FISHES OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 209 
The above description based chiefly upon a specimen 2.25 inches long from Hilo, where several 
specimens were obtained in Heiishaw’s pool, in lava rocks 2 miles to the southward of Hilo. The 
species seems to be fairly common, though it was obtained by us only at Hilo, where we secured 9 
specimens. Nine specimens, including the type, were obtained by Dr. Jenkins from among the 
coral rocks at Honolulu in 1889. This is one of the most agile of fishes. 
Chromis elaphrus Jenkins, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., XXII. 1902 (Sept. 23, 1903), 157, fig. 23, Honolulu. (Type, No. 50703, 
U. S. N. M.. Coll. O. P. Jenkins.) 
210. Chromis ovalis (Steindachner). Fig. 114. 
Head 3.5 in length; depth 2.3; eye 3.2 in head; snout 4.2; maxillary 3; interorbital 3; D. xiv, 11; 
A. ii, 13; scales 3-28-8. 
Body oblong-ovate, deepest through base of ventrals, compressed; dorsal outline steepest from origin 
of dorsal fin to tip of snout, slightly concave over interorbital region; head deeper than long, com¬ 
pressed; snout subconic; lower jaw slightly included; maxillary reaching anterior edge of eye; mouth 
small, nearly horizontal; a single row of small distinct conic teeth in each jaw, 1 or 2 short indistinct 
rows back of the outer row in the anterior part of iaws; opercle and preopercle entire, no opercular 
Fig. lit .—Chromis oralis (Steindachner). Type of C. vrlnx Jenkins. 
spine; eye anterior, its lower edge on line with upper base of pectoral; interorbital slightly convex, 
almost flat in some examples; fins rather large, origin of dorsal slightly anterior to origin of pectoral, 
fourth to eighth spines about equal and the longest 1.85 in head; first spine slightly shorter than last; 
middle rays of dorsal longest, 1.8, the soft part being rounded; anal rays nearly all equal, the last 2 or 3 
slightly the shorter, longest 1.9; second spine rather stout and strong, 2; first spine very short; caudal 
deeply forked, upper lobe slightly the longer, longest ray about 3 in body; ventrals reaching vent, 
1.25 in head; pectoral large, pointed, upper rays longest, 3 in body; scales large, very finely ctenoid, 
covering entire body and head except lips, small scales at bases of all the fins, those on soft dorsal and 
anal and caudal small and covering most of the fin; lateral line concurrent with dorsal outline, on first 
20 rows of scales, then dropping 3 rows and very obscurely extending on middle of caudal peduncle 
to base of dorsal fin. 
Color in alcohol, brownish or dusky olive above, below silvery yellowish; base of pectoral black, 
color not extending to axil; about 8 indistinct longitudinal dusky streaks along side of body below 
dorsal region, following rows of scales; membranes of spinous dorsal black; soft anal and dorsal dusky; 
caudal dusky brown. 
