NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN AND TASMANIAN FISHES — WAITE. 199 



diameter, which is 4-8 in tlie head. The length of the snout 

 is one-fifth more than the diameter of the eye, or one-fourth 

 the lengtli of the head, it is produced into a fleshy process which 

 covers the mouth ant^M'iorly. The lower eye is slightly in advance 

 of the upper one. Both nostrils are tubular and arise from the 

 only naked part of the head ; the anterior one has a valve-like 

 flap behind. The mouth is small and toothless on the coloured 

 side and is wholly in advance of the eyes and nostrils : it is large 

 on the left side, extending far beyond the sinistral nostrils, and 

 is furnished with se\ eral rows of movable teeth in both jaws. The 

 nostrils occupy a slightly more dorsal position than those on the 

 right side. Gill-rakers" 11 -F 2, reduced to mere knobs, the 

 anterior ones scarcely apparent. Gills four and a half, a small 

 slit, not more than a third the diameter of the eye, behind the 

 last. The gill openings extend to the upper angles of the 

 pectorals, but are arrested below by membrane beneath the 

 middle of the eye. 



Scales. — Head, with the exception of a small space round each 

 pair of nostrils, body and fins, wholly clothed with small ctenoid 

 scales, almost equally de\eloped on both sides ; no accessory 

 scales. 



Fi7ts. — The dorsal fin commences at the extremity of the nasal 

 process : tlie anterior rays are quite free of membrane and the 

 tips of those following are fi'ee to above the opercular margin, the 

 first seventeen rays are serrate behind. The highest rays occur 

 about tlie middle of the fin where they are rather more than half 

 the length of the head. Tlie rigiit ventral commences at the 

 symphysis of the lower jaw and is connected by membrane with 

 the anal. The left venti"al is small having its rays close togetlier 

 and situated in advance of the vent. The anal is similar to the 

 dcjrsal and terminates evenly with it. The pectorals are of similar 

 length, half that of the head, but the right one has more rays and 

 a rounded margin ; in tlie left the central rays are much the 

 longest, producing a lanceolate shaj^ed fin. The caudal is slightly 

 rounded, its peduncle deej), being 1-6 in the length of tlie head. 



Colours. — Brownish grey above, white below. 



Total length, 234 mm. 



This is the common sole of the Mellx>urne markets where I 

 obtained the specimens examined. I also netted it at QueensclifF. 



Though described by Castelnau under the genus Rhomhosoha it 

 is clear that it cannot be there assigned ; the scales are stated to 

 be " strongly ciliated which makes the fish feel rough to the 

 touch." Cycloid scales are a character of the genus. Though 



