a slight dusky wash on webs. 



A specimen from Apia in life was silver-green, bluish below; axil black; opercular spot faint olive; 

 caudal dull yellow; anal and ventral whitish, slightly olive-tinged. Dorsal and anal with one filament 

 only. In others of the same species, males, there are numerous filamentous rays on the dorsal and 

 anal fins. 



This species belongs to the subgenus Ciiula. We have 5 specimens, 4 male and 1 female, tak n in 

 the seine at Apia and Pago Pago. The description is that of a male 12.50 inches long. 



b.b. f. mos— 16 



