SI'liniKS IN AUSTHAI.IAN KISIIKS McCHI.I.dCll. 47 



abumlaiice in Hobson's Hay, Victoriu, and C'astelnau later nr)te(l tliat it 

 was common in the Melbourne maiket.s (lining the whole yeai- about lH7*J. 

 According to Johnston, the Anchovy occni-s in Tasmanian waters in vast 

 slioals where it is preyed upon by Barraconta and Mackerel. He fonnd 

 it abundant between tlie years 1882 and 1890, and noted that it frequentlv 

 entered the estuaries of the Derwent, Taniar, and Hnon Rivers duj-ing 

 the summer months. Stead (190S) noted that the species congregates in 

 euoi'mous shoals of surpassing magnitude on tlie coast of New South 

 Wales, and he recorded sucli an occurrence in March, 1908. He added 

 that Anchovies ai-e always present on the coast of New South Wales 

 where they frequent the deeper waters of our harbouis, lakes, and 

 estuar-ies. Ogilby (1908) observed that the species visits southern 

 Queensland in large shoals during the winter months. 



Localities. — Specimens having the same characters as tlie e.xampie 

 described above are in the Australian Museum from vaiious localities in 

 south-western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales. 

 The species has further been recorded from South Australia, southern 

 Queensland, and New Zealand. 



Family RETROPINNID^. 



Genus Retropinna, Gill. 



BetrojriiiiKi, Gill, Proc, Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1862, p. 14 (Orthotype 

 Arqeii.tiiKi retro-pinna, Richardson). I J., Giinther, Brit. Mus. Cat. 

 Fish., vi., 1866, p. 171. 



liichardsonia, Steiudachner, Sitzb. Akad. Wiss. Wien, liii., 186(), p. 469 

 (Orthotype Argentivd rei rnpiHiin, Richardson). 



Jeinpi^eUa, Ogilby, Ann. Qld. Mus., No. 9, 1908, pp. 6, 7, 15 (Orthotype 

 J. ireaflteriUi, Ogilby). 



General form elongate, the body covered with cycloid scales of 

 moderate size ; no true lateral line. Head naked with sj'mmetrically 

 placed open pores. Eyes i-ather large, moiith large, oblique ; strong 

 teeth are px'eseut on both jaws, on the vomer, palatines, and tongue, and 

 on the mesopterygoid and basihyal. Gill-openings extending far forward, 

 the membranes united with the isthmus; 5-6 branch iostegals. Dorsal 

 fin placed far back, partly opposite the anal ; a small adipose dorsal 

 present above the end of the anal. Anal longei- than the dorsal. Pectorals 

 low down on the sides. Ventrals submedian, with six rays. A membra.ne 

 commences on the ventral surface bet-ween the pectorals, and extends 

 backward and increases in de[)th to the vent. Caudal foiked. Vertebroe 

 about 50. 



Distrihvtiou. — Fresh waters and estuaries of New Zealand and 

 Tasmania. Muri-ay River drainage system in Victoria, South Australia, 

 New South Wales, and south-eastern Queensland; also the Burnett Rivei- 

 and coastal sti-eams of southern Queensland and New South Wales. 



