254 KBCOKDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



Head largely naked, a few small scales on the upper part of the 

 operculum. Some hue rows of mucigerous papillse are present on the 

 cheeks, opercles, nape and sides of the neck, which are most striking 

 below the eye. Some large open pores on the interorbital space, behind 

 the eye and the preopercular border, and above the operculum. Eyes 

 separated by a rather broad and almost flat interorbital space. Anterior 

 nostril in a short tube, the posterior a simple opening. Upper profile of 

 the head and snout forming a convex curve. Mouth a little oblique, the 

 maxilla reaching to below the anterior portion of the eye ; jaws subequal. 

 Premaxillaries with an outer row of several enlarged teeth -on each side, 

 followed by an inner row of small ones, which increase in size and become 

 biserial backwards. Mandible with an outer row of curved teeth anteriorly 

 and a large cui-ved canine on each side. Palate toothless. Tongue sub- 

 truncate anteriorly, its tip free. Gill-openings separated by a wide 

 intei'space ; exposed edge of the shoulder-girdle smooth. 



Body rather broad, compressed. It is covered with small scales 

 which extend forward to behind the eyes, and cover the breast and base 

 of the pectoral fin ; they are mostly ctenoid, but are cycloid anteriorly 

 and on the abdomen. A minute genital papilla. 



First dorsal commencing behind the vertical of the pectoral base ; 

 the spines increase in length to the fourth, which is filamentous, and the 

 membrane from the last almost reaches the base of the first ray. Dorsal 

 rays subequal in length, the posterior ones forming a pointed lobe, which 

 overlaps the base of the caudal. Anal of similar foi'm to the soft dorsal, 

 the rays increasing slightly in length backwards. Pectoral narrowly 

 rounded, reaching the vertical of the anterior anal rays. Ventrals large, 

 almost reaching the anal fin. Caudal broadly rounded. 



Colour- marl- tug. — Brown in alcohol, with five broad cross-bands ; these 

 are dark brown with blackish edges, and have nan-ow light stripes border- 

 ing them on each side on the lower portion of the body. Elongate dark- 

 edged spots are present on the cheeks and opercles, and a paired series of 

 them extends from the snout to the dorsal fin. A blackish spot is present 

 on the shoulder, and two dark stripes extend backward on the upper 

 anterior portion of the body. A large blackish blotch is present on the 

 fifth to sixth dorsal spines, and narrow dark lines extend obliquely across 

 the fin. Jiasal two-thirds of the second dorsal dark brown, and separated 

 from a dark-edged marginal band by a light interspace. Anal dusky, 

 nearly uniform. Ventrals with a narrow dark border. Pectorals and 

 caudal pale yellow, the latter with a large blackish spot near the upper 

 portion of its base, and a dark-edged light band near the upper margin. 



Described and figured from a specimen 77 mm. long, from Murray 

 Island. 



Variation. — Six other examples, 26-110 mm. long, taken with the 

 specimen described, exhibit striking changes in their colour-marking with 

 growth. The ybunger examples ai-e light with the cross-bands represented 

 pcincipally by narrow dark lines on the upper portion of the body ; there 

 are four interrupted dark longitudinal stripes on each side, and rounded 

 light spots between the cross-bands ; tlie soft dorsal has three dai'k spots 



