Hector. — On New Zealand Fishes. 



239 



Art. XXVI. — Notes on Neiv Zealand Fislies. 



Bv Sir James Hector, F.B.S. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 11th February, 1902.~\ 



Plates XIV. and XV. 



1. Chimaera monstrosa, var. australis. 



This remarkable fish is related to the sharks and the rays 

 or skates, but is quite distinct from either of these groups. 

 Only two generic forms are known — (1) Chimcera, which 

 abounds in the Arctic seas ; aud (2) Callorhynchus, which, 

 so far as known, is confined to the Antarctic seas. 



In the northern seas this fish is known as the "king 

 of the herrings," also as the " rabbit-fish." Its southern 

 representative is popularly known as the " elepbant-fish," 

 on account of the proboscis-like appendage to its upper jaw. 

 A few specimens of the northern genus Chimcera have 

 been found off the Cape of Good Hope and off the coast of 

 Chile, but so far as I know this is the first New Zealand 

 example of the genus which has been found. It was ob- 

 tained by the trawl on the Wairau bar, and presented to the 

 Museum by Mr. Fernandos, of this city. The specimen is a 

 female, both oviducts containing eggs in various stages of 

 development. It is somewhat curious that the first specimen 

 obtained in New Zealand should be a female, as the male fish 

 is far more abundantly caught in the Northern Hemisphere 

 than the female. In the case of the southern representative, 

 or the elephant-fish, on the other hand, most of the specimens 

 caught are females, and they are quite common at certain 

 seasons. However, a few days after I obtained the female of 

 the Chimcera a male elephant-fish was brought to the Museum, 

 being the first of the sex I had ever seen. It has wonderful 

 grippers armed with strong teeth on the forehead, and on 

 each side of the body near the ventral fin, and has two extra 

 lateral ventral fins involuted so as to form intromittent 

 organs. 



The following are the measurements of the female speci- 

 men of Chimcera monstrosa, var. australis : — 



Inches. 



36 

 4 



Total length 



Greatest height 



Snout to eye 



Orbit 



Snout to dorsal spine 



Height of spine 



Base of 1st dorsal 



