THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 



247 



entire; gill-rakers strong, blunt, and finely denticulate, the longest two-thirds as long as pupil, 17 on 

 lower limb; second dorsal spine longest, 2.20 in head; longest ray of soft dorsal, 2 in head, its base 3; 

 caudal emarginate, the lobes rounded; base of anal, 3 in head, its longest ray, 2.50, the spines small; 

 pectoral extending to a line with sixth dorsal ray, 1.75 in head; insertion of ventrals slightly in advance 

 of base of pectoral, their tip extending to anal opening, their length equal to postocular part of head. 



Color in spirits, dull yellowish white with a slight wash of brown; everywhere punctulate with 

 indistinct minute dark dots the size of pin pricks; a narrow and distinct line of brown from posterior 

 margin of opercle to base of caudal, where it terminates in a small round black dot about half the size 

 of pupil; a short black line from posterior margin of eye to near posterior margin of opercle, a dusky 

 blotch above this at upper end of preopercle and including the upper portion of orbit and eye; a more 

 or less distinct dusky line from anterior of orbit down side of snout; dorsal fin with anterior spine, 

 dusky black at tip; other fins white; opercle gilt. 



Twenty -six specimens from Apia. The specimen described is 3 inches long. 



This species is rather common in the sluggish waters at the mouths of the streams of Apia. From 

 the other Samoan species it may be known by its strong likeness to the species of Ambassis, among 

 which it is often found. It has always a small black spot at base of caudal and a low spinous dorsal, 

 the long spine barely reaching base of second dorsal when compressed. 



MIONORUS Krefft. Fo. 



This genus has the lateral line complete, the palatine provided with teeth, and the two limbs of 

 the preopercle both strictly entire. In M. gncffei the body is short and greatly compressed, and 

 the dorsals high. Other species provisionally referred to the same genus (waikiki, carinalus, glaga, etc. ) 

 have the general form of Amia. 



Fig. 41.— Mionorus grieffei (Gunther). 



506. Mionorus graeffei (Gunther). Samoa; Marshall Is. 



Apuijim grwffei Gunther, Fische der Siidsee, 22, taf. 20, fig. e, 1873, Boston I. (Marshall Is.). Streets, Bull. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., vn, 101, 1877, Samoa. 



Of this pretty species we have two specimens from Apia, and ten from Pago Pago. The greatly 

 compressed body and elongate whip-like spine are characteristic. 



