23 



ON A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF FISHES FROM 

 MAROUBRA BAY. 



By J. Douglas OoiLiri'. 



(Communicated hy T. Whitelegge, F.R.M.S.) 



It is again my pleasing duty to record yet another new fish 

 from Maroubra Bay, where it was obtained by Mr. Whitelegge 

 early in February. The constant recurrence of new forms of 

 animal life in this small bay, probably the only spot on the 

 Australian coast which has been systematically and scientifically 

 explored, is an additional proof, if one were needed, of how 

 imperfect a knowledge of our littoral fauna we possess. 



I am puzzled to know in what family this genus should be 

 placed; a casual glance would indicate aflinity to the Ajwgonidce, 

 but the absence of vomerine teeth and the number of the dorsal 

 spines apparently deny it a resting-place among these little fishes, 

 unless indeed it should be considered to be an aberrant Apogonid 

 with scitenoid affinities. 



► Apogonops, gen.nov. 



Body elongate-oblong and somewhat tapering posteriorly, 

 compressed. Head large. Mouth rather large, with oblique cleft, 

 the premaxillaries protractile and forming almost the entire 

 anterior margin of the upper jaw; maxillary exposed, without 

 supplemental bone; lower jaw the longer. Two nostrils on each 

 side, the anterior leather the larger and situated much nearer to the 

 eye than to the extremity of the snout. Eye large. Preorbital 

 entire; preopercle with a double ridge; the inner ridge entire, the 

 outer with a few weak spines round the angle; opercle with 



