270 DESCRIPTIONS OP AUSTRALIAN PISHES, 



Lower jaw longer than the upper. Mouth a little oblique, the 

 maxillary reaching backward to just behind the verticle of the 

 eye ; each lip closely covered with a row of flattened cirri. 

 Similar cirri fringe the upper portion of the operculum. Nostrils 

 in short tubes, in a slightly depressed area in front of the upper 

 portion of the eye; the anterior pair somewhat closer together 

 than the posterior. Eyes supero-lateral, covered with thick, loose 

 skin. Interorbital space very slightly concave. Preopercular 

 margin rounded, entire, with series of pores on its border, which 

 extend forward on the lower jaw. Operculum without spines, 

 thickened above, membranaceous below. 



Teeth minute, cardiform, depressible: they are arranged in 

 two or three rows on the jaws. A short, single row of similar 

 teeth on either side of the vomer, separated by a rather wide 

 interspace; anterior portion of each palatine similarly denticu- 

 lated. Pharyngeal bones closely covered with villiform teeth. 



Dorsal fin commencing above the middle of the pectorals, com- 

 posed entirely of simple rays of which the tips are free; anterior 

 rays increasing in length to* about the seventh, the posterior 

 ones becoming somewhat shorter, and the last connected with 

 the caudal peduncle by membrane. Anal of similar form, but 

 longer, commencing below the anterior third of the pectoral. 

 Pectoral large : the eighth ray longest, those above it becoming 

 abruptly shorter, while below it they decrease gradually in length; 

 upper ray simple, the next six or seven bifurcate, and the re- 

 remainder trifurcate, their tips free, Ventrals thoracic, well in 

 advance of the pectorals, and extending almost horizontally out- 

 wards; the rays similar to those of the pectorals Caudal sub- 

 truncate; the upper ray slightly produced, simple, the others 

 branched. 



Colour. — Whitish in formalin, with vermiculating brown lines 

 and spots on the upper portion of the head and back. Fins 

 colourless. In life, the colour of the fish harmonised with that 

 of the sand in which it was found, being marbled with light 

 reddish-brown above, and pearly-white below. 



Described and figured from a specimen 85 mm. long from 

 Narrabeen, near Sydney. Two others in the Australian Museum 



