130 A NEW FAMILY OF AUSTRALIAN FISHES, 



which fish he makes, in a single paper (Proc. Zool. ct Acclimat. 

 Soc. Vict. i. 1872, pp. 57 & 61-64), no less than five new species, 

 which he distributes in three different genera, two of which are 

 described as new,* the principal reason given being the disagree- 

 ment in the number of the dorsal spines; thus, referring to Dules 

 christiji, he writes : — "It is so much like Murrayla cyjjvinoides in 

 form that I should have thought it belonged to the same species 

 had it not been for the difference in the number of the sj)ines of 

 the first dorsal." And in the diagnosis of River ina the following 

 passage occurs : — '' This genus is very nearly allied by its form to 

 Murrai/ia, but the dorsal has twelve spines." Murrayia has ele\ en 

 spines and twelve rays, Riverina twelve spines and eleven ra^^s. 



(iv). Lqndosis. — Of the gill-covers only the opercle, according 

 to Castelnau, is scaly; but even here by the simple substitution 

 of " opercles " for "opercle" the diagnosis would be sufficiently 

 close for that author. 



I think, therefore, that it is quite possible that when Castelnau 

 penned his description of Aicla he had a specimen of Rhombatractus 

 before him, and in any case, until I am satisfied that the differences 

 relied on are constant and are supported by other structural 

 characters, I am content to consider Aida a true Melanotaeniid. 



Melanut.bnia. 



AfelanotcBnia, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1862, p. 280. 



Kemutocentris, Peters, Monatsb. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, 1866, p. 516. 



iStrabo, Kner & Steindachner, Sitzb. Ak. Wiss. Wien, liv. 

 1866, p. 372 (1867). 



Zanferla, Castelnau, Proc. Zool. k Acclimat. Soc. Vict. ii. 

 1873, p. 88. 



* Tliese are Dules chrixtyi, p. 57 ; Murrayia rjuntJieri, p. 61 ; M. cypri- 

 noidex, p. 62 ; il/. hramoides, p. 63 ; and L'h trlna fuiiatilh, p. 64. 



