Griffin. — Four Fishes new to New Zealand. 355 



material, I sent the specimen to Mr. A. R. McCulloch, the expert zoologist 

 to the Australian Museum, Sydney, who recognized it at once as being the 

 Coris rex of Ramsay and Ogilby. He suggested the possibility of Hector's 

 type being the same species. I was fortunately able to obtain the loan of 

 Hector's specimen from the Dominion Museum, and on making a comparison 

 I found the two fishes to be identical, although Hector's specimen is some- 

 what the smaller. It is quite evident that the genus Cymolutes has not 

 yet been found in New Zealand waters, and it is interesting to know that 

 Coris sandeyeri, which is apparently very rare in museum collections, is 

 a permanent resident with us. I have since heard that others have been 

 taken at various times in the same locality. A fine description, with plate, 

 by Mr. McCulloch is given in Reo. Aust. Mus., vol. 13, No. 2, p. 67, pi. xiv, 

 fig. 2, 1920, and to him I tender my best thanks for identification of the 

 specimen and other valuable information. I also wish to express my 

 thanks to Dr. J. Allan Thomson, Director of the Dominion Museum, for 

 allowing me to examine Hector's type, and to Mr. W. J. Phillipps for his 

 assistance. 



For the convenience of students and for purposes of identification I am 

 giving Mr. McCulloch's plate of Coris sandeyeri, with a brief description of 

 my own and a colour-note made directly after the fish was captured. 



Body oblong, compressed, covered with small cycloid scales. Its height 

 is contained 3f in the total length. Head naked. Snout sharply conical, 

 and the operculum produced into a broad flexible lobe. Mouth slightly 

 oblique, with a double series of strong conical teeth in both jaws. The 

 two anterior teeth in each project outwards as strong canines. A strong 

 canine tooth in each angle of mouth. Gills 3| ; gill-rakers 11, on lower 

 half of anterior arch. Lateral line curves upwards towards dorsal fin 

 anteriorly, reaching its highest point beneath the 4th and 5th spines. It 

 continues straight for some distance, but commences to bend downwards 

 towards the centre of the height under the 9th soft dorsal ray. Dorsal fin 

 with its origin above centre of operculum, its margin somewhat rounded. 

 Origin of anal fin vertically beneath the 2nd dorsal ray ; it is similar to 

 the dorsal in form. Caudal subtruncate, with its basal third covered with 

 scales. 



Colour. — In giving a description of the colour I am relying entirely on 

 a chart of the Cuvier Island specimen which was drawn directly after its 

 capture. Never having seen the fish alive myself, I am unable to say 

 whether the particulars given below are accurate, but my informant seems 

 to have taken considerable pains to make them so. 



Tip of snout to centre of interocular light green, deepening gradually 

 on the shoulders as far as the 1st dorsal spine to dark green. Preorbital 

 anteriorly dark green ; nearer the eye it is red. Cheeks below eye red. Lips 

 flesh-colour. Behind the eye the upper portion of the preoperculum -is 

 pink to a level with the bottom of eye, and below that it is light green as 

 far as its rounded angle. Operculum pale violet, the tip of flexible lobe 

 being deep violet. There is a light-blue patch in the angle of the mouth. 

 Lower jaw light blue anteriorly, deepening into violet on the subopereulum. 

 There is a patch on the throat almost bare of scales which is dark blue. The 

 first vertical band is black anteriorly, blending into deep violet posteriorly, 

 but towards the ventral surface it becomes much paler. Second vertical 

 band deep black throughout. The dorsal surface of the fish in front of, 

 between, and behind the second vertical band, and extending as far as 

 the base of the caudal, deep orange-red, lighter in middle of fish, but there 



12* 



