322 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
256. Cheilinus trilobatus Lacepede. 
Head 2.6 in length; depth 2.6; eye 6 in head; snout 2.7; maxillary 3; preorbital 3.6; interorbital 
3.6; least depth of caudal peduncle 2.2, least width 12; D. ix, 10; A. iii, 8; P. 11; V. i, 5; C. 12; 
scales 2-20-5. 
Body short, deep, and much compressed; back considerably elevated, the anterior profile rising 
in a bold curve from tip of snout to origin of dorsal fin; a slight depression on snout in front of eyes; 
interorbital space rather wide and high; head rather small, compressed, its greatest width 2.3 in its 
length; snout large and heavy; mouth moderate, little oblique, entirely below axis of body, the jaws 
equal; each jaw with a pair of strong, curved canines in front, and a row of shorter conic teeth on 
each side, these decreasing in size posteriorly; eye small, entirely above axis of body; preorbital deep; 
lips thick and fleshy; opercle ending in a broad, short flap; caudal peduncle very deep and thin. 
Scales large, thin and firm, covering body and entire head except snout, those on head thickest; 
lateral line beginning at upper end of gill-opening and running in a nearly straight line to scale 
beneath last dorsal ray, where it ceases but reappears 2 rows farther down and 3 scales farther forward, 
thence continuing to base of caudal; pores of lateral line not much branched. Dorsal fin beginning 
over base of pectoral, the spines weak and short, their length not much exceeding half length of snout; 
soft dorsal pointed, the longest rays 1.5 in head; a sheath of large scales at base of dorsal; caudal tril- 
obate, the outer and middle rays produced, the longest rays about 1.4 in head; anal similar to soft 
dorsal, pointed, the longest rays 1.3 in head; anal spines graduated, the first very short, less than 
orbit, the third about 3.5 in head; pectoral broad, truncate, its length 1.9 in head; ventrals very long 
and pointed, reaching base of first anal ray, their length about 1.25 in head. 
Color in life, olive gray; a series of greenish-blue cross-streaks, very numerous and well defined, 
pale cherry-red cross-shades between them; head with radiating streaks and spots of crimson; chin 
dull; dorsal light olive with cherrv-red edge and intramarginal streak; soft rays mostly colorless; a 
little dusky spot at base; caudal dusky, edged all around with pale, the tip and edge mostly red; anal 
olive with green rays and 2 red marginal stripes; ventral with blue rays, an olive blotch and a pink 
edge; pectoral yellow-olive, dark olive at base. 
Color in alcohol, dark brown, blotched irregularly with darker; head with numerous short, narrow 
pale streaks, some of them more or less wavy, those on opercles breaking up into round spots; dorsal 
fin greenish olive, with pale border narrowly edged with darker; caudal dark greenish; anal dark 
greenish, edge pale; pectoral pale; ventrals greenish-blue; iris green. Description of male (No. 04627, 
10 inches long) from Pago Pago, Samoa. 
A female example 6 inches long (from Pago Pago) differs from the male just described chiefly in 
the more slender snout, less elevated back, rounded caudal, less pointed dorsal and anal, and much 
shorter ventrals. The pale markings on the head are less distinct. The female and young with short 
ventrals correspond to Cheilinus sinuosus described from Sandwich Islands by Quov and Gaimard. We 
have obtained many specimens of this species from Samoa, but saw none in Honolulu. The only 
Hawaiian record is that of Quoy and Gaimard. 
Cheilinus trilobatus Lacfipede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., Ill, 529, 537, pi. 31, fig. 3, 1801, Indian Ocean near Mauritius. 
Cheilinus sinuosus Quoy & Gaimard, Voy. Uranie, Poiss., 278, 1824, Sandwich Islands; young; Riippeli, Atlas Fiseli., 22, 1828; 
Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., XIV, 79, 1839; Bleeker, Atlas, I, (ill, pi. 27, fig. 2, 1862; Gunther, Cat., IV, 
126, 1862; Klunzinger, Fisch. Roth. Meer. in Verhand. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, XXI, 1871, 553. 
Cheilinus rivulatus , Cuvier & Valenciennes, op. cit., 86. 
Genus 163. NOVACULICHTHYS Bleeker. 
Labroid fishes with oblong body; postocular region of head scaly; 27 or 28 scales in longitudinal 
series; each jaw with many series of conspicuous crystalline teeth, the 2 anterior canines curved, no 
angular teeth; dorsal fin and base of anal scaleless; the 2 anterior dorsal spines flexible, the following 
7 pungent; anal spines 3; lateral line interrupted; lower pharyngeals with 4 or 5 series of teeth. 
Novaculichthys Bleeker, C'onsp. Gen. Labr. in Versl. Kon. Ak. Wet. XIII, 1862, 102 ( txnioums ); Bleeker, Proc. Zool. See. 
Lond. 1861, 410-13; Bleeker, Atlas Iehth., I, 143, 1862. 
a. First 2 dorsal spines somewhat shorter than the others, never produced 
aa. First 2 dorsal spines not at all shorter than the others, sometimes produced. 
. 1 modi, p. 323 
