NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN AND TASMANIAN FISHES — WAITK. 207 



aware of the coloui-s of the adult during Ufe : presened examples 

 undergo peculiar changes similar to members of the Kyphosid{e : 

 these are usually manifested as large irregular l)lutches of black 

 or brown on a pale yellow ground. The markings are adven- 

 titious, not alike in two fishes, and both sides of the same speci- 

 men are usually quite dissimilar. 



Ophioclinus, Castplnau, 1873. 



OpHIOCLINUS GRACILIS, Sp. nov. 



(Plate xxxvi., fig. 6). 



D. xliii. + 1 ; A. iii. 29 : P. 13 ; V. 2 ; C. 11 + 4 ; Yert. 

 19 + 32 = 51. 



Length of head 4-9 ; height of body at the anal fin 7-4 ; length 

 of caudal 9-0 in the total. The diameter of the eye is one-fifth 

 the length of the head, equal to the interorbital space, and three- 

 fourths the length of the snout. The anterior nostril is in a 

 short tube, a little nearer to the end of the snout than to the eye : 

 the posterior nostril is one of numerous large pores, disposed on 

 the snout, around the eye, on the occiput, preopercle, and lower 

 jaw. 



Twih. — A patch of conical teeth within each jaw, and a 

 narrow band on eadi side ; teeth on the vomer, none on the 

 palatines. 



Fins. — The dorsal commences in advance of the operculum, the 

 first spine is two-thirds the diameter of the eye and the fin 

 increases in height backwards, the single ray being twice the 

 length of the first spine and joined to the caudal. The anal fin 

 commences below the seventeenth dorsal spine and is formed of 

 three short spines, followed by longer rays which are slightly 

 longer than the corresponding dorsal spines. The pectoral is 

 rounded, about one-half the length of the head and somewhat 

 shorter than the inner ventral ray. The caudal is truncate, the 

 depth of its peduncle more than one-third the height of the body. 



Scales. — Head naked, body covered with small non-imbricate 

 scales (not shown in the illustration). The lateral line commences 

 beneatli the first dorsal spine ; it is strongly arched and is not 

 continued beyond the end of the pectoral : a median depression to 

 the caudal may be traced in some examples, but this is appar- 

 ently not a true " lateral line." 



Colours. — The general colour is brown above and 3^ellowish 

 beneath, but great variations occur. The illustration represents 



