68 RECORDS OF THE AFSTRAIJAX lilUSEFM. 



I), ix/12 ; A. iii/12 ; V. i/5 ; P. 13 ; C. 14. L. lat. OS ■ nboui 9 scales 

 between the banes of the anterior dorsal sj)iues and the lateral line, and 

 about 35 more to the ventral surface. 



Depth before the ventrals 8*28 in the length to the hypnral joint; 

 head, from the lips to the end of the opercular lobe, 345 in the same. 

 Eye-openinf? 83 in the head, and 2*2 in the interocular width ; snout, 

 including the lips, 3 in the head. Posterior dorsal spine 2-7, average 

 dorsal and anal ra5'S 2*2 in the head. 



Body compressed, the dorsal and ventral profiles almost evenly convex. 

 Caudal peduncle deep and compressed, its length equal to about two-thirds 

 of its depth. Head naked, rhomboidal, the snout sharply conical and the 

 operculum produced into a broad lobe. Eye small, interocular space 

 convex. Month a little oblique, the upper jaw slightly longer than the 

 lower, the maxilla reaching backward to below the posterior nostril. 

 Teeth conical, in two rows in each jaw, the inner ones much smaller and 

 less numerous than the outer ; the anterior pair of premaxillary teeth 

 project forward as strong canines, and are followed by a pair of curved 

 smaller ones, behind which the succeeding teeth decrease in size backwai'ds; 

 anterior mandibular canines closing within the upper ones, the following 

 teeth similar to but larger than those of the premaxillaries ; a pair of 

 canines at each posterior angle of the mouth. Opercular bones with thin 

 membranous margins, the preopercular angle rounded. 



The scales commence on an oblique line extending back from the 

 nape above the eye to the upper angle of the gill-opening, and leave a 

 median area on the neck before the doisal fin almost naked. They are 

 cycloid and subequal in size, and extend over the basal third of the caudal 

 fin. Lateral line curved upward towaid the back anterioi'l}^ and then 

 extending in a straight line backward and slightly downward to below the 

 ninth and tenth dorsal rays, where it drops sharply to the median line of 

 the caudal peduncle ; its tubules are simple, and cease on about the third 

 scale behind the hypural joint. 



Dorsal fin commencing above the middle of the opeiculum, ifs maigin 

 uninterrupted and somewhat rounded. The anterior spines increase a 

 little in height backward, but the remainder are subequal in length ; the 

 rays are higher than the spines and of subequal length. Anal similar to 

 and opposite the soft dorsal. Ventral inserted below the anteiior pectoral 

 base, the first ray elongate and reaching to the vent. Caudal apparently 

 subtruncate. 



Coloar-marlcivij. — Very faded after long preservation in alcohol. 

 Head nearly uniform, but darker above, while the opercular lobe is dark 

 bluish-black towards its edges. Anteiior half of the body light yellowish 

 with two dark purplish-biown cross bands ; the posterior half is brown, 

 and the junction of the two is sharjdy defined. A broad dark purplish- 

 brown area on the back between the first and sixth spines extends across 

 the sides towards the ventral region as a well defined band, and becomes 

 rapidly nai'iower as it descends beneath the |)ectoi'als ; it is lost below in 

 a rather ill-defined darker area on the breast and pectoral region. The 

 second cioss band is still darker and better defined ; it descends from the 

 bases of the last two doi-sal spines and the fii-st iny towards the vent and 



