NEW OR RARE FISHES FROM! EASTERN AUSTRALIA — WAITE. 273 



below the eye) is wholly blue, the middle one has a white line 

 below it, and the lowest, one above it ; the throat is yellow, with 

 blue markings ; inside the mouth is jet black, and the transverse 

 membranes brilliant orange. The hinder part of the head and 

 upper part of the body is grass-green above, yellow on the sides, 

 and paler beneath. The body bears four longitudinal red lines, 

 the two lowest passing from head to tail in the upper half ; the 

 upper line runs off below the fourth dorsal ray, while the next 

 line is continued along the upper edge of the caudal pedicle, where 

 it merges into its fellow ; both these arise from behind the eye. 

 The upper part of the body is marked by eight transverse dark- 

 green bars, some of which are separated by another, less defined. 

 Of the principal bars, the first passes in front of the dorsal fin, 

 the next two at its base, the four succeeding below the rayed 

 portion, and the last on the caudal peduncle. The second, fourth, 

 sixth, seventh, and eighth are irregularly produced on to the 

 middle of the side, where they each form a striking mark ; this 

 consists of a large deep red blotch, almost surrounded by a blue 

 line, but incomplete above where the red colour merges into that 

 of the green bar. There are two or three rows of blue spots 

 between each body mark. All the fins are hyaline, marked as 

 follows : — The third, fourth, and fifth dorsal spines are tipped 

 with orange, the fourth surmounted by a black line ; this tin is 

 obliquely crossed by eight pink lines ; the second dorsal carries 

 on its basal half, three rows of dark-edged blue ocelli, and a yellow 

 intramarginal band, the anal a subbasal orange band and a yellow 

 intramarginal one ; the base of the pectoral is pink, with three 

 longitudinal blue streaks, and on its inner side a large black 

 blotch ; the rays cover the first red body-blotch. Tail, with ocelli 

 like those of second dorsal, but larger, two orange patches at its 

 base, and a dark-grey sub-marginal border. 



Length of specimen, 153 mm. 



Attention may be drawn to a slight difference between Dr. 

 Giinther's description and my own : this author states that the 

 cleft of the mouth (mundspalte) extends to beneath the middle 

 of the eye ; in our example it fails to reach it ; the other differ- 

 ences are doubtless sexual. Bennett (Lay) makes mention of the 

 flat yellow membrane between the tongue and the lower row of 

 teeth, but has overlooked the larger membrane in the upper jaw, 

 which is capable of being laid back to the roof of the mouth. The 

 nature and position of these membranes forcibly suggest luminosity 

 during life, an idea heightened by the circumstance of the whole 

 interior of the mouth being of jet black colour, a character also 

 recorded by Bennett, and a feature frequently associated with 

 luminous organs in the region of the mouth. 



This species differs generically from the typical Eleotrids, and 

 as Bleeker has identified it with his genus Valeticiennia, I have 

 no choice but to accept his ruling. 



