294 NEW GENERA AND SPECIES OP FISHKS, 



With the exception of the short description in the British 

 Museum Catalogue (viii. p. 43) I have had no opportunity of 

 determining the position of this species, Ijut I beheve it will he 

 found to enter this genus. 



XIPHIDIID^. 



EucENTRONOTUs, gen.nov. 



Body anguilliform, strongly compressed. Scales minute, deeply 

 embedded, non-imbricate present on the tail only. Lateral line 

 short, consisting of a few tubes on the humeral region. Head 

 moderate, wider than deep, the cheeks swollen; snout short and 

 rounded. Mouth anterior, with rather wide, oblique cleft, the 

 lower jaw projecting; lips thick and plicated, the fold interrupted 

 below. Premaxillaries not protractile, the skin continuous with 

 that of the snout ; distal portion of maxillary exposed and 

 strongly dilated, reaching to below the eyes. Jaws with stout 

 conical teeth, in two series anteriorly, one latei-ally; vomer with 

 a single series of similar teeth; palate toothless. Nostrils without 

 tentacles. Eyes rather small, supero-lateral, entirely covered by 

 thin skin, moderately separated, without tentacle. Opercles 

 large, produced backwards, somewhat swollen. Gill-openings 

 wide; gill-membi"anes united, free from the isthmus; four bran- 

 chiostegals; gill-rakers absent. A single dorsal fin originating 

 slightly behind the head, composed almost entirely of spines, 

 confluent with the caudal; anal composed of simple, articulated 

 rays, coextensive with the caudal portion of the vertebral column; 

 ventrals close together, very small, composed of three intimately 

 connected rays; no pectorals; caudal small and obtusely pointed, 

 the rays simple. Vertebrae 92 (33 + 59). 



Etymology: — ev, well; Kevrpov, spine; j/wro?, back. 



Distribution. — South Australia. 



EuCENTRONOTUS ZIETZI, sp.nOV. 



D. Ixxvii-lxxix 4. A. i 57-59. 



Depth of body 16 to 17, length of head 6| to 8 in the total 

 length; width of head h to ^ oi its length. Snout rounded, 



