368 FIVE NEW FISHES FROM THE AUSTRALASIAN REGION, 



in that of the head ; none of the rays silk-like : caudal rounded, 

 5i in the total length. Scales angular, striated, and finely 

 ctenoid, not much smaller anteriorly ; occiput and opercle scaly, 

 rest of the head naked ; throat and base of the pectoral scaly. 



Colours. — Head above brown, below purple, the latter colour 

 including the maxilla ; cheeks and opercles golden brown ; two 

 purple bands from behind the eye to the upper angle of the 

 opercle, where they join ; a third inconspicuous band partially 

 crossing the cheek ; body and tail pale brown, the anterior 

 portion blotched above with dark brown and red, uniform 

 below ; the caudal portion with five slightly oblique transverse 

 bands of a dark brown colour, more or less profusely studded with 

 bright red spots. Dorsal fins gray marbled with dark reddish ; 

 anal and ventrals closely dotted with black ; pectorals gray, with 

 the base yellow ; caudal gray, with irregular transverse bands of 

 blackish spots. 



I was inclined at first to consider that the Goby desci'ibed above 

 was Giinther's Gohius macrostoma (Catal. Fish. iii. p. 44), a name 

 which was subsequently altered to microphthalmus (o.c. p. 550) 

 the earlier title having been previously used by Steindachner. In 

 view, however, of the slight diflference in the length of our 

 respective specimens (B.M. 44 mm., mine 38), and of the wide 

 variation in some of the characters, it is necessary to apply a 

 distinctive appellation to my fish. 



The most important of the variations referred to above are— the 

 number of scales between the origin of the soft dorsal and the 

 anal fins — microphthalmus 10, australis 8 ; the much lower body 

 in my species — microphthalmus 3|, australis 4f in the total 

 length ; the much larger eye — viicrophthahuis i, australis f'^ in 

 the length of the head ; and the much more elongated maxilla 

 which in Giinther's fish only extends to the vertical from the 

 posterior margin of the eye ; this character is, of course, accen- 

 tuated by the greatly increased size of the eye in my form, 

 compared with Gillichthys microphthalm^is. 



