An Additional Contribution to the Biology of the Aholehole, 
Kuhlia sandvicensis (Steindachner ) 1 
Royden Nakamura 2 
Relatively little is known of the biology of 
the inshore fish fauna of the Hawaiian Islands, 
although there have been numerous publications 
on various aspects of the subject (Pietschmann, 
1938; Gosline and Brock, I960; Helfrich, 
1959; Hiatt, 1947^, 1947^, 1951; Randall, 
1955, 1958, 1961; Strasburg, 1961, 1962; 
Strasburg and Hiatt, 1957; Salmon, 1967; 
Tester, 1951, 1955; Tester and Takata, 1953; 
Tester and Trefz, 1954). The purpose of this 
paper is to present further information con- 
cerning the growth and age of a common in- 
shore species, the aholehole ( Kuhlia sandvi- 
censis ' ) . 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
These data were obtained from a population 
of individually marked fish which were kept for 
over a year in a large marine pond at the Ha- 
waii Marine Laboratory on Coconut Island, 
Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. All fish were initially 
placed into one of five arbitrarily designated 
size classes. The fish in size class I ranged from 
80 to 100 mm fork length, class II from 101 to 
120 mm, class III from 121 to 140 mm, class 
IV from 141 to 160 mm, and class V from 161 
to 180 mm. 
At approximately monthly intervals, the pond 
was seined and the recaptured fish anesthetized 
with Quinaldine (2-methyl-quinoline). Length 
and weight measurements were then made and 
scale samples taken in conjunction with a con- 
current study of scale growth. The fish were 
then allowed to recover from the anesthetic in 
holding tanks before being released into the 
pond. All measurements were made to the 
nearest 0.1 mm and 0.1 gram. 
1 From a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of 
requirements for the degree of Master of Science at 
the University of Hawaii in 1965. Manuscript re- 
ceived September 12, 1967. 
2 Present address: Institute of Fisheries, University 
of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. 
The pond in which this introduced population 
of fish was kept was rectangular, measuring 60 
by 100 feet. The depth varied from 2l/ 2 to 4i/ 2 
feet, depending on tidal conditions and the 
particular locale within the pond. The sides 
were constructed of stacks of large dead coral 
heads, and the bottom was composed mainly of 
sand, silt, and pieces of dead coral. Two large 
screened gates were provided at opposite ends 
of the pond to allow natural water circulation 
and tidal changes. 
That the conditions under which the fish were 
maintained approximated the natural environ- 
ment is evidenced by earlier observations of a 
small resident population of the same species 
in a similar, adjacent pond (Tester and Takata, 
1953). 
Although natural foods such as annelids and 
crustaceans were frequently observed in the 
pond, the diet of the introduced population of 
aholehole was supplemented by the addition of 
bread, commercial fish meal, and minced fish 
flesh. 
RESULTS 
As expected, the data indicate faster growth 
rates for smaller fish (Table 1). Fish in size 
class I grew at rates of 0.120 mm and 0.073 
gram per day. Fish in size classes II, III, IV 
grew at rates of 0.110, 0.070, 0.040 mm per day, 
respectively. The daily increases in weight for 
the same groups were 0.092, 0.071, 0.040 gram 
per day. Size class V, which consisted of very 
large fish, failed to show significant increases 
in length for the duration of the study. How- 
ever, slight increases in weight were detected 
(0.004 gram per day). 
Seasonal growth differences were not ob- 
served in all size classes. Sex differences in 
growth rates could not be studied for two rea- 
sons. First, difficulty was encountered in deter- 
mining sex on the basis of external morphology. 
Second, throughout the entire study there was a 
493 
