188 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



5-8 in the length of the head ; the interorbital space is arched, 

 equal to the length of the snout, or 3-2 in that of the head. The 

 upper profile of the head forms an irregular low curve, somewhat 

 tumid on the snout and nape. The ventral profile of the body is 

 more convex than the dorsal one. The jaws are equal, very pro- 

 tractile, and the lips cover the prominent teeth. The cleft of 

 the mouth reaches but half-way to the anterior margin of the eye. 

 The posterior nostril is near the eye, a little below the level of its 

 upper margin; the anterior nostril is lower, and further removed 

 from the eye. 



Teeth. — All the teeth are conical and strong, the anterior pair 

 in each jaw long, the lateral ones decrease in size backwards; there 

 are seven on each side in the upper and eleven in the lower jaw. 



Fins. — The dorsal fin commences somewhat behind the angle of 

 the operculum. The eighth spine is 3 9 in the length of the head ; 

 the soft portion is also low, the posterior shorter than the anterior 

 rays, the latter one-half longer than the longest spine. The anal is 

 similar to the soft dorsal and commences beneath its second ray ; 

 the first spine is minute, and its third equal to the sixth dorsal. 

 The ventral is situated beneath the pectoral and its first ray is 

 slightly produced; its length is contained 1*3 times in that of the 

 pectoral ; this latter fin has a falcate margin, its upper rays are 

 contained I'l times in the length of the head and extend to 

 the tenth scale of the lateral line. The caudal is equal to the 

 pectoral in length, it is emarginate, and the outer rays produced ; 

 the least height of its peduncle is slightly more than half the 

 length of the head. The lateral line runs almost straight along 

 nineteen scales, it passes downwards two scales and attains the 

 caudal along the centre of the peduncle. 



Colours. — Head and anterior part of the body purplish ; 

 body olive, each scale with a vertical purple streak. Head 

 with broad olive bars, narrowly margined with dark purple. 

 One (sometimes indistinct) passes through the nostrils along the 

 upper edge of the eye towards the lateral line ; a second, from 

 behind the eye and down the angle of the operculum ; the third 

 bar commences at the angle of the mouth, skirts the lower margin 

 of the eye and passes backwards parallel to the second one ; the 

 last bar forms a horse-shoe, the legs directed backwards, one on 

 the sub- the other on the interoperculum ; a circle sometimes 

 exists in the centre of the horse-shoe figure. On the throat a bar 

 passes from the upper limb of the horse-shoe to the space between 

 the pectoral and ventral fins ; a less distinct line may be traced 

 from the above-mentioned third bar to the base of the pectoral. 

 All these markings will be better understood by reference to the 

 plate. Dorsal greenish, with a black spot between the second and 

 third spines, and a broad purple band along its whole length, 

 occupying the lower half of the fin, it is margined above and below 



