BY J. DOUGLAS OGILBY. 121 



(seven 1) Iji'anchiostegalsj pseudobranchiaj present; gill-rakers 

 short. Opercular bones entire; preopercle with a double ridge. 

 Jaws and vomer toothed; palate with or without teeth; tongue 

 smooth. Two separate dorsal tins; the first with a strong, acute 

 spinous ray anteriorly, followed by two or more flexible, often 

 elongate, unarticulated rays; the second with a similar strong 

 spinous and several articulated and branched rays: anal similar 

 to but more developed than the second dorsal : veritrals separate, 

 thoracic, with one spinous and five soft rays: pectorals w^ell 

 developed, rounded: caudal emarginate, the peduncle stout. Body 

 entirely scaly, the scales cycloid or ciliated, smooth; cheeks and 

 opercles scaly; uo scaly sheath to the vertical fins; no scaly 

 process at the base of the ventrals; lateral line inconspicuous or 

 absent. Air-vessel present, simple. Pyloric appendages wanting. 



Small fishes from the fresh and brackish waters of tropical and 

 subtropical Australia and southern New Guinea. 



As indicated on a pi'evious page I propose to associate in this 

 group five genera, the diagnoses of which, so far as the scanty 

 material available to me permits, will be found below, but 

 unfortunately, from lack of specimens, I have not been in a 

 position to personally examine any of these genera except Rhom- 

 batractus, of which a detailed description is given, the principal 

 characters of the remaining genera being taken from the works 

 of their respective authors. 



JSTeoatherina. 

 N'eoath'irliia, Castelnau, Res. Fish. Austr. p. 31, 1875, 



Body subelongate, compressed, with the anterior portion of the 

 back convex; snout pointed, rather projecting; mouth moderate 

 and oblique, the upper jaw the longer. Teeth rather strong, in 

 two series in the upper jaw, long and blunt anteriorly, triangular 

 laterally; in the lower they are veiy numerous, in pavement form, 

 with an external row of enlarged conical ones; anterior teeth in 

 both jaws directed forwards; palate with several transverse series 



