770 ZOOLOGY OF NEW CALEDONIA. 



laterally. Premaxillaries not protractile, the skin continuous in 

 the mesial line with that of the snout ; maxillary not reaching to 

 the eye; upper jaw the longer. Teeth in the jaws in a narrow 

 band, slender and recurved, the outer series enlarged, separate, 

 firm ; lower pharyngeal teeth setaceous ; lips, entire inside of 

 mouth, and tongue papillose. Nostrils approximate, the anterior 

 with a raised rim, the posterior small, round, and simple, well in 

 advance of the eye. Eyes supero-lateral, small, approximate, and 

 somewhat prominent. None of the bones of the head armed. 

 Gill-openings narrow, not extending forwards to below the angle 

 of the preopercle, the isthmus wide; five branchiostegals, the 

 three middle ones in contact basally, widely separated from the 

 outer pair ; gill-rakers represented by a few short thick fleshy 

 tubercles. Two dorsal fins, the first with six flexible spines, the 

 second with ten branched rays ; anal with ten branched rays, 

 originating behind the second dorsal; ventral inserted below the 

 base of the pectoral, with five rays, the free basal membrane well 

 devoloped and continuous; pectoral obtusely pointed, with 16 rays, 

 the middle ones the longest; caudal rounded, the peduncle short 

 and deep. Genital papilla moderate, sexually dissimilar, scales 

 irregularly arranged especially in front, those of the tail largest ; 

 head naked, except a portion of the occiput and the upper edge 

 of the opercle. No conspicuous series of pores on the head. 

 Vertebrse 26 (11 + 15)). Herbivorous. 



Etymology: — dpi^ (gen rpixos) a hair or bristle; (pdjwy^, 

 throat : in allusion to the setaceous pharyngeal teeth. 



Type: — Gobiu^ crassihihris, Giinther. 



Distribution : — Australia ; New Caledonia. 



The three following species were taken on the I'eefs : — 



MUR.ENICHTHYS MACROPTERUS. 



One small example. 



Periophthalmus koelreuterl 

 Three immature specimens. 



Platophrys pantherinus. 

 A single specimen, 188 mm. in length 



