NEW OE RARE FISHES FROM EASTERN AUSTRALIA — WAITE. 271 



a basal scaly sheath, larger at the rayed portion. Curvature of 

 lateral line very low, the tubes simple, directed upwards. 



Colours. — General colour of head and body bright red, lighter 

 beneath; a yellow spot above the lateral line, below the 8 - 10 

 dorsal spines and another on the caudal peduncle immediately 

 behind the dorsal rays; scales at the base of the tail with purple 

 spots. The membrane of the first three dorsal spines wholly 

 black, each successive spine bears less black, it occupying the 

 upper portion, so that the last spine is merely tipped with black ; 

 the remaining portion of the fin is red ; between the fifth and 

 sixth ray and on the basal half is a dark purplish-red blotch : all 

 the other fins red. 



Length of specimen 390 mm. 



Most of the differences observable between the above description, 

 and that by Richardson, may be accounted for by the different 

 conditions of the respective specimens. In the original description 

 the number of lateral teeth is given as six on each maxillary and 

 fourteen on each limb of the lower jaw : the number of these teeth 

 possibly varies a little. The difference between the series in the 

 upper and lower jaw, however, is so unusual that I am inclined 

 to think the number fourteen includes both mandibles, more 

 especially as I count seven teeth on each side in our example. 



Valenciennia LONGiPiNNis, Bennett. 

 (Plate xliii.) 

 Eleotris longipinnis (Bennett), Beechey, Voy. Blossom, Zool., 

 1839, p. 64, pi. XX., fig. 3. 



This fish was first described in 1839 from Loo Choo. Bennett 

 does not appear to have seen a specimen, his account being based 

 upon a drawing, and on notes by Messrs. Lay and Collie. The 

 latter are very accurate, but the drawing, to judge from the 

 reproduction, is crude and faulty ; the fish, however, presents 

 such striking features that the illustration is easily recognisable. 

 In his Catalogue, Giinther^^ treats it as insufiiciently described ; 

 but in the 'Fische der Sudsee,'^^ he recognises and describes an 

 example from Fiji. He also mentions that it is found in different 

 parts of the East Indian Archipelago, observations possibly made 

 by Bleeker, whose paper^'^ I am, however, unable to consult. 



From Mr. Charles Hedley the Trustees have received a small 

 collection of fishes taken at Green Island, an outlier of the Barrier 

 Reef, off Cairns, Queensland. Included is an example of Valen- 

 ciennia longipinnis, and 1 embrace this opportunity to re-describe 

 and re-figure the species. The specimen is a female in full roe, 

 and diflers from the male mainly in having the fins less produced; 

 the colour markings appear to be very similar in both sexes. 



H Giinther— Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., iii., 1861, p. 105 (foot-note). 



15 Giinther— Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, v., 1876, p. 190. 



16 Bleeker— Versl. en. Med. Akad. Amsterd., 1876. 



