SEXUAL PATTERN OF THE LABRID FISHES COLLECTED FROM KUCHINOERABU-JIMA,KAGOSHIMA, JAPAN

The sexual pattern of the nine species of labrid fishes collected at t he Kuchinoerabu-jima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan is described. Histol ogical evidence shows that all nine species are protogynous hermaphrod ites. These are: Anampses geographicus, Thalassoma quinquevittata, T. purpureum, Stethojulis trilineata, Halichoeres scapularis, Hologymnosu s annulatus, Xyrichtys dea, X. geisha, and Epibulus insidiator. Of the se, T. purpureum, H. annulatus are diandric. Diandry can not be confir med in the remaining species because sufficient sample sizes of each s pecies could not be collected at this site.