﻿FISHES.-MCCULLOCH. 



33 



Height of the body 5j-7, length of the head 4-4J in the 

 length to the hypural. Eye 3, a little wider than the inter- 

 orbital space, snout 4I in the head. Depth of the caudal 

 peduncle a little less than the width of the eye. 



Body moderately elongate, somewhat compressed, its 

 breadth equal to about two-thirds of its height. Head fiat 

 above with a series of very large pores extending from the 

 snout, over the eye, to a canal above the operculum. A 

 second series crosses the snout in front of the eye and follows 

 the preorbital, joining another which extends around the 

 margins of the preoperculum. There is a series on each 

 ramus of the lower jaw, and a single pore behind the eye. A 

 few large scales on the upper surface of the head extending 

 forward to the eyes, snout and preorbital region bare. A 

 single row of large scales on the cheek, and three rows on the 

 operculum ; a single row on the sub- and interoperculum. 

 Mouth small, the maxillary not reaching the anterior margin 

 of the eye ; jaws subequal. Teeth minute but distinct, in 

 several rows on the anterior parts of both jav^^s, none on the 

 sides ; a well-developed patch on the vomer, palatines tooth- 

 less. Gill-rakers short and stout, the longest less than a third 

 the length of the eye ; about fifteen on the first arch. 



Scales of the body large, cycloid and concentrically striated. 

 There are thirty-eight to forty on the silvery lateral band from 

 behind the base of the pectoral to the hypural, and eight in a 

 transverse series not counting the median ones on the back 

 and belly. There are fourteen to fifteen between the nape and 

 the first dorsal fin. 



Origin of the dorsal a little behind that of the ventrals, and 

 a little nearer the end of the snout than the hypural. The 

 spines are very weak and flexible, the second and third the 

 longest, subequal, and about half as long again as the eye. 

 The distance between the first spines of the two dorsals 

 equals that between the end of the second and the hypural. 

 Anal originating well in advance of the second dorsal, the 

 length of its base once and a half in its distance from the 

 hypural. Margins of the pectorals rounded, the second and 

 third upper rays the longest, not quite reaching the vertical 

 of the ventrals. Ventrals reaching back a little more than 

 half their distance from the anal, the vent placed between their 

 tips. 



Colour. — Whitish in formalin with a broad dark sihery 

 lateral band along the fourth row of scales. The upper parts 

 of the head and back are densely spotted with minute olive 

 green dots, which also border the scales of the body above the 

 lateral band and sometimes those below it as well. All the 

 fins with more or less numerous scattered dots on the rays. 



