L84 THE PLAGIOSTOMIA. 



fuse on the nape, or meet a transverse bar. A darker median dorsal band 

 extends from the first dorsal backward. In cases a stripe passes along the 

 flanks at each side of the dorsals. Triangular areas of lighter color are included 

 by the bands behind the head, on the nape, and on the side of each shoulder, 

 ventral surfaces yellowish. Edges of fins lighter. 



McCoy, 1886, figures a specimen as light rusty greyish brown with barely a 

 trace of the bands. From the number of series of molars this was an aged 

 specimen yet they retain the longitudinal ridges. The specimen described here 

 is a male, about 3-i inches long, from New Holland, sent by Mr. G. Krefft. 



Queensland; Southern Australia; New Zealand. 



Centracion japonicus. 



Cestracion phillipi Muller & Henle, 1841, Plagios.. p. 70, pi. 31. 



( '< stracion philippi Schlegel, 1850, Jap. Pisces, p. 304. 



Heterodontus zebra Bleeker, 1854, Verh. Bat. gen., 26, p. 127. 



Cestracion phillipi var. japonicus Dumeril, 1S6.3, Elasm., p. 420. 



Cestracion philippi GtiNTH., 1870, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 8, p. 415 (parti. 



IIili rodonius japonicus Maclay & Macleat, 1878, Proc. Linn. soc. N. S. W., 8, p. 428, pi. 20; Jord. & 



Fowler, 1903, Proc. U. S. nat, mus., 26, p. 599. 

 Cestracion japonicus Regan, 190S, Ann. mag. nat. hist., ser. 8, 1, p. 496. 



Stout and heavy anteriorly, tapering behind the pectorals. Head blunt, 

 more convex forward than that of C. philippi or C. zebra, nearly one fourth of the 

 total; orbital ridges moderately high, strong, ending less abruptly than those of 

 C. philippi. Orbit about one third of length of snout, two fifths of interorbital 

 space. 



Spiracle below the orbit and behind a vertical from its hind border. Mouth 

 narrow, with labial folds separated at the symphysis by less than the length of 

 the lower fold, upper fold reaching less than half the distance to the narial valve. 

 A short straight oblique groove behind the angle of the mouth. Anterior teeth 

 cuspidate, tricuspid or on very young five cusped, posterior molars elongate, 

 somewhat swollen, carinate before much used. Symphyses hardly so long as those 

 of C. philippi, branches of the jaws little more divergent. Hindmost gill open- 

 ing equal length of orbit, foremost twice as much, three openings above the 

 pectoral. Height of dorsals greater than length of bases, upper angles rounded, 

 hinder slightly produced, hind margins concave. The shape of the first dorsal 

 approaches that of the same fin in C. zebra more than that of the second, which 

 is more like the first dorsal of C. philippi. Origin of the first dorsal above the 

 end of the base of the pectoral, its base separated by more than twice its length 

 from that of the second dorsal. Second dorsal smaller, originating about one 



