J02 



CHORIDACTYLODES NATALENSIS, n.sp 

 (Plate V.) 



Br. 6, D. XlV-XY + 8-9, A. II, g, V. 1 + 5, P. 8 + 111 



Length of head 4^, pectoral 4^, caudal 5, height of body 3i 

 in length of body. 



Diameter of eyes ;},}. in length of head, a little less than 

 interorbital space and i;^ in distance from end of snout. 

 Interorbital space deeply concave with two ridges, one at 

 each side,- forming a lenticular hollow over each eye ; a single 

 transverse ridge separates the interocular space from the deep 

 occipital groove. 



Four faint ridges cross the occipital groove, two at each 

 side, and these are continued backwards on the humeral 

 region in the form of blunt spines, enclosing a triangular 

 space with a pit-like depression in its centre. Another blunt 

 spine occurs on the humeral region, just above the pectoral. 

 Preorbital has a sharp spine, which in most specimens stands 

 out from the head almost at right angles to it. Its length is 

 about equal the diameter of the eye and it has at its base a 

 smaller spine projecting forward. A ridge of blunt spines 

 runs from the base of the larger spine to the spine (ij 

 diameter of eye^ of the preoperculum from whence another 

 ridge, with four blunt spines passes obliquely forward and 

 downwards to the angle of the mouth ; the operculum has 

 three blunt spines. There is a tasselated tentacle over the 

 centre of the eye and two on each jaw, the anterior being 

 the larger. 



Teeth villiform, in jaws not on vomer or palatine. The 

 dorsal fin has, with one exception out of six examples, 14 

 spines and 8 rays. In the exception, there are 15 spines and 

 7 rays. The pectoral (8 + iii; is rounded and emarginate, 

 having three free rays at its base and a long hair-like pro- 

 longation of the first ray reaching to the end of the spinous 

 dorsal. Ventrals attached to body from f of their length, 

 black. Anal, black, with white tips to rays, except last 

 four. 



The colour varies very much from an almost uniform dark 

 brown to brown and white as shown in the figures. The 

 white band across the caudal is, however, always present. 

 The only parts showing a different colour are the free rays of 

 the pectoral, which are yellowish. 



Fleshy filaments on dorsal and pectoral fins and on the 

 body which also has a row of long fleshy filaments (about 9) 

 iilong the region of the lateral line. 



