Waite. — yew Zealand Fishes. 391 



fleshy lips ; the maxillary, which can be almost wholly concealed by the 

 premaxillary and suborbital, does not extend to beneath the anterior border 

 of the eye. Gill-openings wide ; gills 4, a slit behind the fourth ; gill- 

 rakers rather short, 9 in number, on the first arch, 7 being on the lower 

 limb. 



The dorsal fin arises behind the insertion of the pectorals ; the 4 spines 

 are very low, lengthening slightly backwards, but the last one is only half 

 the diameter of the eye ; the rays are long anteriorly, and decrease regu- 

 larly, the last being equal to the length of the eye ; the third ray is the 

 longest, being two-thirds the length of the head. The anal originates be- 

 neath the seventh ray of the dorsal, and terminates very slightly in advance 

 of the end of that fin ; the rays are thickened, and free at their tips. The 

 pectoral is triangular, its lower edge rounded ; counting from above, the 

 twelfth ray is the longest, and is nearly as long as the head ; all are 

 divided. The ventral is very large and muscular, with a broad insertion ; 

 it does not reach the vent. The caudal is slightly emarginate, its peduncle 

 deep, being 2-2 in the head. 



Scales. — The head is naked ; the space from the occiput to the anterior 

 dorsal rays down to the origin of the lateral line is covered with extremely 

 small scales ; the lower surface of the body backward to the origin of the 

 anal, and including the area around the lower base of the pectoral fin, 

 covered with similar scales ; the larger scales, which occupy the rest of the 

 body, are finely ctenoid ; the free portion of the individual scale is scallop- 

 shaped, and its inserted edge is rectangular and truncate, the caudal scales 

 being longer than those of the body ; the lateral line runs almost straight 

 from the opercle to the middle of the caudal ; the tubes are quite horizontal. 



Colours. — Greyish-olive above, sides yellowish, lips and under-surface 

 delicate pink (white in preservative). Three dark-grey broad oblique bars 

 descend from the back forward, but do not reach the ventral surface ; they 

 are darkest behind, and are evenly graduated, the hinder edge being black 

 and sharply defined ; this edge is succeeded by a white line, which gives 

 place to yellow, then to brown, forming the bar described. The hinder edge 

 of the first bar passes from beneath the middle of the dorsal rays in a line 

 towards the vent ; that of the the second from beneath the last dorsal ray 

 towards the middle of the anal ; the hinder edge of the third bar is more 

 nearly vertical, and passes across the upper base of the tail. The markings 

 of all the fins form lines, due to spots on the rays ; there are about 4 lines 

 on the dorsal, 5 on the pectoral, and 3 broken rows on the ventral, the inner 

 ray being unspotted. The anal has a single row of dark intramarginal 

 spots ; the caudal bears 5 rows, the anterior one being especially character- 

 istic, forming a .3-shaped figure, with the central projection directed forward. 

 The markings on the head are not well defined ; but a bar between the eye3 

 and a V-shaped mark below the eye may be traced in some examples. 



Length of specimen, 112 mm. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATES XXXVII AND XXXVIII. 



Plate XXXVII. 

 Centrophorus plunketi. 



Plate XXXVIIL 

 Fig. 1. Triarcus nw'tmHs. 

 Fig. 2. Cheirnarrichfhjs fosteri. 



