574 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF AUSTRALIAN FISHES, 



Length, of head three times and a-half in the total. Gill covers 

 with three spines directed backwards, two opercular, one sub- 

 opercular. The lower jaw and palate with narrow bands of 

 villiform teeth. Snout broad, depressed, flat, siuTOunded by very 

 short tentacles, that above the orbit very small. Brown, with, 

 three rather indistinct darker cross-bands. Fins immaculate. 



Darnley Island (Chevert Exp.) very doubtful. 



429. Batrachtjs striatus, Casteln. 



Fseudobatrachus striatus, Casteln., E,es. Fishes Australia, p. 24. 



D. 2/17. A. 14. V. 3. 



Length, of head three times and a-quarter in the total length, 

 without caudal fin ; the space between the eyes five times in the 

 length of the head ; and equal to the diameter of the eye ; gill 

 covers with three spines, two opercular one subopercular. Teeth 

 short and conical. Tentacles round mouth and orbit rather short. 

 Skin of body very loose and covered, as also the bead, with strong 

 longitudinal striae. Colour brownish-black; length five and 

 a-half inches. 



Cape York. 



Count Castelnau made a genus of this under the name of 

 Pseudohatrachius, on account of the first dorsal fin being reduced 

 to two very small spines, hidden under the skin, though very 

 possibly the third may be too deeply hidden for recognition. If 

 this were sufiicient ground for division, we have already the 

 genus Thalassoi^liryne. 



Family XXIY. PEDICULATI. 

 Head and anterior part of body very large, without scales. 

 Teeth in cardiform or villiform bands. The spinous dorsal fin 

 either composed of a few more or less isolated spines, or entirely 

 absent. Yentrals jugular with four or five soft rays ; the carpal 

 bones prolonged, forming a sort of arm for the pectorals. Grill 



