NOTES ON FISHES FROM WESTERN AITSTEALIA — WAITE. 213 



of the orbit. Opercles entire, with one flat jagged spine. Post- 

 temporal and clavicular plates very pronounced. 



Teeth. — These consist of a bony lamella in each jaw, with median 

 division, as in Tetrodon; the lamella is translucent, and the sum- 

 mit of each tooth can be traced in its substance, the whole forming 

 a regular diagonal mosaic. As the teeth are successively pushed 

 to the margin of the lamella, their crowns become free and they 

 then form a sub- imbricate series, each crown being grey, tipped 

 with black. These peculiarities are more noticeable in the lower 

 than in the upper jaw. Behind the anterior series is a group of 

 rounded teeth, white in colour; within the upper lateral series are 

 a few isolated teeth, similar in colour and form to those in the 

 lamellae. 



Dorsal spines very strong, compressed, increasing in height to 

 the seventh, which is exactly half the length of the head, and 

 higher than the rays ; the last spine nearly equals the fourth in 

 length; the basal length of the spinous is nearly twice that of the 

 soft portion. The anal spines are rather stronger than those of 

 the dorsal, the third somewhat exceeds the second in length, and 

 is 2 6 in the length of the head, and equals the fourth dorsal ; the 

 rays are similar to those of the rayed dorsal. The fourth upper 

 ray of the pectoral is the longest, it is rather longer than the 

 ventral, and is contained 1"7 times in the length of the head. The 

 ventral spine is similar to the longest dorsal in character and 

 extent, and the fin all but reaches the vent. The caudal is 

 emarginate, the upper lobe slightly the longer ; the least height of 

 the pedicle is one-third the length of the head. The spinous por- 

 tions of the dorsal and anal fins are received into a deep groove, 

 and the soft portions are scaly at the bases, as is also the caudal. 



Scales — small, finely ctenoid or ciliate, those on the opercules 

 freer and of more angular contour than those of the body. Upper 

 part of head, snout, maxilla, mandible, and two or three elongate 

 areas above and behind the eye naked, otherwise scaly. 



Colours — Yellowish or brownish, which may in life have been 

 pink. The fins are dusky and without markings, excepting the 

 dorsal and anal, which are blotched, as below described. The 

 markings on the body are five broad black vertical bars. The first 

 passes from the top of the head, through the eye, and down the 

 cheek. The second arises in advance of the dorsal fin, involving 

 the first two spines, thence across the base of the pectoral. The 

 next bar passes from the 7-10 dorsal spines to the vent. The 

 fourth connects the dorsal and anal rays, forming a black blotch 

 on each fin, and continued backwards along the base of the anal 

 rays ; while the fifth, which is narrower, passes across the base of 

 the caudal pedicel. All the bars are inclined obliquely backwards 

 and are narrower towards the ventral surface. 



