258 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



542. Cephalopholis argus (Bloch). Gatala moana (blue spotted); Oatala uli; Vaiania. Samoa; 



Hawaii; Borabora; New Guinea; Marquesas Is.; Papua; New Britain; Tahiti; Tubuai and 



Rarotonga (Seale); East Indies. 

 Common about the reefs of Samoa. Life colors of a specimen from Pago Pago, dark gray all over, 

 with evenly disposed rather pale-blue spots with blackish edge; caudal with narrow white margin; 

 dorsal with very narrow white margin on posterior half; pectoral paler than body. 



543. Cephalopholis ininiatus (Forskal). Samoa (Boulenger); Apamana; New Guinea (Macleay); 



New Britain (Peters); Shortland Is. (Seale). 



544. Cephalopholis boenack (Bloch). New Guinea (Macleay). 



545. Cephalopholis urodelus (Forster). Mata'ili. Tahiti; Kingsmill Is.; Harvey Is.; Paumotu 



Is.; Samoa; Solomon Is.; New Guinea; Uene, Society Is. ; Misol; New Hebrides; Micronesia; 

 Fanning Is.; Funafuti, Ellicels.; Mangareva (Seale); East Indies. 



Of this handsome species, 4 specimens were taken at Apia. Life colors of one, deep brick-red, 

 darker olivaceous on back, the posterior parts almost black, the belly and sides paler and brighter 

 red; head closely covered on sides with vermilion spots, the ground-color forming reticulations around 

 them; body spotted with small vermilion spots which are sparse and show faintly on the ground- 

 color; opercular flap olivaceous; dorsal dark red, the edge bright red, the narrow margin dusky; anal 

 similar but brighter, with broader margins; traces of vermilion spots; caudal red-black, very dark, 

 with two white cross-bands, converging behind, cutting off the dusky red corners; ventral vermilion 

 with a dark edge; pectoral vermilion at base, then blackish, the edge broadly dull orange. 



Another specimen was brown, with yellow-greenish tinge; dorsal with two yellow-white spaces 

 interrupting brown, and with posterior third with yellow white edge; caudal with angulated trans- 

 verse yellow white bar, also narrower terminal bar yellow white; anal with one yellow white blotch ; 

 ventral blackish brown; pectoral yellow white with brown blotch at base and two weakly indicated 

 brownish cross-bands; sides of body and head with creamy white blotches. 



546. Cephalopholis leopardus (Lacepede). Gatala uli. Samoa; Tahiti; Louisiades. 



Of this species, 8 specimens were taken at Apia. Life colors of one of these, dark olive, with 

 round scarlet spots on side; a black opercular spot; a black spot on tail below axil of dorsal, a smaller 

 one behind it; dorsal reddish olive, with a scarlet margin; caudal with deep red convergent bands, a 

 yellow stripe within each, the outer margin whitish; anal mottled red and bluish with a broad scarlet 

 band and grayish edge; pectoral orange; ventral red; lips cream and olive mottled, reddish within. 



547. Cephalopholis aurantius (Cuvier & Valenciennes). New Ireland; Louisiades; East Indies. 



548. Cephalopholis sexmaculatus (Riippell). Tahiti; Paumotu Is. 



549. Cephalopholis soimerati (Cuvier & Valenciennes). Kingsmill I.; Palauls. ; East Indies. 



EPINEPHELTTS Bloch. 



550. Epinephelus merra Bloch. Oatala; ' Ato,' ata pulepule. Samoa; Marcus I.; New Ireland 



(Peters); Tahiti; Guam (Seale); Fiji; New Hebrides; Solomon Is.; New Guinea (Macleay). 



This species is excessively common about the reefs of Samoa, the young living in every crevice, 

 by far outnumbering all other species of this family. About 50 specimens were preserved. 



Life colors of a specimen from Apia, very dark olive-brown, the ground-color reduced to hexag- 

 onal spots surrounded by whitish olive reticulations, which are broader and clearer below; spots on 

 head smaller; fins all similarly marked; edge of dorsal dusky, with a paler streak below. Gill- 

 rakers 12. 



Another specimen from Apia was olivaceous, dark above, the spots dull orange with darker 

 centers; those on dorsal more orange, the interspaces grayish olive; maxillary, branchiostegals, and 

 belly also spotted. Gill-rakers 12. 



551. Epinephelus stellans (Richardson). Samoa; East Indies. 



Of this species, apparently distinguished from Epinephelus merra by the presence of small white 

 spots scattered over the body, among the larger dark ones, we have 3 examples from Samoa. 



