208 GALAXID^. 



Fam. 9. GALAXIDiE. 



Galaxise, Midler, Abhandl. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1844, p. 187. 



Body naked ; barbels none. Margin of the upper 

 jaw chiefly formed by the intermaxillaries,.which are 

 short and continued by a thick lip, behind which are 

 the maxillaries. Belly rounded. Adipose fin none ; 

 dorsal opposite to anal. Pyloric appendages in small 

 number. Air-bladder large, simple; pseudobranchise 

 none. The ova fall into the cavity of the abdomen 

 before exclusion. 



Fresh waters of the temperate zone of the southern hemisjihere. 

 One genus only. 



1. GALAXIAS. 



Galaxias, Cuv. R^gne Anim. 



Mesites, Jenyns, Voy. Beagle, Fish. p. 118. 



A scries of conical teeth in the jaws, on each palatine bone, and 

 on each side of the tongue ; teeth on the tongue hook-like. 

 Australia, New Zealand, southern parts of South America. 



1. Galaxias alepidotus. 



Esox alepidotus, Forster, Descript. Anim. cur. Lichtenst. p. 142 ; Bl. 



Schi. p. 395. 

 Galaxias aliqiidotiis, Cur. Regne Anim. ; Richards, in Dieffenb. New 



Zen/and, App. p. 219 ; & Zool. Ereh. 8f Terr. Fish. p. 77. 

 foisteri, Ciiv. ^ Val. xviii. p. 351. 



B. 10. D. 13. A. 11-15. V. 7. P. 11. Ctec. pyl. 2. 



Body stout ; head broad, depressed, its length being equal to the 

 height of the body, and more than one-fourth of the total (without 

 caudal). Lower jaw a little shorter than the upper; cleft of the 

 mouth wide, the maxillary extenchng to behind the vertical from the 

 middle of the eye. Eye of moderate size, one-fifth of the length of 

 the head, and two-thirds of the extent of the snout. The length of 

 the pectoral fin is more than one-half of the distance of its root from 

 the ventral, and the ventral terminates at a short distance from the 

 vent ; the anal extends beyond the base of the caudal, if laid back- 

 wards. The least depth of the tail is more than the distance between 

 dorsal and caudal fins. Blackish brown, with scattered, small, round, 

 light-coloured spots or streaks. Fins blackish. 



New Zealand. 



a-c. Seven and eight inches long, rrescnted by Captain Stokes. 



