158 CONTRIBUTIONS TO AUSTRALIAN ICHTHYOLOGY, 



the dorsal and the base of caudal 2| to 24 in its distance from 

 the extremity of the snout, its length 1 to 1^ in its height, 1| to 

 1|^ in the length of the anal, and If to 1§ in the distance between 

 its origin and the anal : anal commencing opposite to or a little 

 behind the origin of the dorsal, its base as long as or a little 

 longer than its distance from the caudal ; longest rays when laid 

 back not reaching beyond the short posterior rays : ventral with 

 seven rays, inserted a little nearer to the tip of the mandible 

 than to the base of the caudal, its length 1|- to 14 in the head 

 and 24 to 2^ in the space between its origin and the anal, which 

 is as long as or slightly less than its distance from the base of the 

 pectoral; pectoral with 14 rays, as long as or a little longer than 

 the ventral, and less than half the distance between its base 

 and that fin : caudal emarginate, 6 to 6^ in the total length; least 

 depth of caudal peduncle 2 to 2| in its length behind the dorsal, 

 which is 14 tol^inthe head. Vertebrae 57 (37 + 20). Dull yellow, 

 everywhere closely powdered with minute dusky dots; body with 

 twelve to fourteen golden, blue-edged transverse bands, which 

 are moi*e crowded on the tail, and do not extend to the dorsal 

 and abdominal profiles : fins immaculate. Young examples are 

 dark brown with bluish transverse bands. 



E tymology : — occidentalis, western ; this being the first 

 species recorded from west of the Murray watershed. 



Type in my possession. 



Length of largest specimen 105 millimeters. 



Distribution : — Streams south of Perth. 



This handsome species belongs to the group of which Mesites 

 attenuatus, Jenyns, is the type and which differs from the typical 

 Galaxias (type alejjidohis) in its slender, subterete or slightly com- 

 pressed body, small head which is as wide or a little wider than 

 deep, small mouth, fewer (six or seven) branchiostegals, small fins, 

 and emarginate caudal. This group might in future be known 

 as Austrocobitis, that name being substituted for Mesites, Jenyns,* 

 preoccupied by Schtinherr in 1838 for a genus of coleopterous 

 insects. 



* Voy. Beagle, Fish. iii. p. 118, 1842. 



