SrUDIES IN AUSTRALIAN FISLIKS McCULl.Ofll . 51 



thii'cl of the eye. Nostrils large, close together, and situated about 

 midway between the eye and the end of tlie snout; the anterior with a 

 low raised margin, and a thick lobe separating it from the posterior. 

 Preopercular angle rounded, with a large pore on its border. Operculum 

 and suboperculum with rounded margins and a broad free membranous 

 border. Gill-openings extending forward to below the anterior portion 

 of the eye, the membranes united with, but overlapping across the 

 isthmus. Five broad branchiostegals. Teeth (of a specimen of similar 

 size, and collected with the specimen described and figured) cardiform and 

 curved ; those in the premaxillaries are smallest and uniserial ; no teeth 

 on the maxillary edge. Mandibular teeth ^ little larger, in two rows 

 anteriorly, but l)ecoming smaller and uniserial on the sides; a curved 

 band of teeth across the vomer, the outer teeth being largest and in two 

 rows, while the median ones are smaller and uniserial ; palatine teeth 

 largest anteriorly and in two rows, becoming smaller and uniserial 

 posteriorly ; a patch of teeth on each mesopteiygoid ; lingual teeth 

 largest of all, hooked and arranged in a single row on each side of the 

 tongue, the rows meeting anteriorly and posteriorly, and there are a few 

 mesial teeth at the back of the tongue ; a broad elongate patch of teeth 

 ou the basihyal. 



Dorsal fin higher than long, its origin a little iu advance of the 

 vertical of the vent; the first three rays are simple, the others branched. 

 Adipose dorsal small, originating a trifle behind the vertical of the base 

 of the last anal ray. Anal commencing iu advance of the middle of the 

 dorsal base, the tip of its last ray reachiug beyond the base of the adipose 

 dorsal ; the four first rays are simple, the remainder branched ; the first 

 branched ray is longest and equal to that of the dorsal in length. 

 Pectoral placed very low on the body, I'ounded, its inner and outer rays 

 simple, the others branched ; it extends much more than half its distance 

 from the ventral. Ventrals large and rounded, the first ray inserted a 

 little nearer the snout tliaia the last anal ray ; the outer ray is thickened 

 but branched, only the inner one being simple. Caudal forked. 



Colour. — Almost uniformly light coloui^ed iu alcohol, the operculum 

 silvery; cranium dark, and some blackish dots on the snout, lips, and 

 back ; a dark patch at the base of the tail, and a pigmented line along 

 the sides to the shoulders. In life, this species is translucent green, with 

 the eye, opercles, and the whole abdominal region silver ; a median silvery 

 iridescent band extends along the side of the tail ; scales of the back 

 margined with black dots ; top of head black, and a black spot at the base 

 of the tail. 



Status. — E. seiiioiti differs from the New Zealand 7i'. rclnipiuiui in 

 having some of the vomerine and palatine teeth arranged in two rows 

 instead of a single series ; it has also only about fifty instead of sixty 

 scales iu a longitudinal row. In all other details, however, the two are 

 very similar. 



Variation. — An examination of a large number of specimens from 

 numerous localities shows that this species varies considerably in several 

 of its characters. This variation is correlated to a certain extent with 



