ADDITIONS TO THE FISH FAUNA OF LORD HOWE ISLAND — WAITE. 199 



Macrorhamphosus GRACILIS, Houttyn. 



The opinion expressed by me that this species may be of more 

 pelagic habit than M. scolopax,* receives some support from the 

 fact that an example taken on the beach at Lord Howe Island by 

 Mr. Wm. Nichols proves to be 31. gracilis. 



Hippocampus hippocampus, Linnceihs. 



A specimen from the island, registered under the synonym 

 H. antiquoruvi, Leach, cannot, so far as I can see, be distinquished 

 from this European species. It has been recorded from Cape York. 



Gempylus serpens, Cuvier and Valenciennes. 



The example now recorded was obtained per Mr. Icely in May 

 1893, and measures 670 mm. in length. It differs in no way from 

 specimens recorded from the Atlantic. Drs. Jordan and Evermannf 

 describe the lateral line as being single, in our example it is cer- 

 tainly double, the lower line is raised above the pectoral and 

 otherwise runs straight along the body as described ; the upper 

 one arises at the same point whence the lower one starts, namely 

 just behind the first spine, and is continued along the dorsal profile 

 close to the fin as far as its spinous termination. This condition 

 was described by Cuvier and Valenciennes J: in the following words — 

 " Sa ligne laterale est droite, continue et sans inflexions ; il y en a 

 comme une seconde le long de la base de la premiere dorsale." 

 These authors also describe the palatines as being edentulous, and 

 I fail to find the slightest trace of palatine teeth in our specinaen; 

 the American authors on the other hand write: — "palatines with 

 a row of small teeth." 



The Lord Howe Island specimen is more nearly allied to the 

 type of G. serpens the Atlantic, than to G. coluber the Pacific form, 

 a circumstance which favours the view that both are referable to 

 the same species. It is to be inferred that the type of G. coluber 

 has but one lateral line, a condition found in, presumably, Atlantic 

 specimens by Jordan and Evermann. 



In the Pacific, Gempylus has been found near the Society and 

 Hawaiian Islands, its distribution is now therefore greatly extended 

 westwards. "It is generally believed to be an inhabitant of great 

 depths," in this connection I am sorry not to be able to throw 

 more light on the subject. The Lord Howe Island example was 

 certainly not taken in deep water, but I am not aware whether it 

 was caught on the line or thrown upon the beach. Of the wide 



* Waite— Aust Mus. Mem. iv., 1. 1899, p. 60. 



t Jordan and Evermann— Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 47, 1896, p. 884. 



X Cuvier and Valenciennes — Hist. Nat. Poiss., viii., 1831, p. 210. 



