Zoohgy.} NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Fishes. 



without scales, conical papilla in front of anal opening- large. Colour: Male : Back 

 and snout pale gTsenish-brown, faintly mottled with pale pink; sides of head 

 pale purplish-carmine, with narrow branching- lines of yellow; sides of body 

 from lateral line paler carmine than sides of head, with a few longitudinal 

 narrow 3'ellow lines; a dark-purplish blotch at base of pectoral. Pectoral with 

 nearly colourless membrane, yellowish above, and upper rays yellow and reddish- 

 purple, spotted. First dorsal with orange-red rays and two large dark-purple 

 blotches on membrane behind second and third rays; membrane behind first ray 

 yellowish-orange. Second dorsal with rays and membrane clouded irregularly 

 with greenish-yellow and purple, and, near the edge, with peach-blossom pink, 

 and yellow longitudinal lines. Caudal with upper rays brown ; membrane 

 pale greenish-yellow with definite, narrow, longitudinal lines of bright peach- 

 blossom colour; lower one or two rays and membrane dark purplish-slate colour; 

 a few oval spots of opaline bluish-purple at base of tail. Pectoral fin with posterior 

 rays and membrane variegated with pinkish-purple and yellow, the purple becoming- 

 dark purplish-slate colour near edge and on front two rays and membrane. Anal 

 pale purplish slate grey. Underside of body pale purplish-white. Iris greenish- 

 bronze. Female : dull bronzy-brown above, passing- into whitish on belly, throat, 

 and lower part of cheeks, the white and brown joining by an irregular mottling- or 

 network of the dark colour enclosing- spaces of the lighter along the sides of body and 

 cheeks. First dorsal usually purplish, with a few pale pink spots on the rays. 

 Ventrals pale brown, with purplish membranes towards margin. Pectorals nearly 

 colourless, with brownish rays. Second dorsal and anal irregularly clouded with 

 blackish-purple; the rays and membrane otherwise yellowish. Caudal brownish, 

 with lighter rays, and a dark blackish-purple patch formed by the membranes of the 

 three lower spaces. Measurements.- Length of rather large specimen from tip of 

 snout to base of caudal, 8 in. 3 lines. Pi-oportional measurements to this, as 100: 

 Tip of snout to anterior edge of orbit, -j^^; to posterior edge of orbit, yw^; to tip of 

 preopercular spine, xViTj to posterior lobed edge of operculum, -fVwj 'o anterior 

 edge of gill-opening-, ^y^ ; to base of pectoral, y/u; to base of ventral, -ycutj to first 

 spine of dorsal, -nfu J to first dorsal branched ray, tVVJ to last ra}' of dorsal, ttmJ; 

 to first ray of anal, -nfij; length of middle elongate rays of caudal, /(fl^; lateral rays 

 of caudal, f^f^ ; longest pectoral ray, -f^ ; longest venti-al ray, -finj > ^''st spine of 

 doi'sal, -jL^ ; first branched ray of dorsal, -j%% ; greatest width of head at base of 

 preopercular spine, tyVj depth of head at same point, -niV> depth of body about 

 middle of length, under sixth branched ray of dorsal, y\j% ; thickness, yVV- 



Reference. — Er. and Ter., Fish, t. 7, f. i and 5, p. 10. 



This extremely beautiful sjiecies of CaUionymus, or Dragonet, 

 as such fishes are called in England, is very variable in the 

 brilliant colouring of the male; the dull-coloured female being 

 more uniform and devoid of the brilliant tints of the male. The 

 female is easily distinguished by the dullness" of the colouring 

 and the simple rounded posterior edge of the caudal fin, wanting 

 the extreme elongation of the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rays, 

 Avhich in the old males are so conspicuous by the union of the 

 branches into simple extended filaments. The anal papilla is verj^ 

 short and inconspicuous in the female. The elongation of the 



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