278 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF AUSTRALIAN FISHES, 



four pairs in the lower jaw, also two of the maxillary teeth are 

 canines. The mouth cannot he shut completely. Anterior nasal tubes 

 short. Gill-opening not wider than the eye. Snout produced, 

 pointed. Ege rather large, more than half the length of the snout, 

 situated above the middle of the cleft of the mouth. Cleft of the 

 mouth very wide, one-half, or nearly so, of the length of the head. 

 Tail contained twice and one-third in that of the trunk. Ground 

 colour brown, or browish-tlack ; the head and anterior part of 

 trunk with irregular more or less distinct dark spots. Undulated, 

 and partly reticulated, chiefly subvertical yellowish lines over 

 the body and fins, becoming more distinct towards and on the 

 tail. These lines are sometimes limited to the posterior part of 

 the tail, and the body is sometimes mottled irregularly with brown 

 (as in var. AgassiziiJ. Gill-opening without black spot ; fins not 

 white-edged. 



Port Jackson. Torres Straits (Chevert Exp.). 



932. Murtena macassahiensis, Bleek. 



Gunth., Cat. Pishes VIIL, p. 111.— Bleek., Atl. Ichth. Mur., p. 



104, pi. 37, fig. 3. 



Teeth uni-serial, sometimes two additional teeth forming an 

 inner maxillary series ; mandibulary teeth about twenty on each 

 side ; canines rather strong, but the mouth can he shut completely. 

 Anterior nasal tubes short. Gill-openings narrower than the eye. 

 Snout somewhat produced, not twice so long as the eye, which is 

 largo and situated above the middle of the cleft of the mouth. 

 Cleft of the mouth very wide, one-half of the length of the head. 

 Tail scarcely longer than the body. The length of the head is 

 contained twice and two-thirds in that of the trunk. Brown, 

 with very fine vermiculatod white lines, forming an irregular 

 network, the area of each mesh darker in the centre. Gill-opening 

 without hlach spot. Fins with a narrow xohite margin. 



Cape York (Darnel). 



