158 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
reaching past base of anal, its length 1.5 in head; fourth anal spine shorter and more slender, its 
length 2.25 in head and equaling longest anal rays; last anal ray much shorter, L6 in eye; pectoral 
long and slender, 1.2 in head, the tip nearly reaching vent; ventrals shorter, equal to snout and eye; 
caudal forked, the lobes equal, not strongly divergent, their length about equaling that of third anal 
spine; rudimentary caudal spines 5 above, 4 below, strong and sharp. 
Color in life, head red above, paler on sides, nearly white below; tips of jaws rich red; side of 
body with about 10 or 12 narrow yellow stripes separated by red or rosy stripes of about same width, 
those below paler and somewhat purplish; under parts purplish or pinkish white; the stripes begin¬ 
ning at edge of opercle and ceasing at base of caudal peduncle, which is rich red above, becoming 
paler on side and below; membranes between the first and third dorsal spines rich blood-red, those 
between other spines white at base, each with distal portion lemon-yellow in front and red behind, 
last 2 or 3 membranes with little or no yellow; dorsal spines pale rosy, nearly white; soft dorsal, anal, 
pectoral, and ventral with rays rosy, membranes pale; ventral with a little yellow at base; anal spines 
somewhat dusky; caudal rich blood-red, paler distally; eye red, a narrow yellow ring around pupil. 
Another example (No. 03041), much faded, was bright red; stripes on side equally bright golden; fins 
red; edges of dorsal membranes pale; no markings evident on fins. 
Color in life of another example. (No. 03451), side with 10 or 11 longitudinal golden or yellow 
bands; Spinous dorsal more or less white; membranes between first and third dorsal spines more or 
less deep Vermillion, except the upper marginal portion behind second spine, which is white; a red 
blotch along margin of membranes just before each of the other dorsal spines. 
Color of another specimen (No. 03490) when fresh, violet-rose with 10 stripes of bright golden on 
side; dorsal red, mottled with golden, the first 2 spines deep red; soft, dorsal and other tins rather 
light red without edgings, and scarcely darker behind third anal spine; pectoral and ventrals pink; a 
red dash across cheek, space above and below whitish; temporal region deep red; iris red. All these 
colors fade in alcohol and the fish becomes a pale yellowish white, the longitudinal lines on side show¬ 
ing faintly as duller and brighter stripes of yellowish white; fins all whitish or yellowish white, 
membranes of spinous dorsal whiter. 
The above description from the type, No. 50633, U.S.N.M. (field No. 034S8), a specimen 9 inches 
long, obtained by us at Honolulu. An examination of our large series of cotypes shows but slight 
variations, the characters appearing quite stable. In some examples the upper opercular spine is the 
larger, in others the two are equal; in 2 examples we find 3 opercular spines each. 
This species has several times been called Iluloceutrum argenteum. The species described under 
that name by Quoy and Gaimard from New Guinea resembles this in the slender body and general 
coloration, but differs in having the lower jaw included, eye much smaller, mouth smaller, and the 
preopercular spine weaker. It was intended for Holocentrus lacteoguttatus of the East Indies, a species 
wrongly called punchttissimus by Meeker. 
This is one of the most abundant species in the markets at Honolulu and Hilo. It reaches a 
length of 8 to 10 inches. Our 30 specimens range in length from 5 to 10 inches. 
Holocentrum argenteum, Steindachner, Denks. Ak. Wiss. Wien, LXX, 1900, 492 (Honolulu and Laysan); not of Cuvier A 
Valenciennes. 
Fta'inmen scytl/rops Jordan & Evermann, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., XXII, 1902 (Apr. 11,1903), 174, Honolulu. 
Genus 93. HOLOCENTRUS Scopoli. “Alalhi.” 
Body oblong, moderately compressed, the ventral outline nearly straight, the back a little elevated, 
the tail very slender; head compressed, narrowed forward; opercle with a strong spine above, below 
which the edge is sharply serrated; a strong spine at angle of preopercle; orbital ring, preorbital, 
preopercle, interopercle, subopercle, occiput, and shoulder-girdle with their edges sharply serrate; 
mouth small, terminal, the lower jaw projecting in the adult; in the young (which constitute the 
supposed genera lihynchichthys and Iihinoberyx) the snout is much produced; maxillary broad, striate, 
with a supplemental bone; eye excessively large; scales moderate, closely imbricated, the posterior 
margin strongly spinous; lateral line continuous; dorsal deeply emarginate, the spines usually 11, 
depressible in a groove; soft dorsal short and high; anal with 4 spines, the first and second quite small, 
the third very long and strong, the fourth smaller; caudal widely forked; both lobes with the 
rudimentary rays spinelike; ventrals large, i, 7, the spine very strong. Species numerous, remarkable 
for the development of sharp spines almost everywhere on the surface, of the body. 
