NOTES ON FISHES FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA — WAITE. 1 93 



the spine is short and weak, the third ray is the longest, and 

 produced, just reaching the vent; it is slightly longer than the 

 pectoral, this latter has a rounded margin, a broad base, and a 

 length contained 1 -3 times in that of the head. The caudal is 

 acuminate tapering from beyond the middle, the central rays 

 being equal to the head in length ; the pedicle is greatly compressed 

 and its depth half the length of the fin. 



Scales. — Top of the snout and lips naked : the scales on the 

 head are smaller than those on the body, there are eleven rows 

 on the cheek, the upper ones being formed of larger scales ; the 

 bases of all the fins (the ventrals excepted) are scaly. The lateral 

 line arises above the opercle, passes upwards to below the fourth 

 dorsal ray and follows the profile to below the twentieth ray, 

 occupying sixty scales. It recommences in the line of axis of the 

 body beneath the fifteenth ray, and is continued along twenty-one 

 scales to the caudal. 



Colours. — In spirits, the general hue is a rich brownish-yellow. 

 A blue line encircles all but the anterior fourth of the eye, and 

 six or more similar lines run obliquely forward and downward on 

 the cheek, broken lines also exist on the opercle. Each scale of 

 the body has a dark spot at the base with a blue centre, a series 

 of lines, about sixteen in number is thus formed, anteriorly they 

 are very faint and thus appear to commence suddenly some 

 distance behind the opercle, the scales of the lateral line are not 

 spotted, it therefore seems more than usually distinct. The dorsal 

 fin is ornamented with eight or nine wavy brown longitudinal 

 lines equal in width to the interspaces, a black spot occurs between 

 the second spine and first ray. The anal has lines similar to, but 

 much fainter than those of the dorsal. On the caudal, lines pass 

 obliquely from the upper and lower edges to the centre and if 

 these edges were respectively joined to the dorsal and anal, the 

 lines on these fins would be continuous with those of the caudal ; 

 the pectoral and ventral are without markings. 



Length of specimen 232 ram. 



A smaller example, 160 mm. in length differs by having the 

 profile of the head more even, an indication of immaturity. 



Both specimens were obtained in 1897 at Mandurah south of 

 Fremantle, and there can be little doubt that they are specifically 

 identical with the fish described by Castelnau as Dampiei-ia lineata. 

 Macleay recognised the identity of the new genus with Cichlops. 

 The only important differences between Oastelnau's description 

 and our specimens, are the nature of the dentition and the 

 character of the ventral fin. The author of the species states that 

 this fin is composed of seven rays, he has apparently not recognised 

 the first as a spine, and counted the rays as six instead of five. 

 Our fishes do not exhibit the pavement-like teeth described, 

 though the description of the conical series and the strong canines 



