48 



KKCORDS OK TIIK A rSlRAl.I AN NrrSEr>[. 



The New Zealand ami Tasinauiaii species descend to the estuaries to 

 In-eed, and their young are captured, togetlier with tln^se of some species 

 of (jalaxias, and sold as Whitebait. Tliis habit has not been noticed in 

 the Australian species, thougli it is recorded that those inhabiting the 

 coastal streams may be i\)und in both fresh and salt watei-^. But it is 

 evident that specimens living in the western rivers of New South Wales 

 cannot get so far down as the sea to breed, and that their eggs must bo 

 deposited, and the young developed in the fresh water streams. 



fi. Scales larger, in 50-60 rows. 



b. Vomerine and palatine teeth uniserial; New Zealand retropiuna. 



hb. Vomerine and palatine .teeth partly biserial ; Australia seuioui. 



iin. Scales smaller, in about 70 rows; Tasmania tosmanicn. 



ReTROPIXNA RETROriNXA, liu'hanl'Xril. 



New Zealand Smelt. 

 (Figs. 1-2.) 



Argentina retrcypinna, Richardson, Ichth. "Erebus & Terror," 1848, p. 121, 



pi. lii., figs. 1-H. /</., Powell, Trans. N.Zeal. Inst., ii., 1870, p. 84, 



pi. xvi., lig. 1. 

 Uefropinaa richardsoiiii, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1862, p. 14. 



Id., Giinther, Brit. Mus. Cat. Fish., vi., 1866, p. 171. /./., Hector. 



Trans. N.Zeal. Inst., iii., 1871, p. !'?>?>, pi. xviii., tig. 3, and xxxv.. 



1903, p. 315. 1,1, Hector, Fish. N.Zeal., 1872, p. 126. /-/., Hutton, 



Fish. N.Zeal., 1872, p. 58, pi. x., tig. 91, and Trans. N.Zeal. Inst., v., 



1873, p. 270, atid xxviii., 1896, p. 318. Id., Gill, Mem. Nat. Acad. 



Sci., vi., 1893, p. 112. Id., Hutton, Index Faun. N.Zeal., 1904, p. 51. 

 Tiiclmrdsonia retropiinxi, Knei", Zool. " Novara," iii., Fi.scho iii., 1S67, 



p. 318. 

 lie! ropiniKi riclinrdsonii, var. elomjuttt, 



Wien, Ixxx. i., 1879, p. 413. 

 Retropiiiva o^meroides, Hectoi', Tinns. 



pi. xix., fig. 1, and xxxv., 1903, p. 315. 



p. 126. 

 Uefropinna retropinna, Waite, F^ec. Cantb. Mus 



('haracters of a specimen 52 mn). long to the hypui-a! joint, withdut 

 the tail, which was received from tlie Biitish Museum and was lal)olIed 

 by Ml-. C. Tate Regan as a "Cotype of R. riclinrd^nnii '' (Hg. 1). 





Kliin/.ingei 

 N./e!.l 



Sit/b. Akiiil. Wisv 



Inst., iii., 1871. p. 131, 

 Id., Fish. X.Zeal., 1872, 



i., 1907, p. 10. 



\-\v.. 1. Ki'/ropiiiiHi tftiitftitiinx. Cotypo. 

 Sti'iid. Kisli. .\iistr.. I'.Xif). |i :t:{. 



