A New Blennoid Fish from Hawaii 
Vernon E. Brock 1 
The genus Petroscirtes is one of the genera 
which are particularly characteristic of the Indo- 
Australian ichthy-fauna of the western tropical 
Pacific. Aside from a single dubious record, 
discussed below, Petroscirtes has not been re¬ 
ported from Hawaiian waters. However, the 
discovery of the blennoid fish described here 
establishes Petroscirtes, without doubt, as a part 
of the Hawaiian ichthy-fauna. 
Petroscirtes ewaensis new species 
Holotype. United States National Museum 
No. 133821,87.4 mm. in standard length. Taken 
off Ewa Beach, Oahu, T. H., January 3, 1947. 
Caught in the open end of a pipe brought up 
from the bottom in 30 feet of water. 
Dorsal 46. Anal 30. Pectoral 12. Pelvic (I?) 
3. Body scaleless, slender, somewhat compressed, 
greatest depth at vent. Snout pointed, mouth 
inferior, gape extending approximately to middle 
of eye. Hind border of eye about midway in 
head length. Head 5.8 in standard length, depth 
7.0; greatest body width 13.2; dorsal fin base 
1.2, anal fin base 1.7, pectoral length 7.7, from 
snout tip to vent 2.7. Snout 3.4 in head length, 
eye 4.8, large canine tooth 5.4, interorbital 3.3, 
fifth dorsal fin ray 3.1. Single row of 45 in¬ 
cisors across front of lower jaw, with large 
curved canine at each side; canine received into 
socket in upper jaw when mouth closed. Single 
row of about 31 incisors across front of upper 
jaw; no canines present. Row of 4 short ten¬ 
tacles across base of chin. Row of 8 pores on 
top of snout from about midway between fore 
margin of eye and snout tip back to upper hind- 
1 Director, Division of Fish and Game, Territorial 
Board of Agriculture and Forestry, Honolulu, Hawaii. 
Manuscript received June 7, 1947. 
border of opercle; 1 pore just before dorsal 
origin; 5 or 6 pores along preopercle margin; 
2 pores forward above and below and 1 be¬ 
hind and below eye. Dorsal origin about mid¬ 
way between hindborder of eye and edge of 
opercle. Dorsal, low and long, none of the rays 
elevated, not joined to caudal. Origin of pelvics 
about one-half their length ahead of gill open¬ 
ing. 
In life, general color a rich brick-red with two 
lateral, black-edged, iridescent blue bands. The 
upper band on dorsal part of side about its 
width below dorsal base, about equal to diameter 
of pupil of eye, extending from snout tip to just 
above eye, then back to caudal fin base and for 
a short distance out on caudal. The lower band, 
wider than diameter of eye and about as wide 
as interspace between it and upper band, origin 
on tip of snout as fine line, expands and curves 
beneath eye, widest about opposite vent then 
tapered to point on basal part of caudal. Nar¬ 
row, dark-edged, iridescent blue band from 
snout tip along top of head to dorsal insertion. 
Dorsal and anal brick-red; end of rays narrowly 
tipped with blue. Caudal reddish, narrow blue 
line on upper and lower edge extending pos¬ 
teriorly for less than half its length. Pelvic rays 
faintly darkened near tips. Pectoral clear. 
Color faded in preservative. Two lateral bands 
a slate blue with dark brownish-black margins; 
red interspaces faded to a dead, light grayish- 
white. 
The name ewaensis is given in reference to 
Ewa, the district of Oahu adjacent to the place 
of capture. 
Discussion: The discovery of this species in 
Hawaiian waters serves both to demonstrate fur- 
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