57G DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW OH RARE AUSTRALIAN FISHES, 



tlie posterior two-thirds of the lower limb armed with teeth which 

 grow gradually smaller from behind ; the anterior portion entire. 

 A weak oj^ercular spine. Yilliform teeth with a greatly enlarged 

 outer row in both jaws ; lower jaw with two or three strong, and. 

 slightly curved lateral caninoid teeth ; vomer with a semi-circular, 

 palatines with narrow divergent bands of villiform teeth. Dorsal 

 spines moderately strong, the fifth, sixth, and seventh, about equal 

 and longest, equal to the distance between the snout and the liind 

 margin of the eye ; the first ray considerably, the second sometimes 

 moderately filiform. Anal commences beneath the third dorsal 

 ray, its second spine is much the longest and strongest, about equal 

 to the longest dorsal spines. Simple pectoral rays much longer 

 than the branched, ordinarily the second and third are the longest, 

 but sometimes the fourth, and even the fifth, are equal to them ; 

 they are about H of the total length. Tn some the ventrals reach 

 beyond, in others not so far as, the vent. Caudal emarginate. Scales 

 moderate ; cheeks and opercles scaly ; basal half of the fins more 

 or less so. 



Colors. Red above, white below the lateral line. Six broad 

 dark vertical bands on the body, tlie first from the anterior dorsal 

 spines to the root of the pectoral, and the two last on the free tail. 

 Head spotted with vermilion and black, and with two narrow lines 

 across it, the anterior of which passes through the eye ; a narrow 

 deep yellow line on the outer margin of the dorsal membranes ; 

 soft dorsal with blue-edged golden spots; the elongate ray banded 

 red and white ; the other fins pinkish ; caudal without bars. Irides 

 brassy; eyelids vermilion. In one specimen the red ground- 

 colour is replaced by greenish-olive. 



Our three examples are of nearly similar size, the largest being 

 4| inches ; they were trawled off Shark Reef, Port Jackson ; they 

 difier from Cirrhites graphidopterus, Bleek, which he makes 

 identical with G. aprinus, C. & V., and of which the Australian 

 Museum possesses one of the types, in the greater height of the 

 body only. The genus Cirrhitichthys, Bleeker, is identical with 

 and takes precedence of A^eocirr/iiYes, Castelnau. 



