214 "ENDEAVOUR'' SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



free ray is a little longer than the fin. Ventrals reaching 

 a little beyond the vent; the rays are branched, and the 

 inner ones are broadly united with the abdomen by 

 membrane. Caudal slightly emarginate. 



Colour-marking. Apparently pink in life, with 

 brown markings on the upper surfaces. Both dorsal fins 

 with broad black margins, the tips of the spines and rays 

 Avhite. Anal with a dark submarginal band posteriorly. 

 Pectoral with a broad black band crossing its distal half, 

 and some dusky blotches near its base. Caudal with a 

 dusky upper border. 



Described and figured from the unique holotype, 

 159 mm. long. 



Locality. East of Flinders Island, Bass Strait, 

 70-100 fathoms: 4th December, 1913. 



The descriptions of many species of Pcristedion omit 

 reference to several important specific characters, and 

 therefore cannot be compared satisfactorily with this 

 new form. P. picturatum belongs to a group of species 

 in which the angle of the preoperculum does not project 

 backward as a spine, but forms either an obtuse angle 

 or an expanded lobe. It is apparently distinguishable 

 from its nearest allies as follows : 



A. Dorsal and pectoral fins with dark marginal or submarginal 



bands. 

 B. Two pairs of abdominal scutes before the vent. 



C. Three pairs of scutes between vent and first anal 

 ray. 



liorhynchus Gthr., and nierstraszi Weber. 

 CC. Two pairs of scutes between vent and first anal ray. 



picturatum sp. nov. 

 BB. Three pairs of abdominal scutes before the vent. 



rivers-andersoni Ale., and orientale Schleg. 

 AA. No black marks on dorsal or pectoral fins. 



truncatum Giinther. 



P. miniatum Goode, altipinnis Regan, and crustosum 

 Gnrman, have only 17-18 dorsal and 16-18 anal rays 

 instead of 21 and 20 as in picturatum. P. cataphractum 

 Linue, has strong spines on the snout and forehead, and 

 barbiger Gnrmau has a pair of hooked spines between 

 the nostrils, which are wanting in picturatum. In 

 longispatha G. and B., the rostral processes are widely 

 divergent instead of parallel, and gracilc G. and B., lacks 

 supraorbital spines. In P. imbcrbe Poey, the barbels are 



