38. GLA.UCOSOMA. 211 



length of the head; the diameter of the eye is one-third of the 

 latter. The upper maxillary bone reaching to below the anterior 

 half of the eye. Praeoperculum serrated, not notched, and with a 

 very long spinous tooth at the angle, reaching to the gill-opening. 

 The second dorsal spine longest. Caudalis slightly emarginate. 

 YeUow, with two or three blue longitudinal bands. {Bl.) 

 Sea of Amboyna. 



38. GLAUCOSOMA. 



Glaucosoma, Temm. Sf Schleg. Faim. Japon. Poiss. p. G2 ; Richards. 

 Voy. Ereb. 8f Terr. Fishes, p. 27. 



Seven, occasionally eight branchiostegals. All the teeth vilHform, 

 without canines ; teeth on the jjalatines. One dorsal, with eight 

 siDines, the anal fin with three. Operculum with two flat points ; 

 praeoperculum crenulated. Scales moderate ; head entirely covered 

 with scales. 



From the Japanese Sea to the Australian coasts. 



1 . Glaucosoma burgeri. 



Glaucosoma, sp., Faun. Japon. p. 62. pi. 67. 



biirgeri, Richards. Voy. of Ereb. Sf Terror, Fishes, p. 27. 



hebraicum, Richards. I. c. p. 27. pi. 17. 



D. l^. A. |. L. lat. 48. L. transv. ^. 



The height of the body is 3|- in the total length, and nearly equal 

 to the length of the head ; the diameter of the eye is nearly one- 

 fifth of the latter. The upper maxillary bone reaches to beneath 

 the posterior third of the eye ; the whole snout densely scaly ; oper- 

 culum with two flat thin obtuse tijis ; suprascapula not visible. 

 Caudalis tnincated, with slightly convex angles ; the first rays of the 

 dorsal fin longest. Back more or less distinctly marbled with black. 



Sea of Japan ; Houtman's Abrolhos, south-western coast of 

 Australia. 



Temminck and Schlegel described and figured a Japanese fish from 

 a drawing of Biirger, considering it the type of a new genus, Glau- 

 cosoma. Sir John Richal-dson afterwards discovered, in the Collection 

 of the British Museum, two similar, stuffed specimens from Australia ; 

 he thought them to be different from the Japanese one, and gave to 

 the latter the specific appellation of burgeri, to the former that of 

 hebraicum. There can be no doubt of their specific difference if we 

 compare the figures only, the first dorsal rays of the one being much 

 elongate, those of the oiher having the same length as the middle 

 ones. But on comparing the typical specimens of 6r. hebraicum with 

 the figure of 0. burgeri, I could Dot convince myself of the real ex- 

 istence of two species. They agree perfectly with that figure in the 

 form of the head and of the body, and in the number of the spines 

 and rays. The first dorsal rays are broken — a very common occmrence, 

 owing to the bad practice of preserving fishes in a dried or stiiffed 



p2 



