FISUKS FKOM WESTERN AUSTRALIA — WAITE. 81 



Castelnau-' recorded tliis species from Fremantle, whence we 

 have a fine example measuring 27 mm. 



Mr. C. T. Regan-- does not admit Chcetodermis as a vahd genus 

 and remarks on the similarity of the species to Monacanthus 

 tomentosHS. 



Chcetodermis maccullochi, s/j. nov. 



(PL xvii.) 



D. ii., 27 ; A. 26 ; P. 12 ; C. 12. 



Length of head 2*7 ; height of body at the vent, equal to the 

 length of the caudal and 2-2 in the total. The eye lies nearer to 

 the dorsal rays than to the end of the snout and is 44 in the 

 length of the head : the interorbital space is 4"0 in the same. 



Ihe gill opening is nearly vertical, it is placed beneath the 

 posterior margin of the eye, and is nearly one-half longer than its 

 diameter. The nostrils are simple pores placed close together in 

 a naked ai-ea well in front of the eye. 



Head deeper than long, its upper and lower profiles, to the 

 dorsal and ventral spines respectively, perfectly straight. 



The body is elongate, strongly compi'essed, its upper and lower 

 borders very slightly curved. The dorsal spine is placed wholly 

 behind the eye and midway between the end of the snout and the 

 middle dorsal rays. It is beset with strong lateral barbs, directed 

 downward ; at the upper base of each arises a filament as long as 

 the diameter of the eye and bifid near the tip. The rays are 

 long and rise gradually to about the twentieth which is half 

 the length of the head ; the posterior edge is gently rounded. 

 The anal arises beneath the seventh dorsal ray and extends a 

 little beyond its posterior insertion, it is otherwise quite similar. 

 The ventral process is scarcely depressible but its terminal spine 

 is movable. It is beset with barbs and filaments. The 

 pectoral is rounded, its longest rays twice the diameter of the eye. 

 The caudal is markedly acuminate, the central rays being twice 

 the length of the outer ones. It is peculiar inasmuch as its rays 

 are homacanthus (if I may use the term in this connection) there 

 being no alternation of arrangement and all of equal thickness ; 

 the peduncle is flattened above and below, and its depth is equal 

 to the diameter of the eye. 



The lips, space around the nostrils and gill-openings are 

 naked, otherwise the head is densely covered with rosette-like 



•*! Castelnau.— Prnc. Zool. Soc. Vict., ii., 1873, p. 147. 

 22 Regan.— Proc. Zool. Soc, 1902, p. 289. 



