Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY' OF VICTORIA. {_Fishes. 



Plate 192. 



CALLIONYMUS CALAUROPOMUS (Rich.). 

 The Crook-spined Dragonet. 



[Genus CALLIONYMUS (Lin.). (Sub-kingdom Vertebrata. Class Pisces. Sub-class 

 Teleostea. Order Acantliopterygii. Family Gobiidas.) 



Gen. Char. — Head trigonal, depressed, cleft of mouth narrow, nearly horizontal, upper jaw 

 very protractile ; eyes moderate, high on sides of head, directed outwards and upwards ; teeth 

 small, forming villiform patches on premaxillaries and lower jaws, none on palate nor vomer; a 

 very large cylindrical spine extending from angle of preoperculum. Anterior part of body 

 depressed, middle and hinder part usually moderately compressed. Skin smooth, without 

 conspicuous scales. Dorsal fins two, anterior small, with three or four flexible spines. Ventrals 

 large, very wide apart, of one spine and five many-branched rays. Gill-opening very small, 

 usually reduced to an oval hole at upper edge of operculum. Branchiostegals six. No air- 

 bladder. Pseudobranchiae. A slit behind fourth gill.] 



D. 4 -f 8; A. 7; C. 10; P. 20; V. 1 -f 5. L.l. 232. 



Description. — Head broad, trigonal, compressed in front of the eye, with the 

 profile very tumid and arching- rapidly from middle of eye to edg-e of upper lip, the 

 cleft of the mouth being horizontal when closed, but directed forwards and down- 

 wards when protruded. Orbits ovate, longer than wide, wider behind than in front, 

 and deeply notching- the forehead; the space between the eyes half the longitudinal 

 diameter of orbit. Cheeks behind and below the eyes very tumid, arching outwards 

 abruptly from the compressed rostral portion, and extending with lower edge of 

 preoperculum into the very long- preopercular spine, which is bifid at the rounded 

 posterior end; the posterior spine directed upwards, the other hooked forwards and 

 upwards. Operculum depressed, with a narrow, rounded posterior lobe, above which 

 is the large, oval, branchial opening, about half the vertical diameter of the eye in 

 length. Body broader than deep; sides very tumid but arching- on upper side 

 downwards into a deep wide sulcus, in which the dorsal fin is placed, and 

 similarly arching- on under side upwards into a wide, deep channel, in which 

 the anal fin is lodged. A longitudinal narrow depression along- the middle 

 of sides. Wide space between pectorals and ventrals flat. First dorsal of four 

 spines; the first about one-third longer than the second; second and third 

 nearly equal; fourth a little shorter than the third; first branched ray one- 

 third longer than the first spinous ray. Pectoral rhombic, obtusely pointed 

 a little below middle, where the raj's are longest. Caudal large, ovate, with the 

 four middle rays prolonged to double the length of the others ; the two branches of 

 each uniting- beyond the membrane into a single filament. In the young- males 

 figured these four rays are shorter, according- to age, and in the female their branches 

 are not united into prolonged filaments, but the posterior edge of the caudal fin is 

 broadly rounded. Teeth: Minute, sharp-pointed, in several rows on jaws. Lateral 

 line crossing- the nape a little in front of the gill-openings, round which on each side 

 it curves downwards abruptly to about level of middle of g-ill-opening-; thence arches 

 with slight, irregular undulations to the hollow midline of sides under about the 

 eighth branched ray of dorsal ; and bifurcating at the base of caudal fin, one branch 

 running along the fifth and another along- the sixth ray. Skin: Naked, glossy, 



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