790 ON SOME AUSTRALIAN ELEOTRIN^, 



little shorter than its distance from the extremity of the snout, 

 that between the origin of the second dorsal and the base of the 

 caudal If in the remaining length; second dorsal higher than the 

 spinous, its longest ray If to If in the head: ventral 1|^ to If in 

 the head, extending to or nearly to the vent: pectoral with 15 

 rays, as long as or a little longer than the ventral: caudal mode- 

 rate, 2)^ to 3| in the total length; peduncle short and deep, its 

 depth If to If in its length, which is 1^ in that of the head. 

 Vertebrisi (U + 17). 



Reddish- or yellowish-brown, the upper surface suffused with 

 purple; a series of large purple spots along the middle of the side, 

 most prominent on the tail; sides of the head with three, some- 

 times four, oblique purplish bands: vertical fins violet-gray with 

 patches of dusky dots, which on the anal are confined to the basal 

 half and the posterior rays; ventrals and pectorals immaculate. 



Etymology : — adspersus, dotted. 



Distribution : — Eastern Australia. 



Castelnau's types came from the Fitzroy River and are probably 

 in the Paris Museum, but there is a fine example in the University 

 Museum from the neighbourhood of Stanthorpe, a town of Southern 

 Queensland. In the same Museum is a specimen of E. mimus, 

 without locality, sent, Mr. Masters believes, to Sir William 

 Macleay by its describe!*, which has enabled me to compare the 

 two forms and satisfy myself as to their identity, which indeed I 

 had previously suggested ( Vol. xxi. p. 754J- I have also examined 

 and dissected a mutilated example, which I found in a small 

 collection of young fishes given to me by Mr. Lucas, the exact 

 habitat of which is unknown to him, though he is sure that they 

 came from this colony. Some years ago I received from Mr. A. 

 G. Hamilton several fine gudgeons from creeks near Guntawang 

 which belong, I am satisfied, to the same form; these are now in 

 the collection of the Australian Museum. The species may, 

 therefore, be looked upon as ranging from the Fitzroy River in 

 the north to the Upper Shoalhaven District in the south. 



The largest of the three examined measured 77 millimeters. 



