206 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



advance of it at the base of the first spine. On the throat is a 

 series of large, pale brown blotches arranged alternately, the 

 dorsal and anal fins are margined by an extremely narrow edge 

 of dark brown and there are two small spots of this colour on the 

 14-15 dorsal rays, one near the base, the other nearer the 

 margin. On the caudal pedicel the dark bands of the body are 

 represented by spots and on the middle caudal rays are five series 

 forming interrupted vertical bands. 



Total length of specimen 195 mm. 



The species to which our specimen is nearest allied is H. 

 melanospilux, Bleeker,* (from the sea of Amboyna) which indeed 

 in many particulars it closely resembles. I have not access to 

 the original description, and my conclusions are formed from 

 Giinther's epitomised description,! and a comparison with 

 Bleeker's figure. | 



In H. melanospilus the body bands are very close together, 

 eighteen or nineteen in number, and are continued to the ventral 

 surface ; there is a large, round, black, white-edged spot on the 

 thorax, and the vertical fins have small, white rings. In H. 

 semicinctiis the body bands are widely spaced, do not exceed nine 

 in number, and are not continued below ; there is no prominent 

 spot on the thorax, and the caudal is marked with dark blotches. 

 The horizontal preorbital spine which forms a noticeable feature 

 in our specimen is not so represented in Bleeker's illustration. 



AcANTHOCAULUS, (7ew. norn. nov. 



This name is suggested to replace Prionurus, Lacepfede, 1830, 

 preoccupied by Ehrenberg, in Arachnida, 1829. In 1898, 

 Jordan and Evermann instituted a genus Xesurus \\ to receive 

 certain American .'jpecies, some of which had been described 

 under the name Prionurus; the authors write " This genus is 

 close to the East Indian genus Prionurus, Lacepede, differing 

 chiefly in the character of the caudal armature, the plates in 

 Priomirus being small, sharper, and in greater number." Messrs. 

 Gilbert and Starks also admit the validity of the genus by adopting 

 it for their species Xesurus clarionis. I have therefore no choice, 

 in pointing out that the term Prionurus is inadmissible in 

 Ichthyology, but to propose a new name. Acanthocaulus will 

 include P. microlepidotiis, Lacepede, an Australian species, and 

 P. scalprum, Langsdorf, from Japan, but P. maculatus, Ogilby, 



* Bleeker — Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Nederl., ii. Aruboina, p. 56 (fide Giinther). 



fOiinther— Brit. Mus. Cat. Fish., ii., 1860, p. 48. 



X Bleeker — Atlas Ichth., ix. pi. ccclxviii. fig. 2. 



II Jordan and Evermann — Eep. U. S. Com. Fish and Fisheries, 1895, 

 p. 421, (name only); and Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 47, 1898, p. 1694 

 (description). 



