﻿FISHES.-MCCULLOCH. 



59 



Colour. — Whitish, the scales t)f the upper portion of the 

 body margined with oHve-green dots. A thin dark line on the 

 median line of the tail, and a silvery lateral band in specimens 

 in spirits. Upper portion of the head, lips and lower jaw 

 densely spotted with olive-green. Membrane between the 

 second and third dorsal spines blackish, and the tips of the 

 soft dorsal and anal are darker. Caudal more or less spotted, 

 its margin darker. 



Described from two specimens, 80 and <S<S mm. long, 

 recently collected in a prawn net at San Souci, Botany Bay, 

 fey Mr. J. H. Wright, and presented by him to the Australian 

 Museum. Two very imperfect specimens are in the "Endea- 

 vour" collection which were taken near Sydney. 



I have examined the type of Fseudoatiibassis nmisuyi in the 

 Macleay Museum. It is very shrivelled and has lost many of 

 its scales, but leaves no doubt that the specimens described 

 above are correctly identified. I have also examined the 

 ■specimens from the Parramatta River, identified by Ramsay 

 and Ogilby as A. gymnocephalus, and find them to be identical 

 with Macleay's species, though w^hether they are really 

 gymnocephalus also I am unable to say. They appear, how- 

 ever, to have a much deeper body and less slender caudal 

 peduncle than that species. 



Family SILLAGINID^. 



References to the Australian species of this family are in an 

 •extremelv confused state. I have endeavoured to sort some 

 of them into the order I believe they should be, and furnish 

 a key which is drawn up principally from an examination of a 

 number of specimens of each species: — 



a. Dorsal fins united, the first with 12-14 opines. Scales in 

 about 130 rows:— Isosillago. 



h. D. xii.-xiv., 25-27; A. 24-25. Body with small dark 

 spots: — ^ punctata, 



■aa. Dorsal fins separate, the first with 10-12 spines. Scales 

 in 65-75 rows : — Sillago. 



c. A conspicuous dark mark at the base of the pectoral. 

 d. Caudal peduncle as broad as the postorbital portion 

 of the head. 

 e. D. xi., 18; A. 17-18; 1. lat. 63-65:— ciliata. 



dd. Caudal peduncle narrower than the postorbital por- 

 tion of the head. 

 /. D. xi.-xii., 20-21 ; A. 21 ; 1. lat. 70-71 : — 



maculata. 



