2 ? 8 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Genus 147. LEPIDAPLOIS Gill. 
Body compressed, oblong, covered with large scales, 30 to 35 in the lateral line; snout pointed; 
mouth large, the lateral teeth in both jaws in a single series coalescent at base; 4 canine teeth in front 
and a posterior canine tooth; cheeks and opercles with imbricated scales; dorsal and anal scaly at base; 
lateral line not interrupted; preopercle usually finely serrated; soft dorsal and anal not falcate ante- 
riorly; caudal fin lunate. Dorsal rays usually xn, 10; anal rays in, 12. Tropical parts of the western 
Pacific from Hawaii through Polynesia to Japan and Africa. 
Lepidaplois Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1862, 140 ( axillaris ). 
a. Eye small, about 6 in head. 
b. Maxillary reaching front margin of eye; caudal truncate albotseniatus, p. 278 
bb. Maxillary reaching middle of eye; outer caudal rays prolonged mode&tus, p. 279 
aa. Eye larger, 4.65 in head strophodcs, p. 280 
217. Lepidaplois albotaeniatus (Cuvier & Valenciennes). “A’awa.” Plate XXIV. « 
Head 2.9 in length; depth 2.9; snout 3 in head; eye 6; mouth 3; interorbital 3.5; D. xn, 10; A. in, 
12; scales 8-34-13. 
Body oblong, compressed; head longer than deep, upper and lower profiles evenly weakly convex; 
snout rather long, pointed, rounded above; jaws produced, pointed, about equal; mouth rather large, 
maxillary reaching front of eye; teeth strong, conic; 4 large canines in front of each jaw, the outer on 
each side of mandible enlarged; lips rather thin, fleshy; eye moderately large, its posterior margin 
about middle of length of head; posterior margin of preopercle finely serrated; interorbital width broad, 
convex; nostrils in front of eye, anterior in short fleshy tube; last dorsal spine 2.7 in head; seventh 
dorsal ray 2.25; third anal spine 2.5; fifth anal ray longest, 2.2; dorsal and anal rather broad, rounded; 
caudal truncate, broad at base; pectoral small, 1.7 in head; ventrals pointed, 1.5; caudal peduncle 
broad, compressed, 1.75; scales large, thin, small upon back in front of dorsal fin and along base of 
dorsal and anal; scales smaller on chest than on sides of body; interorbital width, snout, space in 
front of eye, and mandibles without scales, head otherwise scaly; scales on cheeks very small; lateral 
line concurrent with back and running posteriorly along middle of side of caudal peduncle. Described 
chiefly from an example (No. 04288) from Hilo. 
Color in life (No. 122 O. P. J. ), pinkish shades on white ground-color; numerous horizontal 
brown stripes crowded together along top of head and back; a brown stripe from angle of mouth to 
angle of preopercle; chin and throat white, covered with red spots; colors of body posteriorly gradually 
give way to yellow, which becomes bright yellow on caudal fin; a black blotch at base of posterior 
part of soft dorsal extending on caudal peduncle; a black spot nearly as large as eye on first dorsal 
between first and third spines; iris black, with red inner margin; tips of dorsal spines yellow, the soft 
dorsal and anal bright yellow; pectoral rosy; ventrals white, with rosy and yellow shadings. 
Specimen No. 02976 in life had upper half of head and anterior portion of upper part of side dull 
rosy; side mostly dirty yellowish, with about 10 pale bands made by pale areas on centers of scales; 
caudal peduncle fading gradually into rosy anteriorly; a broad dark reddish band from snout through 
eye to gill-opening, below this pale rosy, with small blotches of brown and pale red; a bluish wash from 
angle of mouth to gill-opening; lower jaw and throat pale rosy; a large deep black blotch on side under 
last dorsal rays, connecting with its fellow across caudal peduncle; spinous dorsal with rosy spines, 
membranes bluish-black, and a large blue-black blotch on membrane between second and third spines; 
soft dorsal bright yellow; caudal and anal bright yellow, the latter somewhat smoky anteriorly; pec- 
toral rosy; ventrals pale bluish, rosy on margin. 
Specimen No. 02977 was in life dark purplish red, becoming ashy below; upper parts of head rosy; 
cheek ashy, washed with rosy; 2 or 3 obscure dark blotches on preorbital; a dark postocular bar ending 
in a rather distinct opercular spot; 2 or 3 black blotches at angle of preopercle; subopercle also with 
several black blotches; lower jaw bluish gray, blotched with rosy and dusky; a very pale reddish 
blotch under last rays of soft dorsal, in center of which is a black spot covering 1 scale; spinous dorsal 
bluish gray, a large black blotch on membrane between second and third spines; soft dorsal pale red 
with a yellow border, the last rays orange near tips, which are yellow, a more or less distinct patch of 
pale pinkish brown below them; caudal pale rosy, membranes smoky blue, outer rays darker, and 
with a narrow pale yellow border; anal very pale rosy, the border pale yellow, narrowly bordered with 
bluish; pectoral rosy, base darkest; ventrals pale smoky bluish; iris red. 
a Lepidoplois bilunulatus on plate. 
