STUDIES IN AUSTRALIAN FISHES— McCULLOCH 317 



The gill-opening is a very small semi-circular opening situated 

 below the hinder margin of the head, and its posterior margin is 

 slightly raised, though there is no trace of the free lobes of C. 

 dorsalis and C. ru/us. 



The vent is followed by a minute papilla. 



Colours. — Darkest anteriorly, often with a series of about 

 fourteen broad brown bands on the back, which are lost on the 

 dorsal fin. Sides of abdomen with more or less numerous vertical 

 narrow brown bars, while anteriorly it is crossed with four or 

 five broad caimine bars below. Colourless behind the vent 

 except for a prominent brown vertebral band. 



In many specimens the dorsal bars are absent, and the abdo- 

 minal markings are represented by brown spots only. There are 

 others in which all the markings are wanting. 



Total length, 47- mm. 



Ohs.- — This species is sometimes found in small numbers in 

 rock-pools near Sydney. When first collected, I supposed it to 

 be the larval foim of some larger species, but a number of 

 females only 37 - mm. in length, and distended with eggs, have 

 since been procuied for me by Mr. Basset Hull, Junr., to whom 

 I am indebted for many interesting rock-pool fishes and crusta- 

 ceans. 



C. parvulus differs in the form of the gill-opening from that of 

 C. dorsalis as described by Richardson 1 by the absence of the 

 supplementary free lobes to the posterii r margin. These lobes 

 are very distinct in C. ru/us, Macleay, and are regarded by 

 Waite 2 as being rudimentary ventral fins. "Whatever may be 

 their function, I think it probable that their presence or absence 

 is of specific value only, especially as in all other characters the 

 three species are very similar. 



Urocampus carinirostris, Castelnau. 



(Plate xc, fig. 2). 



Urocampus carinirostris, Castelnau, Proc. Zool. Soc Vict., i., 

 1872, p. 200. Id., Stead, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.Wales, 

 xxxi., 190G, p. 428. 



D. 14. Body-rings. 8-9. Caudal 50-53 (rarely 43). 



Form elongate and very slender. Body with nine ridges; two on 

 the back, four on the sides and three below. The upper pair on the 



1 Richardson — Voy. Ereb. & Terr., 1845, p. 50, pi. xxx., tigs. 1-J. 

 5 Waite — Rec. Austr. Mus., vi., 1906, p. 195, pi. xxxvi., tig. 1, 

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