76 



Galaxias sckiba. Valenciennes. 



Galuxias scriba, Cuv. et Val. Hist, des Poiss. xviii. p. 347. 



Radii:— D. 11; A. 17; C. 16*-; P. 12; V. 7. 



A solitary specimen from the Derwent River seems to 

 possess the chai-acters ascribed to scriba in the 'Histoire 

 den Poissons.'' It has the most elongated form of any spe- 

 cies we have seen, its height being contained nine times 

 and a half in its total length. The body is rounded on 

 the sides as in mnculatus, but is flatter on the back, and 

 the dorsal groove is occupied by two rounded ridges or 

 iblds, which reach from the occiput to the dorsal fin. The 

 mesial groove on the belly is also more distinctly seen, 

 but a mesial ventral line is marked out in all the species, 

 either by the greater thinness and transparency of the in- 

 teguments, a fine furrow, or, as in triittaceus, by a series 

 of minute, dark dots. The head is similar in form to that 

 of maciilatus, and forms less than a sixth of the whole 

 length, caudal included. The mouth is scarcely so small 

 as that of the species just named, and is consequently still 

 larger than the mouth oi attenuattts. The teeth are simi- 

 lar to those of maculatus, but the lingual ones are less 

 stout in proportion to the size of the fish. Eye rather 

 large. 



The dorsal and anal commence opposite to each other, 

 but the latter being larger, though not higher, extends 

 further back ; the caudal fin is forked at the end. 



Colour a pale yellowish gray, powdered on the back 

 and sides with minute purplish dots, which are individu- 

 ally imperceptible to the naked eye. Towards the tail, 

 clusters of the same minute dots produce many faint, 

 roundi.sh spots above the lateral line. On the top of the 

 back there are two or three groups of spots large enough 

 to be visible to the naked eye, but not crowded so as to 

 produce any definite spots. On the sides there are seve- 

 ral arborescent lines of a purplish pigment, resembling 

 fine vessels filled with dark venous blood, which, for the 

 most part, but not always, issue from the lateral line, and 

 follow the interstices of the muscular fasciculi. Tiie under 

 surface and the ventrals are pale or flesh-coloured, without 

 markings, and the vertical fins are grayish, traces of a 

 darker blotch existing on the base of the caudal. The 

 top of the head and snout are dark. The oblique muscles 

 of the sides show strongly through the skin. Length 6^ 

 inches. 



Hab. Derwent River, Van Diemen's Land. Port Jack- 

 son, Australia. 



Galaxias brocchus. Richard.son. 



Radii:— D. 11; A. 14; C. 16f ; P. 1:3; V. 7. 



Plate XLIIL, figs. 8—1.3. 



Height of the body equal to about one-si.Kth of the 

 length, caudal included, and the thickness to about the 

 seventh. The back is wide, with an obtuse furrow, which 

 extends backwards to the dorsal, gradually narrowing with 

 the decreasing width. The head forms one-fifth of the 



length ; the snout is broad and the gape is large, extend- 

 ing to beneath the middle of the eye. 



The jaw-teeth are mostlj- acicular, the posterior ones on 

 the premaxillaries being small, and one or two near the 

 symphysis with four or five towards the middle of the 

 bone more subulate and rather taller. Four or five in the 

 lateral curve of the mandible are taller, subulate and re- 

 curved, and the three anterior pairs on the tongue are more 

 approximated and much stouter than the posterior ones 

 (figs. 12, 13). There are nine on each side of the tongue, 

 all more or less recurved. The palatine teeth stand in a 

 curved line, which recedes from its fellow posteriorly (fig. 

 10). 



Pectoral fin much rounded. First ray of the ventral, 

 which is also rounded, opposite to the middle point be- 

 tween the end of the snout and base of the middle caudal 

 rays. Vertical fins rounded. Anal deeper and longer 

 than the dorsal, commencing opposite to its fore-quarter, 

 and extending farther back than its termination. 



The skin of this fish is smooth, and permits the strongly- 

 marked muscular fasciculi to be seen through it. Its co- 

 lours appear to have altered in spirits, the general hue of 

 the upper parts especially being a dingy brown, with some 

 ill-defined specks scattered over it. The sides are marked 

 by a series of seven pale, compressed and irregular rings. 

 The fins are obscurely spotted and clouded, and the bor- 

 ders of the dorsal and anal and the whole caudal are dark. 



Length 8j inches. Only two individuals exist in the 

 collection, the smaller one measuring 41- inches in length. 



Hab. Auckland Islands. 



Galaxias reticulatus. Richardson. 



Radii:— D. 12; A. 15; C. \6^; P. 13; V. 7. 



Plate XLI I., figs. 7—12. 



This species has much resemblance to brocchus, being 

 very similar in its general form and in its dentition. Its 

 snout, however, is more rounded, and its head proportion- 

 ally, somewhat larger. The pectoral fin is also shorter, 

 and the gape of the mouth a very little smaller. 



Three or four of the lateral premaxillary teeth are more 

 perceptibly taller than the rest, while those in the corre- 

 sponding jjart of the lower jaw are less stout and tall than 

 in the brocchus. The palatine teeth are similarly ar- 

 ranged, as are also the teeth on the tongue, but the pas- 

 sage is more gradual in size from the anterior to the 

 posterior ones. The vertical fins are scarcely so much 

 rounded as in brocchus, but are similar in position and re- 

 lative extent. They are paler, and with the ventrals, are 

 covered with more numerous, smaller and better defined 

 specks. The upper parts and sides of the fish are black- 

 ish green, reticulated by white lines, the meshes anteriorly 

 being oblong and high, and more wide and angular poste- 

 riorly. A blue mark crosses the lower part of the shoul- 

 der to the axilla of the jiectoral fin, which is not percepti- 

 ble in brocchus, but a similar mark exists in fasciatus. 

 The whole skin is rough with innumerable small, pouting 



