THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 



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Family AMBASSID£. 

 AMBASSIS Lacepede. 



Ambassis Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., n, 1829 (ambassis). 



The generic name Chanda has priority over Ambassis, as Cantor and Waite have recognized, but 

 Fowler, the first reviser of Chanda, has made its type identical with the type of Bleeker's genus 

 Pseudambassis. Pending a final agreement on the rule of nomenclature governing this case, we may 

 follow Fowler's arrangement. 



Ambassis, or Chanda, is characterized among related genera by the serrated preorbital, small teeth, 

 large scales, complete lateral line, and the presence of about ten rays in the dorsal fin. A procumbent 

 dorsal spine is always present, but in the Samoan species it is very small and concealed in the flesh. 

 The weakness of this spine defines the genus Pseudoambassis of Castelnau, a group which we think 

 inseparable from Ambassis. Pseudambassis of Bleeker is apparently a valid genus, with long anal fin 

 and small scales. Priopi? Kuhl & Van Hasselt differs from Aspro in the interrupted lateral line. 



Hamilton-Buchanan's Chanda (ovata=nama), which is the same as Bogoda Bleeker, is character- 

 ized by the uninterrupted lateral line, small scales, and strong curved canines. Parambassis Bleeker, 

 with canine teeth and a short anal fin, is apparently a valid genus. 



519. Ambassis lafa Jordan & Scale, new species. Lafa. Samoa. 



Head 2.60 in length; depth equal to head; eye 3.45 in head; snout 5; dorsal vn, i, 10; anal in, 11, 

 scales 3-31-6; interorbital 4. 



X 



Fig. 4G. — Ambassis la/a Jordan & Seale. new species. Type. 



Body oblong, compressed, slightly elevated; profile of head slightly concave over eye; body, 

 opercles, and cheeks scaled; mouth rather large; maxillary 2.75 in head, its distal end under anterior 

 margin of pupil; lower jaw slightly the longer, minute villiform teeth in jaw, vomer and palatines, 

 the inner row in jaws depressible, tongue smooth; gillrakers pointed, equal to width of pupil, 20 on 

 lower limb; opercle entire; preopercle with flat spine at angle and the lower limb only serrated, the 

 outer limb strongly denticulate below; depth of caudal peduncle greater than length of maxillary, 2.25 

 in head; second upright dorsal spine the longest and strongest, 1.50 in head; connection of soft with 

 spinous dorsal very narrow, less than width of pupil; spine of soft dorsal 2.25 in head, the longest ray 

 2 in head; base of anal equal to distance from middle of eye to posterior tip of opercle, its longest ray 

 equal to longest ray of dorsal; pectoral equal to distance from anterior of eye to posterior tip of opercle; 

 ventral equal to base of anal; length of third anal spine 2.30 in head, the second but little shorter, the 

 first very small; caudal deeply forked, its lobes about equal to head; the ventrals are slightly in 

 advance of base of pectorals. Lateral line continuous. 



Color in life yellowish white, darker above, the margins of each scale being shaded with minute 

 brown dots; a dark line from base of caudal along median line of body, fading out near the oper- 

 cle; tip of snout, upper part of snout, interorbital, and upper half of eye dusky; dusky shading 



