THE FISHES OF SAMOA. 291 



Chromis lepisurus, Bleeker, Pomacentridse, 164; Atlas, 403, fig. 7, Cocoa, Java, Celebes, Sumbawa, Flores, Aru, New 



Guinea. 

 Glyphisodon bandanensis Bleeker, Ichth. Bijdr. Banda, Nat. T. Ned. Ind.. n, 248, Banda. 

 Helioses frenatits, Bleeker, N. Bijdr. Ich. Ceram., ibid., 710; perhaps not of Cuvier & Valenciennes. 

 Cantharus cseruleus, Cuvier <& Valenciennes, op. cit., V, 342. 



Heliascs ccrruleus Bleeker, Vierde Bijdr. Ichth., Kokos-eil; Nat. T. Ned. Ind., vm, 455. 

 Heliascs lepidurus, Giinther, Cat., iv, 03. Giinther, Fische der Siidsee, 238, taf. 128, figs, c and D, Palau, Paumotu 



Is., Yap, Kingsmill I. 

 Glyphisodon anabatoides Day, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1870, 696, Andaman Is. 

 Glyphisodon amboinensis Seale, Bishop Museum, 1901, 84, Guam; perhaps not H. amboinensis of Bleeker. 



This beautiful species is very common about Samoa, where about 100 specimens were taken in 

 pools on the reefs. With a general blue-green coloration usually with small yellow dots, there is con- 

 siderable minor variation in the markings in this species. The pale blue frenum ia probably never 

 wholly wanting, although much more conspicuous in some specimens than others. 



Life colors were noted in various specimens as follows: 



(1) From Pago Pago. Vivid steel-green, becoming violet-blue in spirits, silvery below; faint 

 bluish lines along sides of belly; fins all bluish; a large black spot on base of pectoral; a narrow cleat- 

 blue streak before eye; ventral sometimes pale, sometimes dusky; no other marks. 



(2) From Apia; called mamo. Clear sky-blue with a strong greenish tinge, whitish below; no 

 yellow, orange or brown; side with 5 or 6 dark blue streaks like pencil marks along rows of scales; 

 axil with a blue-black spot; first dorsal deep bluish; caudal gray, with a bright blue stripe along each 

 lobe; other fins bluish. 



(3) From Apia; called i'a lanu-moana or blue-fish, scales 25. Vivid sky-blue with bright reflec- 

 tions; finely dotted with black and with fine golden yellow spots, about one for each scale; belly 

 white; fins plain, like body; ventral darker; chin blue. ' 



(4) From Apia. Vivid sky-blue, growing paler below; usually with small yellow dots anteriorly; 

 axil black; spinous dorsal blue black; soft dorsal and caudal mostly bright orange; anal vivid blue; 

 axil black; ventral pale; pectoral dusky. 



(5) From Pago Pago. Clear blue-green, silvery below; some specimens rather green, others blue; 

 three pale blue streaks on side of body; base of pectoral dusky; back of caudal peduncle deep green; 

 fins dusky, without blue. 



(6) From Pago Pago. Light blue; darker violet-blue on shoulder; whitish blue below golden on 

 caudal peduncle and below base of second dorsal; a black axil spot; fins all dusky blue, some yellow 

 on second dorsal; pectoral almost colorless; ventral posteriorly blackish 



The nominal species cxmlein and frenatus are doubtless identical with Chromis lepisurus, in which 

 case the name cseruleus has precedence. The type of cxruleus is said to have 13 dorsal spines, while 

 Chromis lepisurus has 12. No other difference appears in the description. Chromis frenatus has a more 

 distinct blue stripe from the snout to the eye, and the caudal lobes less produced. Both these char- 

 acters are seen in young specimens. In some of our specimens especially, but not always the smaller 

 ones, there is a sharply defined narrow blue streak from eye to snout, as in frenatus. In others there 

 is a faint pale streak, and in some a dark streak a little lower down, or on the lower edge of the pale 

 streak. 



In response to a request to reexamine the original types of these species, Dr. Leon Vaillant writes 

 (October 12, 1904): 



Les types de Helioses (ou Chromis) ca-ruleus, frenatus et //. lepisurus sont dans un etat de conservation qui en permet 

 facilement l'etude. II y'a quatre exemplaires du Chromis lepisurus venant de la Nouvelle Gulnee (No. 8754) deux du 

 Chromis cieruleus de la meme localite (No. 5644) sept du Chromis frenatus de Guam. (5744 et A 253.) Touslesanimauxont 

 ete rapportes par Quoy & Gaimard. Ce sont les types de l'Histoire dcs Poissons. 



" Les caracteres donnes par les autores de ce travail etant du caractere de coloration ne se retrouvent guere sauf par 

 le trait argent6e qui va de l'oeil au museau, quon voit tres distinctement, et sur toutes les exemplaires du Chromisfrenaius 

 mais en ce que tous les exemplaires sont sensiblement plus petit que ceux des deux autres especes, ce pouvait etre un 

 caractere de jeune age, une sorte de livree neoterique. 



"A premiere vue.ee Chromisfrenaius m'avait paru assez different des Chromis lepisurus ct Chromis cseruleus pour 

 'lesquelles ^identification ne sauriat pas faire de doute, mais en prenant les dimensions exactes et les reduisant propor- 

 tionellemcnt a les longueurs donnes, j'ai pu me convaincre que les differences de proportions n'etaient que apparent et 

 dues a les diffieultes qu'on epreuve de comparer des exemplaires. . . . 



" En resume, je partage tout a fait votre avis et pense conime vous que ces trois especes n'en font qu'une, a peine 

 serait on autorise a regarder le Chromisfrenaius comma une variete." 



