

Waite. — Notes on New Zealand Fishes. 199 



pectoral fin to a point in advance of the first dorsal cone ; it thence drops 

 to the mid-line of the body and passes along the middle of the caudal 

 peduncle. 



Cones. — The remarkable cones which give the fish such a striking appear- 

 ance are disposed as follows : The swellings on each side of the dorsal ridge 

 above referred to support 2 pairs of small size ; the hinder pair lie at the 

 base of the dorsal spines, and are directed outwards ; the pair in front of 

 these have a more upward aspect. All the other cones exist on the ventral 

 portion of the body ; the largest form a series of 5 pairs disposed along 

 the lateral margin, the centre one on each side being the largest, and 

 directed straight from the body, those before and behind being diver- 

 gent. A smaller cone is placed immediately in front of each ventral fin, 

 and a similar, though larger one, on each side of the vent between these 

 ventral and anal cones. There are 3 pairs of much smaller ones, which 

 thus complete the vertical armament. In these latter each cone is set 

 close to its fellow. The mosaics in the mid-ventral line form small tubercles, 

 but quite distinct in size and character from the true cones, which, as will 

 be seen, number 12 pairs — namely, 2 dorsal, 5 lateral, 2 sub ventral, and 

 3 ventral. The cones, which arise from an enlarged series of mosaics, 

 are as high as, or higher than, their diameter, and are sculptured with both 

 radiating and transverse striae, the former being straight and the latter 

 wavy. The area between each radial is flat. These correspond in number 

 with the basal mosaics, of which there are 16 surrounding the largest cone 

 —namely, that in the middle of the lateral series. 



Colours. — The ground-colour is brownish-yellow, and the markings 

 form wide open reticulations, consisting of a black line merging into bluish- 

 grey, which extends so as to nearly obscure the ground-colour. The latter 

 remains fairly pronounced on the cheeks, the lower edge of the caudal 

 peduncle, and an area at the base of the anal fin, due to the absence of 

 markings on these parts. The membranes of the first dorsal fin and of 

 the anterior ventral rays are black ; the other fins are colourless. 



Length, 80 mm. 



One specimen only. 



There is a temptation to give the Pacific fish a distinct specific name, 

 not only on account of certain described differences in the two known 

 individuals, but also in consideration of the widely separated habitats, 

 the one being taken in the Atlantic and the other in the Pacific Ocean. 

 The fish must have rather limited powers of progression, for its locomotory 

 fins are feeble, and the general conformation of the body is opposed to 

 even moderate progress. The original specimen was supposed to have 

 been taken in the surface-net, and, as the New Zealand specimen was 

 secured alive on the beach, it becomes fairly evident that we have either 

 two very closely allied species, or, like Tetragonurus, a single species of 

 pelagic habit, of which examples have been obtained from both Atlantic 

 and Pacific Oceans without any intermediate occurrences. 



The differences noted between the two specimens may be due to certain 

 characters in the smaller one having been overlooked. It is unlikely, for 

 example, that the 3 spines preceding the anal rays were absent, or that 

 the ventrals had only " le nombre ordinaire de 1/5." Other differences 

 may be noted in the descriptions of the dental armature. The French 

 authors apparently found teeth in both jaws, whereas my specimen exhibits 

 them in the lower jaw only. There is agreement as to the presence of 

 teeth on the vomer, but I find none on the palatines, their presence being 



