Zoology.^ NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Fishes. 



Plates 54 and .05. 



AULOPUS PURPURISATUS (Rich.). 



The Australian Aulopus. 



[Genus AULOPUS (Cuv.). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Pisces. Sub-class Teleostei. 

 Order Physostomi. Fam. Scopelidae.) 



Gen. Char. — Head and body moderately elongate, fusiform, slightly compressed ; scales of 

 moderate size ; mouth deeply cleft, composed of the intermaxillaries ; the maxillaries widely 

 dilated behind ; teeth small, in cardiform bands on the jaws, vomer, pharyngeal and pterygoid 

 bones and tongue ; eyes moderate ; pectoral fins moderate ; ventrals large (nine rays) just 

 behind the pectorals, under the anterior dorsal ray ; dorsal fin long, of fifteen or more rays, on 

 middle of back ; a snuiU adipose dorsal fin between the dorsal and caudal ; anal moderate ; 

 caudal forked : gill-opening very wide, branchiostegals numerous ; pseudo-branchiae well 

 developed. Pyloric appendages few. Air bladder none.] 



Description. — Female. Form : elongate, fusiform ; depth of body in front of 

 dorsal fin one-fifth the total length, excluding caudal fin ; head about one-fourth of 

 total length to tip of caudal, tetragonal, deeply hollowed between the eyes, rugose 

 and slightly spinulose, cheeks nearly vertical, depressed towards snout, lower jaw a 

 little longer than upper one 5 eye nearly seven times in length of head, and two 

 and a half diameters from tip of snout. Scales : rounded, not ciliated, those on 

 cheeks about as large as on anterior part of body, those on operculum much larger ; 

 about 56 (54 to 56) along lateral line, 5 to 7 above and 8 to 11 below under front of 

 dorsal. Fins : dorsal rays, 20 or 21, first or simple spinous one, about two-thirds 

 the length of ninth, which is shortest, the other rays branched and slightly increasing 

 in length towards posterior end, where they exceed the interval to the adipose fin ; 

 caudal slightly forked, of about 20 rays, and a few short ones above and below ; 

 anal large, of 14 rays, the first ray simple and shortest ; ventral large, of 9 rays, 

 first four rays very thick, the first simple, the next three bifid and longest ; the rest 

 shorter and much branched; pectoral moderate, pointed, of 11 rays. Color : head 

 and back purple, with the edge of the scales and a few spots on top of head 

 vermilion, with a tinge of carmine, with several large irregular spots and transverse 

 bands, two or three scales wide, of the same scarlet carmine red, with darker edges 

 to the scales ; the red patches do not reach the midline of the abdomen ; below the 

 lateral line the purple becomes lighter to pearly white on belly ; ventral, dorsal, 

 pectoral, and caudal fins yellowish^ with transverse bands of crimson-red blotches; 

 scaly adipose fin, purple below, yellow in middle, and red at tip ; anal white with 

 orange bands. Teeth : 3 rows in front and 2 behind on jaws ; 2 rows of about 20 

 on palate bones ; 6 or 8 on vomer, and a small patch on tongue. Branchiostegal 

 rays, 14. 



Reference. — Richardson, Icones Piscium, p. 6, t. 2, f. 3. = A. Milesi, Cuv. and 

 Val., Hist, des Poiss., v. 22, p. 519, t. 650. 



This ma2:nificentlv colored Fish belon2:s to the restricted 2:eniis 

 Aulopus., founded hy Cuvier for a Mediterranean species, supposed 

 to be a kind of Salmon by Bloch, who referred it to the genus 

 Salmo^ from its possessing the small adipose dorsal fin of all tlie 



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