FISHES OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
165 
120. Holocentrus ensifer Jordan & Evermann. Plates XI and 28. 
Head 3 in length; depth 2.7; eye 3 in head; snout 3.5; maxillary 2.25; Interorbital 5; 1). xi, 15; 
A. iv, 11; P. i, 14; V. i, 8; scales 4-47-8. 
Body elongate, compressed, greatest depth at ventral fins; upper profile decidedly more convex 
than lower; head compressed, much longer than deep, pointed, its width a little more than half its 
length, eye moderate, about 1.2 in postocular part of head, and slightly impinging upon upper profile; 
snout pointed; mouth moderate, oblique; maxillary broad, with large supplemental- bone, distally 
equal to half diameter of eye; lips thick, fleshy; teeth minute, in broad bands in jaws, and on vomer 
and palatines; tongue pointed, free in front; nostrils close together, posterior one a large cavity with 
several small spines projecting over; preorbital with 2 large strong spines and about 6 strong serrations 
on its margin; suborbital rim narrow; bones of head all more or less finelv serrate, the opercle above 
and preopercle below each with a long, strong, dagger-like spine; interorbital space broad, very 
slightly concave; a fleshy axillary flap; gill-opening large, filaments moderately long, much longer 
than gillrakers, which are compressed and not very numerous; pseudobranch ia- large; spinous dorsal 
long, membrane between spines not much incised, first 2.2, second 2.1, third 2, last 4.2; anterior dorsal 
lays longest, fourth 1.8, last / .5; third anal spine largest, 1.75, fourth 2.3; soft anal similar to soft 
dorsal, third spine not reaching beyond rays; caudal rather small, forked; pectoral 1.3; ventral 1.4, 
spine 2; caudal peduncle compressed, its length 2.2, depth 4; scales rather large, ctenoid; lateral line 
arched a little at first and running down obliquely on upper side of caudal peduncle. 
Color in life, bright red; side with about S yellow longitudinal bands; spinous dorsal vermilion 
tinged with yellow; soft dorsal rosy with front margin white and behind this above, red; anal whitish 
with red between third spine and first ray; caudal red, margined above and along the emargination 
with whitish; pectoral whitish with red lines; ventral rosy with front margin white. One example 
(field No. 03454) in life had yellow and red longitudinal bands above and yellow' and white below; 
spinous dorsal vermilion, other fins red with white borders. One (field No. 03472) was brilliant scar¬ 
let red w ith 11 golden streaks along rows of scales, upper 4 broadest, and third and fourth most dis¬ 
tinct and oblique; a w'hite or golden streak across cheek; fins plain scarlet without dark patches. 
Another, when fresh (field No. 03494), was bright red verging to scarlet; side red, with 4 golden 
stripes along back and 6 silver stripes below these, golden and silver, very bright; head crimson; a 
white band on cheek; spinous dorsal deep scarlet with crimson edge; soft dorsal light crimson with a 
white, then a dark crimson edge; caudal blood red, edged above and below with white, posterior part 
of fin abruptly pale; anal with pale spines, then blood red, then pinkish; ventral with white spine, 
then dark red, then pink; pectoral light red, axil deep red. 
Color in alcohol, pale brown or brownish white, the longitudinal bands on sides, together with 
scales on cheeks and opercle, silvery; tins pale. 
-This species w as obtained by us at Honolulu and Kailua, and ap(>ears to be common at the former 
place. 
The 9 specimens we have examined are ti to 9.75 inches long. 
Holocentrus ensifer Jordan & Evermann, Bull. f. s. Fish Comm., XXII, 1902 (Apr, 11. 1903), 170. Honolulu. 
Family L. POLYMIXIIDtE.—T he Barbados. 
Body rather elongated and compressed; scales not serrated; lateral line continuous with back; 
head compressed and with a declined profile; preopercle serrated; mouth with a lateral and nearly 
horizontal cleft; teeth villiform, on both jaws and on palate; branchiostegal apertures large, the gill- 
membranes separate, free from the isthmus; branchioetegals 4; dorsal moderately elongated, with 
several spines, increasing backward; anal opposite tile posterior portion of dorsal, armed with 3 or 4 
spines; pectoral with branched rays; ventral fins thoracic, each with a spine and 6 or 7 rays. Vertebra 
in increased number (29). The family is distinguished by the combination of chin barbels, increased 
number of rays, and small number of branehiostegals. The increased number of ventral rays and the 
structure of the fins seem to point to berveoid rather than percoid affinities. Mr. Starks has shown 
that the structure of the barbels is quite unlike that seen in the Mullidtc, notwithstanding the strong 
external resemblance. 
A single genus, with 1 to 3 species, inhabiting rather deep waters in the tropical Atlantic and 
Pacific. 
